"Lucas’ classical action cinema"

Film If nothing else, this very long essay investigating the Duel of the Fates Jedi battle, the one copper-bottom success to emerge from The Phantom Menace debarkle demonstrates that for all the many decades of mythology developed by Lucas, he's most interested in images and that the Star Wars prequels would probably have worked better if they'd been produced as silent films:

"Some quick inserts of in-fight close-ups are also employed—mostly for moments where Obi-Wan cuts up droids and twirls his lightsaber, evoking the visceral, broken-piece editing for the shootouts in ANH, where Lucas’ shots were not just motivated by straight coverage, but also for the graphical presentation of laser beams streaking cross screen —as well as some long shots to clearly illustrate the geography. Long master shots like these are an essential part of Lucas’ classical action cinema, acting very much in the same way that he uses his self-described “pointer scenes”, moments where characters gather around a hologram projection to formulate a plan of attack (or, in the case of ANH, watch a two-dimensional projection that amounts to literally watching a movie)."

[via]