First artist depiction of Anakin and Padme (1993)
- Thread starter HothHan
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Supposedly this is Leia and Luke has already been given away
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Apparently this was painted by an artist for a Topps Card set back in 1993 and was pulled from the set before production by George Lucas.
I always pictured Anakin as older when he turned.
That image, right there, is better than anything in the entire prequel trilogy.
Even as someone who enjoyed the PT (for what it was) I have to agree. That art is interesting and haunting.
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For me, it certainly summons a more satisfying/appropriate feeling.
Darth Vader was heartless, relentless (until ROTJ) and never showed that kind of attitude in the prequels...even at the end. I suppose some could argue that his final shot overseeing the Death Star construction could have been the start of leaving the whinier, self-defeating Anakin behind...
And sure, I know, that a full 18-20 years passed in between ROTS and ANH for Vader, giving many years for him to morph attitudes, but if people can complain en masse about TLJ depiction of Luke (in the contexts of their expectations ignited from the Luke at the end of the OT), then I'll complain in the opposite direction (age-wise) for Anakin.
The prequels didn't really get that across.
The Anakin in the context of that picture is closer to what I imagined Anakin to be.
Personal tastes and preferences aside, it’s just Leia in her ANH-costume and wearing the belt as a necklace, with Linda Hamilton hair circa 1984 LOOOL And Anakin is just in a black robe. Zzzzzzzz...
Of course The Prequel was an abysmal mess of storytelling and unintentionally hilarious direction. And sure, poor Hayden was so miscast and misdirected by George that it ended his mainstream acting career. But the design of Anakin’s jedi costume that hints at the silhouette of Vader’s armoured robe (even the way the cape moves like Vader’s) has remained one of the better creative choices. And the image of Natalie in one of the more understated costumes— notably the one she wears while lamenting for Anakin at the dawn of the fall of The Republic in ROTS, is far superior creatively, even on another level than this EU-depiction.
I’m so tired of the OT being the only visual vocabulary and branding accepted for SW by some. It’s the reason why we get Transformer-level of silliness with gorilla AT-ATs and Donald Duck as Emperor’s Royal Guard., Han and Lando never changing their clothes from 18yo - 75yo..
Of course The Prequel was an abysmal mess of storytelling and unintentionally hilarious direction. And sure, poor Hayden was so miscast and misdirected by George that it ended his mainstream acting career. But the design of Anakin’s jedi costume that hints at the silhouette of Vader’s armoured robe (even the way the cape moves like Vader’s) has remained one of the better creative choices. And the image of Natalie in one of the more understated costumes— notably the one she wears while lamenting for Anakin at the dawn of the fall of The Republic in ROTS, is far superior creatively, even on another level than this EU-depiction.
I’m so tired of the OT being the only visual vocabulary and branding accepted for SW by some. It’s the reason why we get Transformer-level of silliness with gorilla AT-ATs and Donald Duck as Emperor’s Royal Guard., Han and Lando never changing their clothes from 18yo - 75yo..
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I love seeing stuff like this!
The outfits might not be that creative (guessing the painter wanted to make the connection clear and ended up a bit too on-the-nose) but you gotta admit the mood/atmosphere of that piece is killer.
Padmé's ruminations, as you mentioned, is probably the best fit from the actual PT. I wonder if Lucas remembered this painting during the making of RotS.
The outfits might not be that creative (guessing the painter wanted to make the connection clear and ended up a bit too on-the-nose) but you gotta admit the mood/atmosphere of that piece is killer.
Padmé's ruminations, as you mentioned, is probably the best fit from the actual PT. I wonder if Lucas remembered this painting during the making of RotS.
^^^ The EPl teaser poster with ‘lil Ani’s shadow as Vader’s definitely could be “inspired” by this image…
( I loved that EPl image— but then again, I’m not familiar with EU, so maybe “Vader’s shadow" was common fodder to many already…You know, George’s art department/ Doug/Ian/Trisha came up with some of the most visionary designs. And many times, Doug’s concept paintings were way superior than the actual scenes in the films.)
( I loved that EPl image— but then again, I’m not familiar with EU, so maybe “Vader’s shadow" was common fodder to many already…You know, George’s art department/ Doug/Ian/Trisha came up with some of the most visionary designs. And many times, Doug’s concept paintings were way superior than the actual scenes in the films.)
That is pretty darn cool! I have to agree, better than the prequels. It's amazing that an artist in a single shot can make Anakin seem more ominous than Lucas did in three entire films.
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Okay, And Anakin looks like Hamill with different hair.
Yeah, that's unfortunate if those kinds of visuals are your thing (as far as your Star Wars experience being that deeply affected/impacted).... but regarding my feelings about the pic, specifically? It has nothing to do with the clothing styles or facial features or hair-dos and everything to with the mood of the personal dynamics between the characters... the more sinister tone.
Maybe you were addressing other's posts? But mine was really about the vibe more than those other things you indicated.
I agree. I didn't really even pay much attention to the actual physical attire, it's a tonal feel that resonate with the photo. Something Lucas didn't really do well with Anakin IMO.
No, I wasn’t addressing your post specifically— more directed at all the EU/comicbook/videogame/Sequel-imagery that are just reductive ripoffs of OT designs. And yes, the visual aspect is absolutely the main draw for me when it comes to SW. Without the best of its visionary visual aesthetic, SW wouldn’t be what it is. If I were looking for complex and original characterization and storytelling from the actors and the writer(s)/director(s), SW aren’t the films I’d be looking for, as there are many superior films when it comes to those components. If you believe otherwise, more power to you.
In terms of mood and tone, fair enough if you or anyone feels that this EU-illustration captures the feel of Anakin and Amidala far superior than the entire Prequel. Rather hyperbolic— but fair enough nonetheless... I can screencap quite a handful of moments from The Prequel with a darker/sinister tone— and more. As mentioned, if I were shown that one scene of Anakin and Amidala’s rumination/lamentation during the last moments of The Republic back in 2005-- before seeing the film, I’d immediately be excited and convinced ROTS would finally be that long-awaited mature and sophisticated Prequel… The cinematography, art direction, acting— yes acting LOL, score and editing is so on point for the ultimate mood of a tragic tale of Shakespearian proportion. But it’s one scene. Just like that illustration is but one image.
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Speaking of scenes/shots out of context, my absolute favorite is Anakin/Vader in tears after slaughtering the Separatists. The cinematography, music, effects (that dark cloudy sky!) and yes Hayden's performance are beautiful. It's moments like this that elevate RotS far above the other prequels for me.
We’re all hopelessly bias and not to be trusted with any of our impressions LOOL
There are so many individual moments/glimpses that are “that’s the one single defining shot” from every single SW film— even the ones I loath. (TFA has to be the most boring/bland/plodding SW for me. But… the few scenes of Daisy toiling away silently in the heat of the Imperial ship graveyard, along with her piloting the Falcon through its maze of wreckage pursued by TIEs are admittedly intriguing imagery.)
One of the strongest imagery for me in all the films is the way that Amidala turns her head slowly and scowls in TPM; it’s beautiful and unsettling, and effortlessly places her in a grey area in terms of her character… It’s a small gesture but speaks volumes (much like the way a hooded Leia turns her head and quickly hides away when she’s first seen in ANH), and I don’t know if George really thought about its impact—other than maybe Natalie can scowl beautifully LOL…But whomever put TPM’s trailer together, absolutely did noticed and put it to great effect since we see "scowling Amidala" a few times. George is right about one thing: TPM works better as a silent film, and Natalie is very much like Greta Garbo in it.
Another “moment” is Maul unsheathing and revealing his double-bladed lightsaber: He’s very Samurai-graceful in that moment, and absolutely epitomizes the jedi/Sith at their prime of another "more civilized era". And it’s gorgeous and intense. Ray obviously is very poised and knows how to get those moves and gestures down on point because of his martial arts discipline— even to how the layers of his robe and cloak sways as he fights are used to great effect. These are the small but rich touches TPM are thoughtful of that I adore. (I noticed the "forced" way Mark removes his hood in TFA when he sees Rey— and it lacks the elegance and slickness the way that Ray displays when Maul removes his hood... Ray was such an asset to giving that lethal but elegant tone to Maul.
There are so many individual moments/glimpses that are “that’s the one single defining shot” from every single SW film— even the ones I loath. (TFA has to be the most boring/bland/plodding SW for me. But… the few scenes of Daisy toiling away silently in the heat of the Imperial ship graveyard, along with her piloting the Falcon through its maze of wreckage pursued by TIEs are admittedly intriguing imagery.)
One of the strongest imagery for me in all the films is the way that Amidala turns her head slowly and scowls in TPM; it’s beautiful and unsettling, and effortlessly places her in a grey area in terms of her character… It’s a small gesture but speaks volumes (much like the way a hooded Leia turns her head and quickly hides away when she’s first seen in ANH), and I don’t know if George really thought about its impact—other than maybe Natalie can scowl beautifully LOL…But whomever put TPM’s trailer together, absolutely did noticed and put it to great effect since we see "scowling Amidala" a few times. George is right about one thing: TPM works better as a silent film, and Natalie is very much like Greta Garbo in it.
Another “moment” is Maul unsheathing and revealing his double-bladed lightsaber: He’s very Samurai-graceful in that moment, and absolutely epitomizes the jedi/Sith at their prime of another "more civilized era". And it’s gorgeous and intense. Ray obviously is very poised and knows how to get those moves and gestures down on point because of his martial arts discipline— even to how the layers of his robe and cloak sways as he fights are used to great effect. These are the small but rich touches TPM are thoughtful of that I adore. (I noticed the "forced" way Mark removes his hood in TFA when he sees Rey— and it lacks the elegance and slickness the way that Ray displays when Maul removes his hood... Ray was such an asset to giving that lethal but elegant tone to Maul.
It's interesting you say that because, with all due respect, I entirely disagree. I never particularly cared for that scene. It didn't make sense to me in context. Why is he crying after he kills the separatists? These are corrupt, greedy, deplorable beings...one of which has been trying to assassinate Anakin's wife for years. Why would you place his emotion after THAT instead of after the YOUNGLINGS? Now you can always make the argument that he was reflecting upon all he'd done up until that point, not simply just the separatists. That's true, but even so. To reach maximum viewer impact, a truly emotional scene, I think the placement of his tearful scene was entirely wrong. You place it after he slaughters the younglings, not the separatists. But then again, I always argue that his murdering of children in and of itself is out of character to begin with. If you're trying to make a sympathetic and identifiable villain, you don't have him kill children. For my money, I'd have had Anakin kill every Jedi EXCEPT the younglings. He gets to them and cannot do it, he leaves it to the clones. But that's just my take.
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Looks very biblical.
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Thought the same. And as others posted the art really makes you think of something so much different than what we got. Lucas tried to make a movie with all the box’s checked instead of making a great movie like the original Star Wars.
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That is cool. Yes PT wasn't as great as I would have liked , but had a lot that I did like. Obi Wan, Jango, Palpatine, Tyranus, Maul, GG., Droidekas, Battledroids, duels.. Story was ok, acting ok, writing not so great. Would have loved it if had been as great as OT, would have been great if the PT would have been made like the greatest movie made TESB
By far one of my favorite SW movies is ROTS. To me personally, if you go with ROTS, Rogue One, SW, ESB you really don't need the others.
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Has this shown up in print? It looks really familiar—like it was in one of the Topps Galaxy sets (if not, it should be), or the old Galaxy magazine.
It was definitely in one of the Galaxy card sets. Can’t remember which on at the moment.