Film Notes

Yawwwn. Well I suppose you've all heard the question:

"Why didn't the Death Star just blow up planet Yavin and then blow up the moon behind it?"

Good question reader. And how strange that you should bring that up!

Okay, moooooving on....

Dan O'Bannon's team did a pretty good job of replicating the SWa9 graphics that were er, done years later

Art Notes

I think that's probably another glued-in surplus trading card. Gives it that authentic official looking finish. I see Laurence Olivier took some time out from Marathon Man to do a scene here top-left. Hardly surprising though. Did you know that Larry used to read SWa9? Long before you ever even heard of it. « Check it out, you'll be amazed.

And if that's not an abuse of the image of a revered and deceased celebrity, I don't know what is.

School Notes: The Gates of Hell!

I may as well pick up the thread that I « started last Tuesday about the concept of Hell in Star Wars. T.Gatto reckons there is one, and it awaits he who does not release the original theatrical version in 3:2:1 Anthropomorphical Thingmybob. Good one T!

Did you know that when I arrived in Ireland in 1977 I was a 9 year old (smarty-pants) atheist. I was really just copying my dad - probably. So there I was: dropped, into a very provincial, traditional little village school where everyone believed in God. So what did I do? A 9 year old? I immediately let everyone in the class know as soon as I could that I didn't believe. So not only did I feel superior to the wee Paddies because I was English (with a Scottish accent), but I also didn't believe in all that God stuff.

So out in in the playground the others looked at me as if I was the oddest thing ever. Michelle Murphy and her pals stalked after me through the playground chanting sarcastically: "So what do you worship - the Sun?" Good one. Served me right. Little smart arse.

Sometime later - perhaps in Mr.Cassan's class, we were instructed to draw the Gates of Heaven in all its colourful beauty. This was religion class. Draw? DRAW? We're actually getting to draw something in an Irish Primary School? Amazing. So what does Mr.I'm English not Irish like you lot and a 9 year old atheist - do?

I drew the attack on the Death Star, Luke's X-Wing evading the Turbo Cannon - very much like this one - with the words writ large across it (in terrifying dripping letters)

THE GATES OF HELL!

Imagine the stubborn bloody-mindedness of that! I got away with it too. They weren't used to this kind of drawing ability. It was as if I not only had a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card, but also an 'I'm an Artist: Make Allowances for Me Because I'm Special' card.

So, I defied the teacher's wishes and did something potentially offensive to the practicing Catholics whilst actually in religion class.

Yeah - way to fit-in Johnny boy.

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