HIT OR MYTH
Review by
Jody Reeves
The companion book to the Star Wars Exhibit at the Smithsonian offers telling insights into the Making of a Saga
Star Wars: The Magic
of Myth
by Mary Henderson
published by Bantam Spectra
It is a well-know fact among both Star Wars fans and film afficianados that George Lucas incorporated mythic themes and tones when writing the stories that eventually became the Star Wars film trilogy. Mary Henderson, the curator of the "Magic of Myth" exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, traces the evolution of Lucas’ vision from a basic story to an epic encompassing various levels of mythological history in Star Wars: The Magic of Myth. This book was written to be a companion guide to the exhibit, which will run through October 31, 1998.
The first chapter, "Star Wars and Classic Mythology - The Hero’s Journey and the Conflict of Good versus Evil", gives us insight to the both the Star Wars story and basic Western mythology that we all grew up on. It all begins with a Hero, usually a normal person living simply, and the journey he is compelled to undertake. The principle hero in Star Wars is, of course, Luke Skywalker. Like his mythological predecessor, King Arthur, Luke is born to a noble family, but is raised simply and in secret by a foster family. Luke is given very little information about his true heritage, and grows up knowing nothing until events sweep him along the Hero’s Journey.
In the second chapter, "The Makings of Modern Myth - Cultural and Historical Influences," Ms. Henderson describes how 20th century events show up in the Star Wars story. Two particular examples are World War II and classic Western films and television shows. It is not a coincidence that both Hitler and Palpatine’s elite troops were called 'stormtroopers.' Other similiarites abound between the Führer and the Emperor - from how they took power to how they waged war. Lucas admits to being a fan of the Western, and it shows mainly in the character of Han Solo. A gunslinger who has a sidekick and a trusty horse (or ship, in this case) - in ANH, Solo even manages to get into a shootout in a saloon.
"Mythic Images - The Look of Star Wars," the third chapter, shows how mythological figures influence how the characters and scenery look in the Star Wars films. These images are prevalent through all three films, both Lucas and Conceptual Artist Ralph McQuarrie show their admiration for Japanese style in the apperances of Obi-Wan Kenobi (kimono) and Darth Vader (samuri warrior). In fact, both characters would have felt right at home in a Kurosawa film! Also noticable are the influences of Westerns again (the dusty town of Mos Eisley) and World War II (Imperial officer uniforms).
Mary Henderson, through her book, the exhibit and in a lecture I was fortunate enough to attend, is able to take all these disparate threads and blend them together. While reading her text and viewing the hundreds of photographs and drawings, you will easily understand how Lucas took stories we are all familiar with and turned them into a story that was so new. Star Wars: The Magic of Myth is one more book a true fan should have.
(When not busy explaining Star Wars to friends and co-workers (no one else in the US Senate has a Darth Vader action figure on their desk), Jody Reeves spends time listening to Goth, alternative, and classical music, and reading about politics and Celtic mythology.)