Thursday night my wife and I went to see "Star Wars in Concert" at the Save Mart Center arena in Fresno. An 86-piece orchestra played the epic John Williams music, a 60-foot screen showed accompanying footage from the six films and the whole was narrated by Anthony Daniels, who played C3PO though the entire 28 years of the saga. (Yes, he really talks like that!) It was a tour de force, well worth 4 stars on my entertainment rating scale. You can see images from the Fresno Bee here.
Though there were many, many families present among the crowd of thousands, it may be difficult for some younger people to appreciate the immense impact the inception of the Star Wars franchise had with the first film in 1977. I suppose the more recent Harry Potter phenomenon might be the closest parallel. Star Wars was truly transformative.
The initial release in 1977 wasn't that well publicized. I had heard about the film but was reluctant to go, afraid of being disappointed by yet another sci-fi dud. Then I heard one guy at work talking it up. He said he had "seen it again last night." Again? I asked him how many times he'd seen it. "Seven," he replied. OK, I figured, this is worth a try.
For one thing, it was the first space film in which the special effects were believable. In fact, they were more than that. They were, for the time, awe-inspiring. They hold up well even today, for that matter. The first scene in which Princess Leia's ship crosses the screen (the beginning of Episode IV as they are now numbered) followed by the immensity of a pursuing Imperial star destroyer left all audiences slack-jawed in amazement. The music, too, was incredible. Inspiring, haunting, romantic, funny, action-filled, celebrational, sinister, you name it, the compositional genius produced masterworks so integral to what was happening on screen they were seemingly felt rather than heard. If more classical music was like that symphony halls would be packed all over the world--and not just by the upper sliver of the social pyramid.
George Lucas's classic tale of good vs. evil told against a backdrop of heroism, sacrifice and personal redemption came during the post-Vietnam era when Americans craved a clearly defined and spiritually based affirmation. Yet its international popularity also demonstrates the universality of its themes across the human family.
It is a modern statement of that oldest of Western themes, The Quest, that goes all the way back to Gilgamesh and The Odyssey. Honor and justice matter. There is power in evil but good will overcome it if it remains steadfast and true. And no one is so far gone that they cannot atone and once more be made whole.
It was a grand show. If you get a chance and it comes to your locality I heartily recommend getting some tickets and losing yourself in the magic.
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