A Thousand Stars: Episode II, Part 29

Just watch this wordless transformation. Half in shadow, half-lit by flickering light, a son has just watched his mother die in his arms. With nothing more than a series of closeups -- interspersed with a longer shot of the tragic pair -- and John Williams's score building relentlessly, we see Anakin's shift from shock and shattering anguish to frenzied rage.








And watch how Lucas knows how to show everything that needs to be shown, and then cuts away to leave the rest to our imaginations. An actual portrayal of the Tusken massacre would be gratuitous and wouldn't provide any more exposition or character development than we already have. In some ways, cutting here makes it all the more horrifying. Particularly because as Anakin's figure irises out, we witness Yoda's response to the horror and pain reverberating through the Force.


Next time, a brutal confession...