R EADING 50

Star Wars I
Writer Andrew Davidson Star Wars W[W [JXV E t@B AJIf Star Wars - uav A B Star Wars: Episode IV@ 1977-\i
Star Wars: Episode I@ 1999 -\i

George Lucas was born on May 14, 1944, so this is the perfect week to write about the Star Wars movies. For me, one of the most interesting things is the Japanese influence in them. Lucas has said that Star Wars: Episode IV was based upon Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress. Obi-Wan Kenobi was modelled after a samurai warrior - in fact, Lucas wanted Toshiro Mifune to play Kenobi. C3-PO and R2-D2 were modelled after two crooks who were trying to help a princess. The word "Jedi " actually comes from "jidai geki", two Japanese words that Lucas learned before the first movie was made. George Lucas hired an artist named Ralph McQuarrie to develop the look of Star Wars. Lucas gave him images of samurai warriors and asked him to think about feudal Japan. As a result, the Jedi Knights wear clothing similar to samurai kimonos, not heavy armor like European knights had. The lightsaber fights in the Star Wars movies are influenced by Japanese sword fighting styles. European knights usually used big swords, but Japanese warriors

used katana. A man named Nick Jamilla even wrote an entire book about the Japanese influence in the lightsaber fights. Darth Vader's costume also has a strong samurai influence. His helmet and mask look very similar to a Kabuto helmet and a mempo mask ( j ). Darth Vader's pants are also similar to a samurai's. These pants hide the warrior's feet, so it's hard to tell where he is going to move next in a sword fight. In Episode I, Queen Amidala (played by the beautiful Natalie Portman) looks like a kabuki actor. She has white and red makeup, elaborate hairstyles, and beautiful kimonos. When I look at her, I always think about old Japan. It's interesting that Lucas uses Japan's past to create another galaxy. 4

E XERCISES 50
FalseA s A TrueA 1 2 3 4 Obi-Wan Kenobi is a samurai warrior. European knights wore heavy armor.

Star Wars I

Unknown B

Darth Vader's clothing reminds the writer of European knights. George Lucas likes kabuki theater.

ia ` B PLhjIB
a Japanese influence e viewer f armor b crook g helmet c princess h costume d knight

1 2 3 4

In American football, every player must wear a ( The ( ) stole $50,000 from my mother. ).

).

At Halloween, I often wore a Batman (

When she married Queen Elizabeth's son, Diana Spencer became a (

).

iA C eL ` DjIB
1 The lightsaber fights in the Star Wars movies were most influenced by (A) Nick Jamilla. (B) Japanese sword fights. (C) European sword fights. (D) Japanese clothing. 2 Ralph McQuarrie is (A) an actor. (B) an artist. (C) a character in Star Wars. (D) a director.

Which part of Darth Vader's costume is not said to have a Japanese influence? (A) His helmet. (B) His boots. (C) His mask. (D) His pants.

George Lucas gave Ralph McQuarrie (A) heavy armor. (B) images of samurai warriors. (C) a big kiss. (D) images of European knights.

http://www.perapera.co.jp

AEON Digital Works, Inc.