"Full of wiles or plots; lying in wait or seeking to entrap or ensnare; proceeding or operating secretly or subtly so as not to excite suspicion; sly, treacherous, deceitful, underhand, artful, cunning, crafty, wily. (of persons and things.)"

So the "phantom" in the title of the film could be referring to the Dark Lord of the Sith and "menace" to the meaning of the name "Sidious". Another theory is based upon the understanding that the central menace of the movie, the Trade Federation's blockade and invasion of Naboo, is itself nothing more than a phantom, a piece of political misdirection designed Darth Sidious to bring about the ultimate victory of the Sith, implying that while the Trade Federation (and later the Separatists) were the "Phantom Menace", Palpatine was the true menace to the Republic. In this sense, the key outcome of this movie is the elevation of Palpatine to the office of Chancellor out of a sympathy vote for Naboo's predicament. A third interpretation is that the title foreshadows Anakin's eventual transformation into Darth Vader. This was illustrated in a movie poster which showed young Anakin casting a shadow in the shape of Darth Vader. Within the story, few could have foreseen the monumental menace Anakin would eventually pose. Within three to four months of Lucas beginning the writing process, Doug Chiang and a design team began what would eventually be a two-year process of approving and rejecting thousands of designs for the film. Thousands of Things DVD Special Featurette, Stunt coordinator Nick Gillard was recruited to create a new Jedi fighting style for the new trilogy. Gillard referred to the lightsaber battles being akin to a chess game "with every move being a check." Because of their short-range weapons, Gillard theorized that the Jedi would have had to develop a fighting style that merged every swordfighting style to have been created such as Kendo and Samurai, in addition to other swinging techniques such as tennis and tree-chopping. While training Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor, Gillard would write a seqeuence to be an estimated sixty seconds in length among five to six sequences per fight. Prime of the Jedi DVD Special Featurette, Prime of the Jedi DVD Special Featurette, [2001" target="_blank" >^*

Filming began June 26, 1997, and ended on September 30, 1997, primarily taking place at Leavesden Studios in England, with additional location shooting in the Tunisian desert for the Tatooine scenes and the Italian palace Palazzo Reale, Caserta for the Theed City Naboo Palace interior. The entire city of Mos Espa was built in the desert outside of Tozeur. The night following the third day of shooting in Tozeur, an unexpected sandstorm destroyed many large sets and props. With quick rescheduling in order to allow repairs to commence, production was able to leave Tunisia the exact day it had originally planned to. It's Like War Now DVD Special Featurette, ^*

A previously unseen milestone in the technological upgrade from the previous films came about when the mechanical R2-D2 refused to operate in the sand of the Tunisian desert. In all 9 R2-D2 models were created, 7 of which could run in the sand or on the stage, one of which for Kenny Baker to be dropped into, and one "pneumatic" R2 that was able to shift from two legs to three legs. During filming in Tunisia and on sets to replicate the environment, the standard model was prone to skidding off into strange directions and getting sand jammed in it's motors causing them to lock up. Having confronted problem such as this before, Lucas decided to allow two different companies, ILM and the production's British special effects department, to create their own versions of the perfect R2-D2. It was required that the finished product be able to run through deep sand, light sand, and be able to run over door jams. ILM's R2-D2 featured two wheelchair motors which were capable of pushing 440 pounds of weight. The British effects company produced a completely new foot and motor drive system that allowed the ability to drive over sand. The ILM version was for the most part used on stage sets, whereas the British version of used in Tunisia. Bad Droid Karma DVD Special Featurette, ^*

The much-hyped special effects were groundbreaking in their sheer scope (roughly 2,000 effects shots) and in their quality and innovation, such as co-starring computer graphics characters, completely computer-generated environments, and entire armies of CGI droids. This was accomplished through the advancing digital technology that allowed Lucas to have more freedom in storytelling than any other Star Wars film before it. Up until production of The Phantom Menace many special effects within the film industry were accomplished by use of practical means such as a miniature models, matte paintings, and on-set visual effects, although other films had made extensive use of computer generated imagery before. Visual effects supervisor John Knoll was previewed to 3,500 storyboards for the film with Lucas accompanying him to explain what factors of the shots would be practical and what would be created through visual effects. Knoll later recounted that his reaction to what more or less was every storyboard was that he was not aware of any way to accomplish what he had seen, at the time. The result was to mix original techniques with the newest digital techniques in order to make it difficult for the viewer to guess which technique was used at what moment. New computer software was written by Knoll and his visual effects team in order to create certain shots of in the film. A stressed goal was to create computer-generated characters that could act seemlessly with live action actors. While filming scenes with CGI characters, Lucas would block the characters using their corresponding voice actor on-set. The voice actors were then removed and the live-action actors would perform the same scene to no one. A CGI character would later be added into the shot, completing the conversation. Visual Effects DVD Special Featurette, ^*

The budget of The Phantom Menace was US $115 million. Although after inflation, it is technically the most expensive film in the prequel trilogy. Unlike the latter two films in the series which were shot on digital video, most of this film was shot on 35 mm film, with two scenes being shot on digital.

Synopsis

The opening crawl reveals that a galactic trade dispute has lead the Trade Federation to blockade the planet of Naboo in hopes of achieving a resolution. Chancellor Valorum of the Galactic Republic secretly sends two Jedi Knights, Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan learner Obi-Wan Kenobi, to meet with the Trade Federation to resolve the dispute. Unbeknownst to them, the Trade Federation is in league with the mysterious Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who orders them to invade Naboo and kill the two Jedi. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan escape and flee to the surface of Naboo. On the planet's surface, the Jedi meet local native outcast Jar Jar Binks, who brings them to an underwater Gungan settlement. Meanwhile, the Trade Federation invades Naboo and captures their leader, Queen Amidala. Through a Jedi mind trick, Qui-Gon secures a submarine to allow them to reach the capital of Naboo and rescue Queen Amidala from the Trade Federation droid army. After doing so, they all then depart for Coruscant, the Galactic Republic’s capital planet, to ask for help from the Senate.

However, during the escape the ship's hyperdrive is damaged and the party is forced to land on the desert planet of Tatooine for repairs. While searching for needed parts, Qui-Gon and a handmaiden named Padmé befriend young Anakin Skywalker, a nine-year-old human slave whose master is Watto, a junk dealer. Anakin is a child prodigy gifted in piloting and mechanics. Qui-Gon senses a strong presence of the Force in Anakin, and feels that he may be the Chosen One—an individual the Jedi believe will fulfill a prophecy by bringing balance to the Force. At Anakin's insistence, Qui-Gon enters Anakin into the Boonta Eve Podrace in a bid to gain the needed parts as well as Anakin's freedom. On the day of the race, Anakin is able to survive many dangers to win the race, gaining his freedom and bankrupting Watto. Anakin struggles, but is able to leave his mother behind on Tatooine to go with the Jedi. As the group prepares to leave Tatooine, they are attacked by the Sith apprentice Darth Maul, who battles Qui-Gon until the heroes make their escape. On Coruscant, Qui-Gon informs the Jedi Council of the mysterious attacker he encountered on Tatooine. Because of the attacker's mastery of the Force, the Council becomes concerned that this may indicate the reappearance of the Sith, a religious order who followed the dark side of the Force. Qui-Gon also informs the Council about Anakin, hoping that he can be trained as a Jedi. After testing the boy and deliberating with one another, the Council refuses, deeming him too old for training according to the Jedi Code. They are also concerned because they feel that Anakin harbors a great deal of fear and anger, clouding his future. Meanwhile, Senator Palpatine of Naboo persuades Amidala to call a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum. The vote successfully removes Valorum from power and leads to Palpatine's nomination for the position. Following this, the Queen decides to return to Naboo, in order to repel the invasion of the Trade Federation. She is frustrated by the Senate's deliberation and lack of action, and feels that by the time Palpatine is elected Chancellor it will be too late. The two Jedi and Anakin accompany her.

After returning to Naboo, Padmé reveals herself to be the true Queen Amidala and forms an alliance with the Gungans, uniting the two groups in battle against the Trade Federation. The Gungans march into battle to provide a distraction, which allows the rest of the group to infiltrate the palace in order to capture the Viceroy. Once inside the palace hangar, the Jedi are able to free a number of Naboo pilots, who regain their starfighters and mount an assault on the Federation droid ship. As they make their way to the throne room, the infiltration team is confronted by Darth Maul. Qui-Gon and Obi Wan engage Maul in combat, while the others take an alternate route. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan duel with the fierce Sith Lord, moving amongst the catwalks of a massive power-generating reactor core. Obi-Wan is briefly delayed, which allows the other two combatants to get ahead of him; he is thus separated from his master and their enemy. Anakin inadvertently joins the dogfight in space where he uses his piloting skills to help take down the droid-control ship's generators with well-placed proton torpedoes. This causes the droid army to power down in the midst of taking Gungan prisoners. Meanwhile, Queen Amidala and her forces fight their way into the palace and capture Nute Gunray. In the reactor core, Qui-Gon reengages Darth Maul singlehandedly, but is slain. As soon as he is able, Obi-Wan attacks Maul until he is forced over the edge of a deep ventillation shaft. While clinging to the ledge, Obi-Wan uses the Force to make a tremendous vertical leap, fliping over Maul while simultaneously recovering Qui-Gon's lightsaber and slicing the Sith Lord in half. With his final breath, Qui-Gon instructs Obi-Wan to train Anakin to become a Jedi. In the aftermath, the newly elected Chancellor Palpatine arrives to congratulate Queen Amidala on her victory. Meanwhile, the Jedi Council promotes Obi-Wan to the level of Jedi Knight. Obi-Wan conveys to Yoda his master’s dying wish regarding Anakin Skywalker. Yoda then reluctantly allows Anakin to become Obi-Wan’s apprentice. During Qui-Gon's funeral, Mace Windu and Yoda agree that Qui-Gon was killed by the Sith. But because there are always two Sith at any given time (a master and an apprentice), they believe that another Sith still exists, although which one is uncertain. A large celebration is held on Naboo to celebrate the liberation of the planet and the newborn alliance between the Naboo and the Gungans.

Release

Reaction

The Phantom Menace enjoyed mostly positive reviews (scoring 63% favorable rating among film critics). Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it three and a half stars, praising its visual effects and calling it "exhilarating". Some aspects of the scripting were criticized. Much of which was directed at the character of Jar Jar Binks, who many members of the older fan community regarded as purely a merchandising opportunity rather than a serious character in the film. The idea that Anakin built C-3PO was also regarded by some as far fetched. In addition, the introduction of midichlorians (microscopic organisms that allow communication with the Force) in the film has been controversial. Those against it have seen it as a concept that negates the numinous quality of the Force. On the other hand, the epic fight scene between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul, showcasing astounding choreography and Ray Park's martial arts skills, is considered by many fans and critics to be a high point of and one of the best lightsaber duels in the entire Star Wars saga.

After the film's release, there was controversy over whether several alien characters reflected racial stereotypes, notably: the oafish, slow-witted Jar-Jar Binks had long droopy ears reminiscent of dreadlocks and spoke with what many perceived as a Caribbean patois (particularly Jamaican Creole); the greedy and corrupt Neimodians of the Trade Federation spoke with Asian accents; and the unprincipled desert trader Watto fit the caricature of the Semitic peoples. Lucas has categorically denied all of these implications, and in latter films ( Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith) these characters appeared less often and without as strong characterizations as in The Phantom Menace.

The film was nominated for several academy awards; Ben Burtt and Tom Bellfort received the nomination for Best Sound Effects. John Knoll, Dennis Muren, Scott Squires, and Rob Coleman received the nomination for Best Visual Effects. Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Shawn Murphy, and John Midgley received the nomination for Best Sound. The Matrix captivated Academy Award voters, winning the visual effects Academy Award for 1999 over the Star Wars film. It was the first time a Star Wars film did not win that Oscar competition category.

Cast

• Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn. He is a Jedi Master and mentor to Obi-Wan. When he discovers Anakin, he insists the boy be trained as a Jedi, despite the protests of the council.

• Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. He is Qui-Gon's Jedi apprentice. Young and headstrong, he holds a high respect for Qui-Gon, but questions his motives at times.

• Natalie Portman as Queen Amidala. The young queen of Naboo, Amidala hopes to protect her planet from the Trade Federation, who have set up a blockade around it.

• Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker. He is a nine-year-old slave boy from Tatooine. When Qui-Gon meets him, he discovers that the boy is exceptionally gifted in the Force.

• Ian McDiarmid as Senator Palpatine. Palpatine is the Senator of Naboo. He grows concerned about Naboo's blockade and defends his position in the Senate.

• Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks. A comical Gungan, exiled from his home but taken in by Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. He accompanies them in their adventures in the film.

• Pernilla August as Shmi Skywalker. She is Anakin's loving mother, who wants the best for her son, and has to deal with the difficult challenge of letting her son go with the Jedi.

• Kenny Baker as R2-D2. An astonishingly smart astromech droid, he saves Queen Amidala's ship when all other droids fail.

• Ray Park as Darth Maul. A menacing Zabrak, he is the Sith apprentice to Darth Sidious who uses a double-bladed lightsaber. His voice was provided by Peter Serafinowicz.

• Andy Secombe as Watto. He is a junk dealer on Tatooine who owns Anakin and his mother as slaves.

• Anthony Daniels as C-3PO. A protocol droid built by Anakin, he lacks a metal covering in this film, which R2-D2 calls "naked".

• Frank Oz as Yoda. He is the leader of the Jedi Council, and is apprehensive about allowing Anakin to be trained.

• Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu. He is a member of the Jedi Council who also opposes the idea of Anakin's training.

• Terence Stamp as Finis Valorum. The current Supreme Chancellor who tries to help Naboo by sending Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to negotiate with Gunray.

Over 3000 young actors were auditioned for the role of Anakin Skywalker through North America, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Canada. Among them included child actors Michael Angarano, Justin Berfield and Haley Joel Osment. The field was narrowed down to three actors, all of which were interviewed by Lucas and then screentested with Natalie Portman. 3000 Anakins DVD Special Featurette, ^*

Historical and cultural allusions

While Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress has often been seen as a source of inspiration for A New Hope, The Phantom Menace's middle section on Tatooine, with its series of non-violent bargaining and twists of chance, demonstrates the strongest correspondence to Japanese film in the saga. Queen Amidala's escape from an invading enemy and posing as a handmaiden while visiting the lower classes on Tatooine also echoes Kurosawa's film, especially in its emphasis on social consciousness.

The podrace sequence on Tatooine appears heavily influenced, if not lifted wholesale, from the chariot race in Ben-Hur. Other films likely to have influenced the pod race are Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause, which featured actor James Dean, a partial inspiration for the Anakin character, and John Frankenheimer's Grand Prix, which not only features the Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune but also features camerawork done by Lucas himself. A common criticism against the entire podrace sequence were the Indycar engine sound samples which were recognizable to many North Americans.

The appearance of Darth Maul draws heavily from traditional depictions of the Judeo-Christian Devil, complete with red skin and horns. These aspects, however, also slyly refer to Jesus, as Maul's red and black face bears a strong resemblance to the abstract opening sequence of Martin Scorsese's film adaptation of The Last Temptation of Christ, whose red and black images are evocative of Christ's crown of thorns. Similarly, the arrangement of horns around Maul's head can be seen as analogous to a crown, creating a dark mirror image of Christ's crown of thorns. These references are especially meaningful, as The Last Temptation of Christ tells an alternate, speculative history of Jesus in which the Devil tempts him to give up his duty as messiah to die upon the cross in order to live out his life with the love of Mary Magdalene. The Star Wars film cycle features a similar narrative with Anakin, a virgin birth messiah who is tempted out of fulfilling his duty as "The Chosen One" to destroy the Sith in order to save the life of his love, Padmé. In both cases, the love for whom the tempted messiah abandoned his responsibilities dies, and the messiah must eventually reclaim his destiny in self-sacrifice.

Starting with this episode, the Star Wars saga, especially the first three episodes and even more specifically the third episode, Revenge of the Sith, deal heavily with the character type of the mastermind typical to the multiple genres Lucas' work belongs to. The dual character Palpatine/Darth Sidious is the mastermind of the Star Wars narrative, controlling and manipulating the events of the films, such as the invasion of Naboo and the impeachment of Valorum, from afar. This character has precedent in countless comic books, movies and novels, but is especially in debt to the arch-villains of serial fiction and films of the early 20th century. The two most relevant characters are Fantomas ("The Phantom") and [Norbert Jacque's Dr. Mabuse, immortalized on screen by German director Fritz Lang. Lucas implicitly labels Palpatine, who, like Mabuse, uses mind control and secret identities to shape events on large political and economic scales, as the film's "Phantom Menace," tying him to the French villain.

The Phantom Menace may also be the most politically charged of all the Star Wars films in its references. Throughout the films there are various characters whose names and actions associate them with modern political figures and movements. The name of the Trade Federation's greedy leader Nute Gunray can be seen as an amalgam of two controversial Republican politicians of the latter half of the 20th century: Newt Gingrich and Ronald Reagan, both in their actual names and in reference to Reagan's most famous film, Knute Rockne, All American, in which he plays "The Gipper". In addition, his colleague Lott Dod can be seen as a combination of the names of two other prominent U.S. politicians: Trent Lott and Christopher Dodd.

The key political decisions in this film revolve around the impeachment of a chief executive (Chancellor Valorum) in order to elect a new leader of supposedly stronger moral principles (Palpatine), echoing the attempts of the Republicans to oust President Bill Clinton from office in 1998. (It should be pointed out, however, that the movie was filmed in 1997 and the impeachment process against Clinton began in 1998.) The motivations of the Trade Federation in the film, moreover, revolve around their refusal to cooperate with the Republic's taxes, tying their economic politics both to the Reaganomics of the 1980s and the World Trade Organization, famously protested in the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 in Seattle, Washington, which occurred in the year of the film's release. Also, it is likely that Lucas included the satirical pun on Reagan's name as payback for the former president's use of key phrases from Star Wars to rally support for his controversial Missile Defense System, which even gained the nickname of Lucas' epic project. Despite all these parallels, the Trade Federation forces are not the true threat; they are merely a tool for the true villain, Darth Sidious.

References to the original trilogy

The films of the prequel trilogy often feature events, dialogue, or moments that echo the original trilogy. Lucas has referred to the Star Wars saga as a poem that rhymes. "The Beginning" Making Episode I Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace DVD documentary, ^* The most well known of which being the phrase "I have a bad feeling about this." which is stated by at least one character in each movie. It is one of the first lines in the film and is chronologically the first line spoken by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the films.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for the film was released by Sony Classical on May 4, 1999. The music was composed and conducted by John Williams, who began recording the score for The Phantom Menace on February 10, 1999 performed by the London Voices and London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios. It was the first Star Wars film Williams had composed music for in 16 years. A two-disk "Ultimate Edition" was released on November 14, 2000. The set featured the entire score as it is heard in the film. While the original soundtrack released featured only 17 tracks, the Ultimate Edition featured 68 tracks. However the original soundtrack's tracks condensed the number of tracks by allowing multiple songs to play per most tracks.

The popular track "Duel of the Fates" was composed and conducted under the title "The Great Dual", and featured one of the few times Williams has introduced a chorus into a piece of Star Wars music. The chorus was introduced in order to gain a feeling of a religious temple-like tone for the film. The theme was later given a music video that is available on the DVD. Movie Music DVD Special Featurette, ^*

Novelization

A book version of the movie was written by Terry Brooks. It includes three chapters of material created by Brooks and unique to the novel. The first two chapters of the book concern Anakin's next-to-last Podrace and its aftermath, while a later chapter describes an encounter between Anakin and a wounded Tusken Raider in the desert.

Brooks met with Lucas before writing the book and received his approval and guidance, including information about developments to come in Episodes II and III. This can be seen in such passages as the Tusken Raider scene, which ironically foreshadows the death of Anakin's mother in Episode II, and the passage leading up to Anakin's fight with the Rodian child (Greedo), indicating that Anakin's anger derives from his anguish at Padmé's impending departure (foreshadowing the plot of Episode III).

The novelization is especially well-known for a passage describing the history of the Sith. According to Terry Brooks' memoir, Sometimes the Magic Works, Lucas spent an hour on the telephone with him discussing the history of the Jedi and the Sith. Therefore, the information on this subject provided in Brooks' novelization can be presumed to derive from Lucas himself. Brooks devotes an entire chapter of Sometimes the Magic Works to the writing of the Episode I novelization.

DVD release

The DVD features a commentary track by writer-director George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, editor Ben Burtt, animation director Rob Coleman, and visual effects supervisors John Knoll, Dennis Muren, and Scott Squires. The DVD includes seven deleted scenes from the film which were completed just for the DVD. The Beginning: Making Episode I is an hour-long documentary film culled from over 600 hours of footage, including an insider's look at Lucasfilm and ILM during the production. A multi-angle storyboard to animatic to film segment features the submarine and podrace lap 1 sequences. Five featurettes explore the storyline, design, costumes, visual effects, and fight sequences in the film. An award-winning twelve-part web documentary series chronicles the production. Also included is a Duel of the Fates music video featuring John Williams, a never-before-seen production photo gallery with special caption feature, theatrical posters and print campaign from around the world, theatrical teaser and launch trailers and seven TV spots, Star Wars: Starfighter - The Making of a Game featurette from LucasArts, and a DVD-ROM weblink to exclusive Star Wars content.

References

External links

• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace at StarWars.com
• ''Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace at MovieMistakes.com
• The Phantom Menace production notes at StarWars.com
• Anticipation: The Real Life Story of Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace (film history book on The Phantom Menace).

1999 films | American films | English-language films | Films directed by George Lucas | Star Wars episodes | Worst Picture Razzie Nominee

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