Disclaimers

All right, this isn't exactly a piece to enjoy as much as a subject to think about carefully, but it is definitely interesting.

Indeed, before I go any further, I should say that I am an ardent STAR WARS fan, that I was very much influenced by the trilogy as a child and adolescent, and that in general I support the moral and political philosophy espoused so elegantly in the Adventures of Luke Skywalker. The fact that this page may seriously consider the possible shortcomings of this philosophy does not mean that it should be construed as a STAR WARS bashing site. Indeed, the mission of this site is precisely the opposite.

What? STAR WARS borrowed from Nazi Propaganda?

Well, yes, sort of, but also no, not really, and it isn't necessarily such a horrible thing.

As you probably know, the above image is from the award ceremony at the end of STAR WARS: A New Hope.

These next images are from the infamous Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will, directed by Leni Riefenstahl.  The film was made at the 1934 Nuremburg Nazi Party Rally.  In the first picture you see Adolph Hitler and two other Nazi officials walking down a corridor with troops in formation on either side.  In the second picture you can see tall swastika banners in the background.  The third shot is a close-up of the three Nazi leaders.  There is a long passage in the film they walk the entire length of the stadium in order to reach a memorial where they pay their respects to German soldiers who died in World War I and other wars.

As you can see, the image from STAR WARS incorporates all of the main visual elements in Triumph of the Will.  There are the soldiers in formation, the three walkers, and the vertical banners/windows.

So what does this mean?

First of all, it is almost certain that George Lucas saw Triumph of the Will in film school, as it was a cinematically groundbreaking film at the time it was made.  In regards to his appropriating the visual elements of the scene, the only question in my mind whether he did it consciously or unconsciously.  (I stress visual elements because the other elements, such as music and pacing, are very different in the two films.)

But more importantly, we should ask whether the similarity is such a bad thing, and if so, why.  Surely Lucas is not a Nazi sympathizer.  No one says that.  So why does he use this imagery?

The significance of the images are clear: they represent conformity underneath leadership, and the resulting power that comes from a large number of people with one focus.  In this, the least likable thing is the conformity.  What allowed the Nazis to commit so much evil in the name of Germany was the fact that very few Germans dared to stand out from the crowd and challenge them.  The fact that STAR WARS uses the same imagery for the Rebels undermines the film's general themes and is troubling in as far as it legitimizes the same conformist sentiment that made the Nazis so powerful.

But it should be clear that Triumph of the Will emphasizes the point of conformity more strongly than STAR WARS.  The mass of troops takes up more of the picture, and Hitler holds his audience captive for a far longer time than our heroes do in STAR WARS.  The mass of German troops never applaud like the rebels (a chaotic activity it is to have a crowd applauding).  Instead they stand motionless and obedient throughout, speaking in unison when they do speak.  Also, the Rebels do not exactly have one leader, as the Germans do, and Luke and Han's nervous smiles betray the fact that in STAR WARS the whole thing is a little silly.  Whereas Triumph of the Will is silent, solemn and serious, STAR WARS features a lush, romantic, sappy score.

So we can say that their is much evidence that Lucas used the elements from Triumph of the Will for their "good" aspects, that is the celebration of unity, and downplayed their bad aspects, the conformity that erases the individual.

It also must be said that the most conformist side in STAR WARS is definitely the Empire, not the Rebels.  The image of massed troops is used again, twice, in the Death Star hanger bay in Return of the Jedi (and also in The Empire Strikes Back: Special Edition), and this time it is Darth Vader and the Emperor who march down the aisle.  Vader and the Emperor walk much slower and their troops remain as silent as Hitler's.  So in the STAR WARS universe, Nazis would be bad guys, too.

Mail your offended responses to Joel Frangquist.