Let's see, when I turned eleven, my parents initiated their divorce, which I've already
blogged about, I went away to summer camp for my first time, which I've also blogged about, but the most important event of that year and what I haven't blogged about yet is...."STAR WARS."! If someone were to ask, me, "Wendy, what movie has most changed your life?" I'd reply so quickly and without a doubt, 'Star Wars'. This isn't a post about how or why it changed my life, I'll save that for another time because it does direct who I am spiritually today.
Back to the Summer of 1977; I remember my two older brother's went to see it first, came home and talked about nothing else for a week. I was so envious because I had just caught glimpses of it on the t.v. and I knew this was something special, this movie was nothing like I had ever seen before and I literally got chills every time I heard the music or saw anything to do with it. I was starving for a movie like "Star Wars" as a million others were.
I will briefly say that I had a mad pre-adolescent crush on both "Luke "Skywalker" the character and the actor Mark Hamill who played him, sigh... I get embarrassed whenever my father teases me about how I walked around after seeing the movie just once and proclaiming that "Mark Hamill was God!". O.k. well, remember I was only eleven and we've all had those "crushes" that we kind of cringe at as we get older and someone finds out. Don't deny it!
So, I've bared part of my sordid past with you. What reminded me of my love for "Star Wars" was this video clip I saw on a website that brought me right back to that June. I hear the resounding musical theme song all the time and that doesn't send me back. Why this video did, I don't really know. I just found it hilarious and wonderfully whacky. Speaking of whacky, have you seen the movie, "Men who Stare at Goats"? Yes, the two movies are related and if you see it, you'll immediately get it. I'm not going to say anymore other than I think it is one of the most brilliantly funny movies I've seen as it scored highly on my warped sense of humour check list. And while Mark Hamill was great as "Luke", Ewan McGregor is now my choice for my favorite Jedi and he plays one to the full maximum in "Men who Stare at Goats." I think it's time for me to watch "Star Wars" again, only the first one, mind you, I wasn't that crazy about the rest of them.
Onto the video I first blabbered on about...I hope you get a force out of it and if you too are on a galaxy far, far away, give a shout-out to me so we "Star Wars" geeks can unite proudly!
7 comments:
Things like that actually DO happen on the New York City subways. That reader could have been me. I get lost in my books. Have to. Otherwise I'm looking for potential bombers. Sad, but that's the way of subway life nowadays.
Mary
I love Ewan McGregor, he's great.
You got to see the original Star Wars in the cinema? I'm jealous! I saw it in the 80s on TV. We didn't have a VCR at that stage and it was on a weeknight or a Sunday I was always getting sent to bed about 30 minutes into it. Man that was frustrating!
I haven't watched it for years now, but I just thinking about it makes me remember good times. And the best moment of all - when Luke walks over to the ridge, looks at the twin suns and ponders his future as John Williams' masterful score plays.. it sends shivers up my spine just thinking about it.
Thanks for bringing the memory back eWitch!
Mary, I get lost in my books too, but fortunately I don't face the danger you do on subways, sorry it's such a scary experience...I wish you safety and peace while riding the subway, no Darth Vaders!
Debra, I knew I liked you for a reason ;)
D. Reader, don't despair they still play "Star Wars" now in movie theaters that are way more sophisticated than when I saw it. But,yeah, I am lucky I saw it when I did. Thank you for your comment, always nice to meet another "Star Wars" fan and I saw exactly the scene you mentioned in my mind when I read it.
Wendy,
I eventually saw the original trilogy at the cinema when they came out with the special editions in the late 90s. That was pretty cool (leaving aside the CGI Jabba, of course!) but to have seen Star Wars at age 11 on it's original release is pretty awesome!
--TDR
I enjoyed the original Star Wars immensely. What surprised me was that it was so popular, given that the whole plot is underpinned by eastern mysticism and philosophy.
One complaint and a disgreement, though.
I was uneasy with the fact that the starfighters were functioning in a manner consistent with atmosphere and gravity, even though we know there is none in space. I suppose that's just being pedantic.
I'm afraid I was most unimpressed with Ewan McGregor in the later ones. In fact, I was unimpressed with the later ones generally. I thought the only good thing in them was Liam Neeson.
Do tell how they influenced your spiritual road, Wendy.
Thank you for writing this post
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