George Lucas managed to illuminate the world in 1977, with his mesmerising and delightful rousing adventure, Star Wars. A story of an epic struggle between the defiant good alliance and the malicious powerful evil empire, this sci-fi classic is charged with spectacle and adventure. Its evocative sound track and its avant-garde, eye-popping special effects, without a doubt, proclaimed it a revolutionist. Lucas paid homage and terrifically borrowed clichés and themes from other movie genres and synthesised them together. This, therefore, created a cultural phenomenon that is to this day universally revered by anyone and everyone.
In this glorious fantasy, even Gangster Films contrived to lure themselves right at the beginning. In one of the first scenes, we see guards alarmed from the noise of a space craft that has no intention in making a silent entry. As they stand prepared, holding their guns, a medium shot of a door being forced open with fusing lasers, informs us intruders are moments away from invading the shuttle. Fuming explosives jumps into the screen, tearing the door down. Still at a medium shot, Storm Troopers barge in shooting relentlessly. At an eye-level, we can see the submissive sentinels being attained and falling to the ground, helpless. The Troopers then nonchalantly walks over the attained at a low angle, similar to how gangsters would treat their victims. Obviously insufficient and powerless, the remaining guards run away. In walks Darth Vader in a full shot, their mighty leader, surging from the hazy smoke. He ominously walks directly towards us, and menacingly stands, hands on his hips, above the dead. Even the sound of his breathing is threatening as he walks right by, filling the screen with his black cape. This last sequence is incredibly fast and typically refers to gangsterism. It could easily be compared to a scene from a bank bust movie.
Another reference to gangsterism is when princess Leia is blackmailed by Tarkin, the imperial governor of the Outland regions. This scene starts with a full shot of her walking hands tied, accompanied by guards on both sides, and Darth Vader close behind. As she walks up to Tarkin in a profile view we can see her looking up to him, insinuating his dominance over her. At first, she acts cocky and defies him, but at an over the shoulder shot, he presumptuously holds her chin, informing her, and the audience that he’s in charge. He then walks around her, menacing to destroy her planet if she doesn’t tell him where the rebel base is located. With Darth Vader standing tall behind her and Tarkin surrounding her, she is dominated. This is similar to what gangsters do when information needs to be extracted from the beholder. With a long shot of the planet, we are informed of what is at stakes. She walks into the frame, begging him mercifully not to abolish everything. He indifferently responds, she must tell him what he perilously wants to know. Leia’s reaction shot shows a great amount of despair. Cornered, she’s forced to say where the base is located. In a medium shot, she looks down as she reluctantly delivers the information. Once registered, Tarkin doesn’t hold the end of his bargain and instructs his co-pilot to fire when ready. This behaviour is comparable to what would happen to a detainer of information once he gave in to the pressure of having a gun hold to his temple.
Lucas managed to incorporate this material in a manner that not only makes it uniquely his own, but also praises the original sources. This film is one of the most glorious and memorable fantasies ever made. We easily get absorbed into a world we want to believe in. A world where we come to realise we must learn how to live together in order to survive.
