George Lucas - Bush Bashing?

A couple of weeks ago, I read the novelization for Revenge of the Sith and I observed some not-so-subtle digs at the President, the Republicans and the current situation in Iraq.

Today at TechCentralStation, Craig Winneker has a column called "No Star Wars For Oil" that makes similar observations from the film itself. Winneker says that - bottom line - the movie is awesome but it doesn't take a major leap of faith to recognize the whiff of Lucas' Left-wing politics that emanate from the script.

The dialogue in ROTS is rife with distinctly unsubtle references to the current political situation. "This war represents a failure to listen," Padme laments at one point, before declaring after a vote to give executive power to Chancellor Palpatine: "So this is how liberty dies -- to thunderous applause." The wicked Chancellor, played brilliantly by Ian McDiarmid, talks on and on about "security", giving it an evilly sibilant S, and about "peace". As he lures Anakin over to the dark side, telling him what to say in Jedi Council meetings, you wonder if he's supposed to be Karl Rove. He does, after all, appear to be the smartest man in the movie.

The ultimate reference comes in the climactic duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi on the planet of Mustafar, which seems to have long ago failed in its struggle against global warming. "If you're not with me, you're my enemy," Anakin shouts to Obi-Wan, who responds: "Only a Sith lord deals in absolutes." Yes, and so, it would seem, do neo-cons.

Should all of this matter? Nah. It's not going to spoil my enjoyment of the movie. And it's likely that only those closely attuned to politics with even pick up on it. But it will be interesting to watch Liberals in the weeks and months that follow the film's release to see if they've picked up on the same themes and if they start to include the "life imitating art" point to color their rantings.

Posted by: Gary at 11:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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