European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 07, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse I.-. Galaxy fat for cow Cut by Vincent Canby new York times tar wars George Lucas s first film since his terrifically successful american Graffiti is the movie that the teen agers in american Graffiti would in their necks to see it s also the it s going to entertain a lot of temporary Folk who have a soft be virtually ritualized manners of k adventure wars which opened in new he most elaborate most expend it Beautiful movie serial Ever than apotheosis of Flash " serials and a witty critique ikes associations with a Varie lera Ture that is nothing if not quo Buck " Ivanhoe Superman Izard of of the gospel a to St. Matthew the legend Arthur and the knights of and rese works of course had earlier Marks on the kind of science Fie strips that Lucas the writer As ire Clor of Star wars rom pm affection of such cheerfulness Olds facetious Ness. The Way definitely not to approach Star wars though is to expect a film of cosmic implications or to footnote it with so Many references that one anticipates it As if it were a literary duty. It s fun and funny. The time according to the opening credit card is a Long time ago and the setting a Galaxy far far away which gives Lucas and his associates total free Dom to come up with their own landscapes housing vehicles weapons religion poli tics All of which Are variations on the familiar. When the film opens dark times have fallen upon the Galac Tal Empire once ruled we Are Given to believe from a kind of spot age Camelot. Against these evil tyrants there is in Progress a rebellion led by a certain Princess Lela organa a pretty round faced Young woman of old fashioned Pluck who before you can catch your breath has been captured by the guardians of the Empire. Their object is to retrieve some secret plans that can be the Empire s undoing. That s about All the plot that anyone of voting age should be required to keep track of. The Story of Star wars could be written on the head of a pin and still leave room for the Bible. It is rather a breath less succession of escapes pursuits Dan a Zap it s Luke Skywalker Mark Hamill. Princess Lela Carrie Fisher places a message for help to Ben Keno with the comical robot a too detox. Director Lucas right on set with Alec guinness. Serous missions unexpected encounters with each one ending in some kind of defeat until the final adventures involve among others an Ever optimistic Young Man named Luke Skywalker Mark Hamill who is innocent without being naive Han Solo Harrison Forda free booting free Lance space ship Captain who goes where he can make the most Money and an old Mystic named Ben Keno i Alex Guin Ness one of the last of the old guard fellow in Possession of what s called the Force a mixture of what appears to be esp and Early Christian Faith. Accompanying these three As they set out to liberate the Princess and restore jus Tice to the Empire Are a pair of Laurel and Ilard Yish robots. The thin one who looks like a sort of brass Woodman talks in the polished phrases of a Volet i m adroit but i m not very knowledgeable while the squat one. Shaped like a portable Wash ing machine who is the one with the knowl Edge simply squeaks and blinks his lights. They Are the year s Best new comedy team. In opposition to these Good Guys Are the Imperial forces led by someone called the grand off Tarkin Peter Cushing and his executive assistant lord Darth Vader David pro sea former student of Ben Keno i who elected to leave heaven sometime before to join the evil ones. The True stars of Star wars arc John Barry who was responsible for the production design and the people who were responsible for the incredible special effects space ships explosions of stars space Battles hand to hand combat with what appear to be lethal Neon swords.1 have a particular fondness for the look of the Interior of a Gigantic satellite called the death Star a place full of the kind of wasted space one finds today Only in old fifth Avenue mansions and Public Library s also a very funny sequence in a Low life bar on a Remote planet a Frontier like establishment where they serve customers who look like turtles apes pythons and various amalgams of same but draw the line at robots. Says the bartender piously we Don t serve their kind it s difficult to judge the performances in a film like this. 1 suspect that much of the Lime the actors had to perform wit special effects that were later added in the Laboratory yet everyone frats his male rial with the proper combination of Solem nity and Good humor that avoids condescension one of Lucas s particular achieve ments is the manner in which he is Able to recall the tackiness of the old comic strips and serials he loves with out making a movie thai is. Itself Tacky. Star wars is Good enough u convince the most sceptical 8-year-old Sci i Buff who is the toughest Chr Star which has been rated pc parental guidance contains a lot of explosive action and not a bit of truly disturbing violence. Une 7, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 15
