Intellectual Defenestration

My last post on Star Wars

Or, A Discussion of the Communal Value of Aesthetics within the Context of the Genre of Science Fiction.

In general, I'm not bothered by Lucas' changes to the DVD's. Most I actually like. The only one I find annoying is the insertion of Hayden Christensen into the final ghost scene in Return. It reminds me too much of Attack of the Clones. That was the point, but, still...

Even then, it's only a movie. Entertaining and enjoyable, yes; but there are many other things worth spending time and energy on (Harry Potter, for example).

What I find amusing is Lucas' defense of his changes as within his rights as an artist. Star Wars was his artistic product, he argues, and so he should be perfectly entitled to do whatever he darn well pleases. That is the unique role of an artist, presumably: doing whatever you darn well please. Just so long as it's artistic.

If I remember correctly, Lucas is one of the two richest people in Hollywood. I believe he's worth somewhere around $2 billion. That money did not fall from the sky. He became wealthy mainly because he has produced things that other people enjoy. To completely discount what others might think of his work makes it it seem like he's forgotten how he got where he is, or at least a little ungrateful.

Secondly, in no other vocation is one able to do work solely for one's own gratification. As a general rule, what you do has benefit (and pays) primarily as it benefits others. No help, no dough. Even a politician has to at least deceive the majority of his constituency into thinking that he is genuinely helping them, even if he's wretchedly corrupt and bilking them out of every last cent.

I am not saying, of course, that "art" has to always be "popular" and never "good." But perhaps a better way of thinking of vocation in general is as a means of serving others, rather than merely as a means of self-gratification. Art should be good (allowing for a broad sense of the term) because good art then serves to encourage, uplift, entertain, challenge, inspire, etc. its recipients, whereas bad art only produces Britney Spears clones.

September 28, 2004 12:27 PM