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For People Who Saw Return of the Jedi in Theaters in 1983

posted 7 years ago by hilaryjrp
9 replies | jump to latest

I rewatched Carrie Fisher's interview on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert in late November. At one point during the extended interview, Ms. Fisher pauses, hands her head, hides her face, and says that writing her latest book was too hard on her. I recall feeling when I originally watched this interview being disturbed by what seemed an absolutely candid admission.

Carrie Fisher was honest about her life in ways few people, so famous or not, are. In the past few days, I've found more articles online than I thought ever existed about her first appearance in The Return of the Jedi. I saw the movie many times in the theater it was showing but couldn't get over a severe disappointment with the movie that I attributed at first to its concentration on action/adventure rather than on character. The Empire Strikes Back is one of the most intense--if not *the* most intense--character-driven film(s) of its genre.

I took someone with me, not a Star Wars fan, to see ROTJ the second time I saw it. Then I realized how appalled and embarrassed I was by the ballsy heroine's transformation into a sex slave. The person with me turned and stared at me, not whispering anything. But the look was, "Wow, did this director *ever* put his heroine 'in her place.'"

I agreed. I lost interest in Star Wars after this film because I thought it pandered to all sorts of impulses that would never have gotten its creator interviewed on PBS by (of all people) Joseph Campbell, had the first two installments been anything like the last. I never forgot the way Carrie Fisher's character was objectified. And say what you will, there was absolutely no reason for it.

When Ms. Fisher became known for other things in the years following, I asked myself if the way George Lucas turned her iconic character into a sex object played any part in her troubles. I think I've gotten an answer, watching the videos and reading the articles available online about this very sordid subject.

So I'm posting to ask if any other fans who saw the original trilogy in theaters in the late 70's and early 80's was offended or even deeply offended by what Lucas did to the Princess.

God bless Ms. Fisher. Brilliant woman.

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[–] MovieBuffMarine 7 years ago

"Sex object?" Maybe, but not much of that [sex action] went onscreen in any of the movies anyways.

At least it [slave outfit] was part of the story and not added "just because." I doubt the effect would be the same (for the story) if the script called for her to be chained to Jabba in her bounty hunter outfit.

[–] maggieameanderings 7 years ago

Let me get this straight..............

Leia Organa being tortured didn't offend you?

But Leia Organa being forced to wear a bikini did offend you?

Incidentally, she was still "undercover" at the time. Clearly, they had multiple plans going. I'm sure the first plan was if Lando could have gotten Solo out. Then Leia goes in. Then C3PO and R2D2, finally finished with Luke who anticipated being captured. Leia knew all of this, so the possibility of her being captured part of the plan.

Leia knew this.

And Carrie Fisher knew this. The interviews I've read is she enjoyed the scenes with Jabba and even demanded the puppeteers controlling the chain pull harder.

[–] Blackjack254 7 years ago

Also, I remember reading something about Carrie being dissatisfied with her costumes in the previous movies because "you couldn't tell she was a woman" or something like that.

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[–] jane_bront 7 years ago

I saw ROTJ when I was about 13 or 14. Honestly, I just thought she looked great in the outfit! Leia's scenes as a slave were within the context of the story and I didn't feel they were exploitive of the character or Carrie Fisher. Actually, Han Solo was much worse off frozen in carbonite.

[–] danloki 7 years ago

I thought she looked great as well, and it just made me even more repulsed by Jabba. I dont see what the big deal is.

[–] QueenCandie 7 years ago

I deeply hate the slave outfit and cringe when I see it. I am glad she killed the repulsive Jabba though lol

[–] triplegrim 7 years ago

The first half of the Return of the Jedi is so much muppet show and crazy 80s that the outfit was in context. It also showed what Jabba does to his enemies, and builds him up as a Dangerous man that only Luke Skywalked can deal With. Ironically by defeating him physically, after all their stealth and cunning fails. Seems like Luke could just have walked into the Place With his light saber and killed everyone who stopped him from taking Solo by force. It would have spared Leia being sexually enslaved by a slug.