I was actually thinking about this the other day when I saw the little boy darth vader volkswagen commercial, and I was trying to contextualize the staying power of Star Wars from when it was new (in the early 80s after at least 2 movies had aired). Now this is 30ish years later, so what in the early 80s had that iconic staying power from the late 40s early 50s? All I could come up with was Superman, maybe Batman, then maybe some more superheroes?
Then I sort of started wondering is it only this sort of archetypical superhero, hero, fantasy stories that can key in to younger generations and seem amazing when it is essentially an old timey movie to them? To a four year old now, Star Wars Ep 4 is as old as Miracle on 34th Street was to a four year old in 1981.
Heath Ledger was great and all, maybe an all-time acting performance, but Hamill's voice work as The Joker is probably still the signature performance I associate with the role.
Yes this absolutely brought me back to when in 12th grade AP English we spent the last month on Joseph Cambell and talked about Star Wars and other things but that was 15 + years ago and make it an even more old timey movie now.
I feel like you just punched me right in the gut.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me feel sad. And old. So very very old.
ReplyDeleteThat's just three years younger than Alec Guiness was in 1977 when Star Wars came out.
ReplyDeleteI was actually thinking about this the other day when I saw the little boy darth vader volkswagen commercial, and I was trying to contextualize the staying power of Star Wars from when it was new (in the early 80s after at least 2 movies had aired). Now this is 30ish years later, so what in the early 80s had that iconic staying power from the late 40s early 50s? All I could come up with was Superman, maybe Batman, then maybe some more superheroes?
ReplyDeleteThen I sort of started wondering is it only this sort of archetypical superhero, hero, fantasy stories that can key in to younger generations and seem amazing when it is essentially an old timey movie to them? To a four year old now, Star Wars Ep 4 is as old as Miracle on 34th Street was to a four year old in 1981.
Heath Ledger was great and all, maybe an all-time acting performance, but Hamill's voice work as The Joker is probably still the signature performance I associate with the role.
ReplyDeletePaging Joseph Cambell.
ReplyDeleteYes this absolutely brought me back to when in 12th grade AP English we spent the last month on Joseph Cambell and talked about Star Wars and other things but that was 15 + years ago and make it an even more old timey movie now.
ReplyDelete