tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post1007698197763937145..comments2024-02-27T01:17:39.925-08:00Comments on The Nine and Thirty Kingdoms: Star Wars IV Through Non-Fan EyesTalysmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02162328521343832412noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post-49823909548808358862020-11-19T06:14:07.380-08:002020-11-19T06:14:07.380-08:00You make good points but seem stuck on my use of t...You make good points but seem stuck on my use of the term Cerebral. Planet of the Apes is about Race Relations thus I consider it cerebral. Most Star Trek Episodes were about a greater point, a theme or message, thus cerebral. Land of the Giants and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and the serials of the 30 might be considered science fiction but they weren't about anything. No theme, no ideas, just adventure stories with science fiction trappings. That describes Star Wars as well but that doesn't really describe science fiction movies of the 70s.<br /><br />In 1977 there was no wikipedia, IMDB, or even videotape. Movies didn't go into massive release but went regional and then disappeared. Only had a handful of channels to show them on TV so basically when they disappeared they were effectively gone. If it didn't make a splash big enough to be mocked by Mad Magazine a movie disappeared from public view almost entirely. <br /><br />Add to that the late 70s were sad times of bad fashion, Vietnam war failure on the mind, lines at the gas station, and a dumpy economy. <br /><br />Then Star Wars appeared and brought the fun with it. It was a perfect storm for success. Even then it would have been forgotten after a few years if they didn't follow up with a high quality sequel and if VHS didn't show up soon after. Ruprechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139664977453444000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post-72604278402238958752020-11-18T17:12:05.650-08:002020-11-18T17:12:05.650-08:00No, really. The serials and TV shows I named were ...No, really. The <i>serials</i> and TV shows I named were pre-'60s, and serials pretty much disappeared after that, but I could name a lot of TV shows from the '60s and '70s that weren't very cerebral at all. They are either mild horror or action/adventure. Land of the Giants, Lost in Space, The Invaders, the TV series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Even stuff that might be called cerebral had to have at least a touch of horror/mystery (Twilight Zone, Outer Limits) or action/adventure (Star Trek,) at least in the US.<br /><br />Movies are much the same. Check the lists of science fiction films by decade on Wikipedia. The bulk of the US movies are cheap sci-fi horror or in some cases survival adventure on another planet, which could be considered semi-cerebral, but is still mostly about excitement and danger. Major Hollywood movies might edge a little more towards the cerebral (Illustrated Man,) but you're more likely to still get horror, thriller, and action elements, like Planet of the Apes. The stuff that's most likely to be cerebral is foreign films: Farenheit 451 (UK film, directed by French director François Truffaut,) Alphaville (French,) 2001 (joint UK/US, British director Stanley Kubrick.) But even overseas, you get stuff like Barbarella. And Japan was almost completely giant rubber monsters at this point. Talysmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02162328521343832412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post-86286861905730909292020-11-18T16:07:17.089-08:002020-11-18T16:07:17.089-08:00I should have been more specific, I was referring ...I should have been more specific, I was referring to the 60-70s. Every movie/show you mentioned was from the 50s or earlier. That was the fun-style Lucas was trying to recreate. He famously hoped to make a Flash Gordon movie but couldn't get the rights.Ruprechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139664977453444000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post-48858982147751888972020-11-18T13:52:03.237-08:002020-11-18T13:52:03.237-08:00I'd say cerebral SF in the movies was pretty r...I'd say cerebral SF in the movies was pretty rare. Most of it was horror, and there were quite a few action-oriented serials (Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Commander Cody( or TV series (Space Cadet, Rocky Jones, Captain Video.)Talysmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02162328521343832412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239577512598038009.post-6430948650715775542020-11-18T09:41:54.856-08:002020-11-18T09:41:54.856-08:00The thing with Star Wars (1977) was the timing. Be...The thing with Star Wars (1977) was the timing. Before that Science Fiction movies were cerebral (2001, Logans Run, Fantastic Voyage) and mostly dull. Having said that your grade is fair.<br /><br />Side note: Stormtroopers were ordered to let them escape and even the dimmest trooper probably knew Vader's policy on disobeying orders. Don't forget Obi Juan said 'only Stormtroopers are so precise".Ruprechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139664977453444000noreply@blogger.com