George Lucas made it clear which genre these films are to be placed in and judged in: "...the whole series of these films is based on a 30s genre of a serial...the acting style is very much from the 30s... conceptually it's using the influence & the inspiration of the 30s films as its basis...the most central of which is the Saturday Matinee serials...them (Obi Wan and Jango) going over the side (of the building) and the cliffhanger part of it which is again that Saturday Matinee aspect of the whole thing. Taking that idea and twisting it making it new and fresh... little homage to the Rock People in Flash Gordon when they come out of the rocks".

Ben Burtt, film editor also explained this: "It's been a tradition since the very 1st Star Wars film was released is to make scene transitions often using wipes - this was George's idea, the inspiration for these wipes comes from their use in the classic serials in the golden age of Hollywood".

It has often been remarked that the birth of talkies ruined film. George Lucas has shared his affinity for this position on numerous occasions. His reason, and the reason of many who make that complaint, is that films almost overnight transformed from a uniquely cinematic or visual storytelling method to a literary, dialogue-heavy storytelling method. In the age of the film school generation of moviemakers (1970s, including such names as Francis Ford Coppolla, Steven Speilberg, and Roman Polanski) much of old hollywood's golden age was being gleaned for its most effecive methods for telling cinematic stories. George Lucas' move to the 1930s is arguably the most radical of the group. He opted to make a movie that would tell the story almost entirely with images and music (the sound effects being considered by Lucas as a part of the musical decisions for the movie). In essence, though not purely in form, Lucas decided to make a contemporary version of the silent film. He has often remarked that the dialogue in these films is mainly to serve the same function as the old explanation plates did in silent films.

Serial Titles

Many have complained about the titles of Episodes I and II of the series. For them, the names "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" weren't cool enough to be legitimate parts of the Star Wars saga. Yet, it seems that these complainers never caught on to the serial aspect of the original trilogy names "A New Hope", "The Empire Strikes Back", and "Return of the Jedi." These are straight from the serial age. Granted, they were clearly chosen with an ear to the cynical turn American society had taken by the late 70s and early 80s, but they were nevertheless beautifully corny serial genre titles.

The thing that Lucas has done with the prequels that thrills me, and seems to horrify other fans, is that he has gone back even more purely to the serial matinee genre than he did with originals. He pays unabashed homage to the corny serials of yesteryear. The difference in titles from the originals and prequels is a prime example of what I mean. Listen to these titles from that time period: "Daredevils of the West", "Zombies of the Stratosphere", "The Phantom." The amusement park/circus feeling is what they are calling for. It is that visceral appeal that drew George Lucas and Steven Speilberg to resurrect the serial genre.

They felt that film's value as an intellectual devise was far outweighed by its value as a medium for peak emotional experiences. So, the more purely 30s-esque titles are your first clue that the prequels are truer to the serial mold than the old ones. Rather than object to it, as some have done, why not embrace the language system being used by the artist in this case so that your mind can understand the deeper meaning of the movies. Unless you decide to think differently about these films, you will miss the aesthetic transcendence that is waiting to be found in them. When you feel that reflex that says "that was kind of corny" go with it! It was probably intended to be corny. The serial matinees of yesteryear were anything if not corny. Don't get hung up on it, make it a part of the joy of the experience, because like I might have mentioned, it is meant to feel a little simple and small in spots. That creates a tension with the deep and disturbing things and even the unexpectedly illuminating things that are equally a part of the Star Wars saga.