Inside, I yelled too. The child in me reveled in the action. I swooped and swished as the clones battled in the arena. As the Jedi troops arrived and joined in the melee, I could feel the excitement rise and the whoosh of relief as the heroes escaped to fight another day.
In the end, as Joda comments to Obi Wan, the cliffhanger.
"A victory. I think not..."
Wow.
And then, the wedding scene, and yet another thread reveals itself.
Then the questions surface.
How does Anakin turn to the dark side? When are the twins born? Why are they separated? When does Palpatine become the Evil Emperor? And so many more.
We KNOW what happens, just not how, or when, or why?
In it's essence, Star Wars is a modern serial. It is more complex and visually stimulating for the modern movie fan, but boiled down to it's tar and gum, it is chapter 1,2, 4, 5, and 6. I can hardly wait for chapter 3....
Recently, I came into the possession of a rare movie. I found Spy Smasher, complete in 12 (count 'em) chapters, for a mere $1.25 Canadian! Yes, read that right, only $1.25 CDN (or $0.80 us). How could I resist?
After I salivated for several moments (and picking up a Rex Allen Border Saddlemates for the same), I went home and put my treasure into the VCR.
Spy Smasher, directed by the late William Witney, was the second serial adapted from Whiz Comics properties. Previously, Witney had directed The Adventures of Captain Marvel (with Coghlan/Steele...) and was given the chance to show his stuff again. From the opening graphics of the floodlights sweeping the city skyline in a 'V', to the precision stunts by Tom Steele (who was also Captain Marvel), to the double role by Kane Richmond, Spy Smasher was IT!
Prior to viewing the movie, I remembered the golden rule of serial viewing.
No, not that one, the other one.
Yes, SUSPEND ALL LOGIC.
For any good cliffhanger, you need to think as a child. So, I did. My wife would tell you that this is not a challenge for me, but I had to work on it, really.
