A Thousand Stars: Episode VI, Part 8
Jun. 18th, 2026 09:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilHow do you make a puppet look like it's ailing? Yoda is already wrinkled and hunched; what else can you do? Well, it's all about the performance. He moves slower, haltingly. He makes little noises of weariness. And Luke's response makes it quite clear, as observed by Yoda -- that face you make. Look I so old to young eyes?
Luke of course denies it, but there's no escaping it. With little time left, they'll need to get right to the heart of things. Luke's training lacks but one thing -- to confront Vader. Which brings up that burning question: is he really Luke's father? Even the wise, respected Yoda has a bit of (cowardly?) avoidance, but Luke insists until his master admits the truth.
This scene is so fraught with emotion and poignancy, close-ups of faces and wistful music...and it's really just one actor and a puppet. It's remarkable how real it feels to us, how expressive Yoda's face and body language appear. A lot of that is thanks to Frank Oz and the puppet crew, of course, but let's not discount Mark Hamill's compelling performance. Sorrow, regret, shock and affection, all from his subtle facial shifts. And so we watch a great Jedi Master fade away, leaving an uncertain hero to carry on without him.
Next time, Jedi Masters never quite go away completely...
Luke of course denies it, but there's no escaping it. With little time left, they'll need to get right to the heart of things. Luke's training lacks but one thing -- to confront Vader. Which brings up that burning question: is he really Luke's father? Even the wise, respected Yoda has a bit of (cowardly?) avoidance, but Luke insists until his master admits the truth.
This scene is so fraught with emotion and poignancy, close-ups of faces and wistful music...and it's really just one actor and a puppet. It's remarkable how real it feels to us, how expressive Yoda's face and body language appear. A lot of that is thanks to Frank Oz and the puppet crew, of course, but let's not discount Mark Hamill's compelling performance. Sorrow, regret, shock and affection, all from his subtle facial shifts. And so we watch a great Jedi Master fade away, leaving an uncertain hero to carry on without him.
Next time, Jedi Masters never quite go away completely...
