I was watching "Shane" last night. What a great western. What a great movie. It is the quintessential example of right vs. wrong, progress vs. the past/tradition, peaceful revolution vs. violence, the quest of one man's desire to change his destiny.

As I watched, I just couldn't help but think of "Star Wars".

(Must I compare everything to "Star Wars"? LOL No. Not really. But there is so much of "Star Wars" in other movies. Or, as is the case in this instance, there is so much of "Shane" in "Star Wars". It is no secret that "Star Wars" is George Lucas' space western. And even though "Shane" most definitely can stand on its own two feet, I couldn't, as I said, help but think of the similarities between the two iconic films.)

If you've seen "Shane", I don't have to go into a lot of story detail. If you haven't seen it, I'm not going to go into a lot of detail because I don't want to spoil it for you. Rent it. I highly recommend it. You won't be disappointed.

Now, back to our regular programming . . .

As I watched the events unfold in "Shane", and considered Shane's (Alan Ladd) plight as he tried to turn over a new leaf, leaving the life of a gunfighter behind, I couldn't help but think of Darth Vader . . . or rather Anakin encased in the suit, the disguise known as Darth Vader. Once Luke burst onto the scene, Vader learned the identity of this mystery pilot who blew up the Death Star, Vader's fate was sealed . . . because Anakin never truly vanished. Yes, I know Vader tried to entice Luke to join forces with him so, as father and son, they could overthrow the aging Palpatine and rule the galaxy as the Dynamic Duo. Yes, I know that Vader went head to head in mortal combat with the farmboy-turned-Jedi not once but twice. Yes, I know Vader was a vile, sinister character. But Anakin, as it turned out, always was there -- hiding behind that mask, buried deep beneath that tomblike exterior that kept him alive.

Can a leopard change its spots? Is it possible?

Shane has a discussion with 9(ish)-year-old Joey Starrett about just that at one point during the 1953, Academy Award winning film. A man (or woman) may try his best to become someone other than what he has been, but -- in the end -- can one attain that goal? Could Shane leave his former life behind? Could Anakin, even though he had committed so many atrocities as Darth Vader?

No matter how long Anakin hid behind that mask, no matter how long he was known to the galaxy as Darth Vader, he still was Anakin. He proved that in the end. By saving Luke.

These just were the meandering musings going on in my mind as the hour neared midnight last night. There are so many more parallels between "Shane" and "Star Wars". This is just the first one that jumped out at me. Then, I couldn't help but think how much fun it would be if I still was in school, had to write a paper comparing and contrasting two iconic pieces of literature/film -- and knowing I'd choose these two!

My mind was going to mush if I was thinking about how thrilling it would be to write an essay for a grade! I knew then that it was time for bed.

Now I've seen the light (it is the middle of the day, afterall ), realizing it's much more fun to ramble on here. Besides, you all usually are a lot more forgiving than any of my composition professors were.

Stay Cool. (It's a scorcher out there today!)

MTFBWY,
JMW