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And then there came the era of star wars. Fantasy and sci fi blended with other already successful formulas used in westerns and combat films, but added to the mix was a wizard’s bag of magical tricks and techniques never seen before. Most of what was now possible, of course, was due in large part to the application of computer technology to the entertainment industry. Of course the additional credibility lent by Alec Guiness and relative newcomer Harrison Ford to the initial historic trilogy didn’t hurt either, but the combination of good acting, computerized special effects and action packed good versus evil adventure, jumped this often overlooked brand of escapism right into the public mainstream.

http://vanceburkett.www.50megs.com/starwarspics.html

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Nebula/9627/anh1.jpg

There have been a myriad of knockoffs of the “Star Wars Trilogy”, even going as far as to copy itself in the creation of 3 ‘prequels’ that are in the process of being completed (The first one, ”The Phantom Menace”, already gone from the movie screen to video format), that will serve to fill in the history of events leading up to the original George Lucas creations.

Getting ready to give equal attention to the movie going purist fantasy seekers, is the soon to be released lord of the rings series, initially authored by legendary J.R.R. Tolkien. He created an entire otherworldly civilization that dwelt in Middle Earth, an ‘inner universe’ that examines the intricacies of a number of different races of beings including hobbits, elves, dwarves, trolls, orcs and others who also are wrapped up in the continuous struggle between good and evil. The movies will be released roughly during the next three Decembers, and may be previewed at the following web site addresses:

http://www.lordoftherings.net/index_flat.html

http://www.ringzone.net/movies/episode1/index.htm

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?reportID=56531

The films are being filmed in New Zealand and are being directed by Peter Jackson.

Of course, printed illustrations of the land and characters that populate Tolkien’s epic adventure are quite numerous as reprint after reprint of the trilogy and the prologue novel, the hobbit are released and re-released.

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Corridor/2451/gallery/Return_Gandalf.jpg

Even more avenues for exploring this genre are made possible with the increasing interest in animated computer generated graphics that have revived interest in the full length animated film (“Titan A.E.” and a retooled version of Jules Verne’s, 20,000 leagues under the sea for example), along with an endless supply of video games that have gone long beyond their simpler predecessors such as “Asteroid” and “Pac-Man”. In addition, there has also been an equal onslaught of artists who have specialized in creating artwork around themes based in science fiction and fantasy. Some of their work can be found on the following sites:

http://www.spacefoundation.org/symposium99/the_art_of_mccall.html

http://www.quantummuse.com/artwork.html

http://www.speculativevision.com/gallery8/

http://www.duncanlong.com/science-fiction-fantasy-art/index.html

There is a cautionary note in all of this that nags away in a small voice at the corner of my mind, however. Of concern is that as the absorption of all of the images that are now made to appear so life-like as a result of our technological wizardy, children, in particular, will be less inclined to use their own imaginations to envision what these alternate realities ‘look’ like, and will find a part of their own creativity stunted as a result. It seems to me that a large part of the fun that was a major component of exploring the words that filled each page with such urgency, was the pictures that one’s own mind created with which to navigate the intricacies of the story line. However, as technology continues to progress and astound, perhaps that too will be an area that will also be addressed at some point in time.

Kevan Nitzberg is an art educationalist and Minnesota Educator of the Year, 2000. To suggest a subject matter you would like searched, click here to send a message.