Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Jamilla has given George Lucas' fictional world a meaning and substance it has lacked for some time now ... Nick Jamilla is an accomplished martial artist, teacher and writer, and it shows.
While many superficial and market-driven SW fans may be discomforted by a direct analysis of the SW universe unfettered by LucasFilm's marketing thought-police, those with an adult interest (who perhaps enjoyed the films in the 70's and 80's) will be engrossed and engaged. This is a serious historical and philosophical work and you will put it down as a different person!
The book is unashamedly the work of a loving fan, but one who combines that passion with a razor-sharp martial-arts-informed microscope.
Jamilla gives us both an intrinsic "in universe" rationale for the Jedi and their mysterious "laser" sword arts ... AND a brutally honest extrinsic "real world" picture of how and why we saw what we saw ...
This book is a MUST BUY for anyone who has an interest in martial arts, swords & sword "culture", fight choreography and Star Wars ...
It can be, at times, a heavy academic read - but that is it's value. This one is not a fairy-floss coffee-table over-produced glossy fan-mag, it is a serious and loving tribute - for the THINKING fan.
I commend it to those with the wit to see its value! :)
Click Here to see more reviews about: Sword Fighting in the Star Wars Universe: Historical Origins, Style and Philosophy
Unlike most makers of modern or futuristic films, George Lucas turned away from the standard special operatives or secret agents when he created the heroes for his epic Star Wars saga, employing instead time-honored traditions surrounding the sword. Part knight, part monk, the Jedi Knights were an order of swordsmen that helped rule the universe in accordance with law and lofty principles of justice and honor. Without the Jedi, there could be no Star Wars, and without the lightsaber sword, there could be no Jedi. This examination of the Jedi Knights, their adversaries the Sith and their lightsaber swordplay throughout all six episodes of the franchise evaluates the ways in which Lucas blended the speculative world of science fiction with the most ancient and epic tales of traditional samurai and Western swordsmen. It presents swordsmanship as a way of better understanding the Jedi Knights, focusing on the human movement and activity surrounding the weapon and the ways in which traditional Japanese martial arts were adapted for use in the films. Topics of discussion include the powerful effects of the master-apprentice relationship; the technical choreography used in the lightsaber scenes of the Star Wars films; and the historical precedents for the Jedi order, including the Sohei fighting monks of Japan, the Janissaries and Mamelukes of Islam, and the knights of the Templar, Hospitaller and Teutonic orders.
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