Infinite Sadness

Obi-Wan with baby Luke

From the lead-in novel to Revenge of the Sith called Labryrinth of Evil by James Luceno:

Anakin's brows beetled in anger. "I never claimed to be the Chosen One. That was Qui-Gon. Even the Council doesn't believe it anymore, so why should you?"

"Because I think you believe it," Obi-Wan said calmlly. "I think you know in your heart that you're meant for something extraordinary."

"And you, Master. What does your heart tell you you're meant for?"

"Infinite sadness," Obi-Wan said, even while smiling.


This movie's gunna rip my heart to shreds! *bawls*

-Britten

The Mystical Marriage

The Kiss

Just look at the way he is holding her face...Gosh, this is so sweet!


One part of my new book talks about the "Mystical Marriage"....when the hero of the tale falls in love with the heroine:

"Twelfth-century troubadours, telling stories of the likes of Tristan and Iseult, transformed the Western concept of romantic love, exalting the love between two people to the level of a sacrament. In myths and fairy tales dating from the medival period and before, the life-enhancing treasures and vital forces held hostage by the dragon are symbolized by Woman, the complement to the male hero. Mystically she represents the sum total of all that can be known, and since this is a journey of discovery, it is thus the hero's job to come to know her. Joseph Campbell puts it this way:

'As [the hero] progresses in the slow initiation which is life, the form of the goddess undergoes for him a series of transfigurations: she can never be greater than himself, though she can always promise more than he is yet capable of comprehending. She lures, she guides, she bids him burst his fetters. And if he can match her import, the two, the knower and the known, will be released from every limitation. Woman is the sublime acme of sensuous adventure.'"

Let's say it again....."Woman is the sublime acme of sensuous adventure".

I like that!

-Britten

A Tender Moment

Anakin and Padme in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith


This is one of the new Anakin and Padme pictures from the upcoming EpIII. I love it and I think it speaks volumes about the nature of their relationship in EpIII in just this one beautiful picture:
She fully embracing Anakin and all his faults, unconditionally loving him to his very core and with her eyes closed which forshadows her impending death - the death that haunts her Jedi husband's dreams. He looking out on the horizon searching his future with a grim look on his face as if that future holds a grave outcome. He also is a little angered with himself, frustrated that he is not all-powerful....or at least not powerful enough to stop someone from dying. And then of course, there is the firey sun in the backround telling of a burning end to come as it sets on this couple's reverie and their time together.


Whhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaa!

Man, George Lucas ( the Great Flannelled One) is such a wonderful visual storyteller!

Ah, the tragedy of it all! I am such a sucker for those tragedies!!

-Britten, who also picked this for her profile pic since she realized she has no good pictures of herself without someone else in the picture :p!

Ahhhh....Love in Cartoon Land!

Anakin and Padme in Clone Wars 2

Coming to your television at the end of March on Cartoon Network!!!

Aren't they cute?

-Britten

Sweet Dreams Are Made of These

One Fine Tragic Hero

Sorry....as soon as I'm through gawking I'll be able to make a comment...










Okay....in this part of the movie Anakin has just awakened from a nightmare about his pregnant wife, Padme.

Every SW fangirl in America would agree with me when I say that "sweat has never been so sexy!" He also bears an uncanny resemblance to Luke in this picture (think sweaty Luke training with Yoda on Dagobah).

-Britten

Father and Son

Anakin and Luke Skywalker by Dali Norvell

Here is another excerpt from Star Wars: The Magic of Myth regarding our famous heroes:

" Cloud City [in The Empire Strikes Back] marks the turning point in the trilogy; all the forces of destiny seem to meet here. Luke once again finds himself in a mazelike enclosure, but this time he is going toward Vader, not away from him. And he too descends into the underworld- the dark underside of the city, full of fumes and pits, tunnels and bottomless voids. Here he will have a revelation that will shake the foundations of his spirit. The monster at the heart of this maze is no stranger but a part of himself. Names often hold symbolic power in the Star Wars tales, as in many myths, so now we find that Vader is really Anakin, Luke's father "and akin" to him. As Joseph Campbell states:

'The hero....discovers and assimilates his opposite (his own unsuspected self) ...One by one the resistances are broken. He must put aside his pride, his virtue, beauty, and life, and bow or submit to the absolutely intolerable. Then he finds that he and his opposite are not of differing species, but one flesh.' "


In Return of the Jedi Luke does what his father could not so many years ago and casts aside his weapon after he realizes that he too could become the next "Vader" if he completes his turn to the darkside. He refuses to fight and unleash his anger on his father, causing the Emperor to fail in his attempt to turn the son on the father. In these last moments of the movie we see what Joseph Campbell calls "The Atonement with the Father", Vader's redemption.

"This process of becoming one with the father is one of the great archetypal themes found in myths from many cultures. Vader acknowledged that Luke is his son at the end of The Empire Strikes Back; now he must act on that knowledge for atonement to occur.

Vader's true nature has been imprisoned by the system, but within him still reside all the 'life-potentialities' (to use Joseph Campbell's term) that once belonged to Anakin Skywalker. Now he has the chance to fulfill one of those potentialities: that of hero and savior.

Luke too must find a new life-potentiality within himself - that of the child who can not perform the task on his own.... In his confrontation with Vader and the Emperor, Luke does not use his warrior skills but rather an appeal to the heart: 'Father, please. Help me,' he cries as the Emperor is about to destroy him. And at last Vader seizes his master in order to save his son....Vader has detached himself from his evil master and has been transformed through his son....Vader is, in a sense, a fallen angel who reveals his true essence at last."


Gosh, I just love this!

-Britten

Master and Apprentice

The Duel

Here is a picture of Anakin and Obi-Wan fighting to the death at the end of Revenge of the Sith. It's just going to be so heart-wrenching to see them fight like this. In Labyrinth of Evil (the lead-in novel to Revenge of the Sith) the two of them have become such close friends. They still have the "father and son" relationship they had whilst Anakin was coming-of-age, but this is more of a brotherly love they have now.

In this picture, they both have a hold of one another's saber hands.....EEK! The horror!!

Even though it will be hard to watch, I will also love all 12 spectacular minutes of this infamous duel! I can not wait to see the sheer brute power and cunning saber skills of Obi-Wan and Anakin in their prime! We are supposed to witness the fastest lightsaber moves in history here!!! *gets up and does a fangirl dance*

Plus, you know, two gorgeous fellas displaying all their power and strength.....I am so gunna be drooling all over my threatre seat!!

-Britten

The Chosen One

"The Hero With No Fear"

Anakin's Heroics in the Clone Wars have dubbed him with a famous title throughout the galaxy: "The Hero With No Fear".

I have a thing for men in capes with swords....

*swoon*

-Britten

You May Have Seen Him Hanging Around in a Theater Near You...

Episode III Teaser Poster

Here is an excerpt from a post I did on theforce.net about my first time seeing this...

Small vignette, non-fiction entitled:

AnakinsLuv (my user name over there) Goes to the Movies

So we took the whole family to go see The Incredibles last night (Yes, I know, it's about time). You know what that means ...

First of all, we walk into Edwards Theater and guess what is hanging from the second floor balcony in the foyer for all to see, front and center like it should be, right there before us with piercing eyes looking back at me? THE TEASER BANNER!!!!

one word: GLORIOUS!!!! I could hear the angles singing the "Halleluiah" chorus ringing in my head!!

I didn't know it would be so HUGE!!! I think it's bigger than the Ep II banner. Staring up at it....I just felt so proud! So proud to be a fan, and a Defender at that! Somehow, I felt that I was a part of it, like part of it belonged to me, almost as if Anakin was looking at me as if I know a great secret most of the world does not... As fans of the saga, this is our moment to shine!!!

So then we are sitting there waiting for the teaser trailer and I'm hoping and praying that it will still be playing with this particular showing. I was getting all giddy and nervous...the butterflies were a'fluttering! I really didn't think that I would get all worked up like that, I mean, if I was like this for just the teaser trailer, I'm going to be a FREAK OF NATURE before the actual movie starts!!

Then it appeared in the darkness of the theater...

WOW!!! I've probably seen it, oh, I've lost count - something like 50 times now, but watching it on a big screen with high-definition is like seeing it for the first time again!! I couldn't believe it!! It just came to life and jumped off the screen!! And there were things I noticed that I hadn't before - not even after watching it frame by frame. Some of the little clips of scenes seemed to last just a bit longer...it was weird!! I noticed a lot more sound effects too, like Obi-Wan gagging when Anakin is choking him and then there might have been a little grunt from Anakin too, I'm not sure.

Anyway....whole new experience!! I really felt it was like watching the movie itself in the theater (only a little bit shorter )...it was just so big and life-like and detailed!! If you haven't seen it on the big screen yet, ya gotta try it!! Believe me, it's worth the 8-9 bucks, cuz hey, The Incredibles is really a great movie! My whole family loved it...my daughter wants to be Violet and my son, who loves to run and run and run, wants to be Dash...so cute !

By the reaction of the audience, you could tell most people had seen the trailer by now, but there WAS still a definite "buzz" after it was over and then there was this one girl who was cheering loudly...oh, wait, that was me .

So then we're walking out of the theater and my kids want to stop and "pretend" they are playing video games (they are still too young) so my hubby stays with them and I wander over to the teaser poster again and stand beneath it, so that I'm right in the middle...

so there's lil' ol' me down on the floor looking up at HUGE Anakin in this GIGANTIC theater foyer...there's not a whole lotta people around since it's getting late...and I'm entranced...

I just stood, and stood, and stood for what seemed like forever, gazing up at "Darth Anakin"...the banner is just so much better in real life!! One might have thought I was looking up at the Statue of Liberty or something!! I DID almost feel like saluting!! But I just stood there and breathed and soaked it all in....AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! God Bless America!!!

Finally, I felt the call of duty, so I tore myself away to return to my kids and a husband who was just smiling and shaking his head...he understands my indulgence, but also thinks I'm a little coo-coo !

Then as we walked across the foyer to exit the theater on the other side, I keep looking back at Anakin and I notice something...his eyes are moving with me!!! It's so cool, you gotta try this!! I mean, I know this is just true for many big posters/banners with a huge face on the front, it's just the illusion they create, but it just caught me off guard cuz I hadn't noticed it from just looking at it on the computer screen.

Yep. Followed me all the way out the door. It was creepy!! It was like Anakin was saying in a hushed, haunting voice, "Come ba-ack...don't forget to bring your 'Death Certificate'!" (You know, just like that creepy little woman at the end of the Haunted House ride at Disneyland) I can still feel his stare...still hear that voice in my head...

The End.

Just thought I would share that little experience....

In this EpIII teaser poster you can actually see not one, but 3 different images of the Darth Vader helmet...can you see them?

Lots of SW fans think this poster is very symbolic. The darkness of the cape is overwhelming the picture and Anakin is only in the corner, part of his face even cut out. This hints at the inevitable doom that awaits Anakin...the darkness is taking over everything - his mind, his life, his future, the galaxy.

-Britten

The Tragic Hero

Sith Eyes



"Many a hero has given in to the desire to use his powers to make things right in the world - and has ended up a tyrant."

-Mary Henderson. Star Wars: The Magic of Myth

For Valentine's Day, Andy gave me a great book called Star Wars: The Magic of Myth by Mary Henderson. It has tons of breathtaking pictures and artwork from the SW movies, as well as famous artists, depicting scenes from ancient myths and folklore. The book takes an in-depth look at Star Wars and how it relates to and assimilates certain aspects of ancient myths. It quotes Joseph Campbell often who is an expert on mythology and wrote the widely known book The Hero with a Thousand Faces from which George Lucas relied on to build his own timeless myth.

"Throughout the inhabited world, in all times and under every circumstance, the myths of man have flourished; and they have been the living inspiration of whatever else may have appeared out of the activities of the human body and mind.""It has always been the prime function of mythology...to supply the symbols that carry the human spirit forward, in counteraction to those other constant human fantasies that tend to tie it back."

-Joseph Campbell. The Hero with a Thousand Faces

And then Henderson goes on to say:

"A myth shows us what we're up against; it identifies the "bad guys" - who often turn out to be within us, the part of ourselves that would hold us back - and it helps us find a way to defeat them. And that, finally, is part of the myth's magic too: it offers hope."

And I say, "Anakin! Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

-Britten