UPDATE: Seems that Lucas was right about the Princess Leia hairdo and the Mexican Revolution. Just listened to a great piece on Oregon Public Broadcasting about a badass soldadera named Clara de la Rocha. And here she is:
The woman is Clara de la Rocha, a noted colonel in the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), a movement against the long dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz. She is one of Alexandra de la Rocha’s ancestors — her dad’s distant cousin. She died in 1970 and, in the photo, is standing next to her father, General Herculano de la Rocha.
She is known for a key 1911 battle in Sinaloa, in northern Mexico. “She actually crossed a river on horseback … and was able to take out a power station in order to allow the rebel forces to attack during night without being seen,” says the younger De la Rocha. “She was a grizzled woman, as her father was. They were mountain people, and were actually miners and owned a lot of land. They were business people.”
Check out the story here.
Remembrances of Carrie Fisher have dominated the internet since her death after a massive heart attack on Tuesday. Though she was a versatile actress and an excellent writer, she knew full well that she would ever be known for her iconic portrayal of Princess Leia in Star Wars.
I am no Star Wars fanatic, and neither is my friend Craig McDonald, but Craig dug up a historical connection regarding Princess Leia that tickled the fancy of both of us Mexican Revolution buffs. You see, Princess Leia was a soldadera.
From a BBC story on the origins of Leia’s unique hairstyle:
Star Wars creator George Lucas said he looked to Mexico’s female revolutionaries, or “soldaderas,” who joined the uprising at the start of the 20th Century.
“I went with a kind of south-western Pancho Villa woman revolutionary look, which is what that is. The buns are basically from turn-of-the-century Mexico,” Lucas told Time in 2002.
It makes sense to look to such a band of women when creating a character far removed from a traditional princess awaiting rescue.
“George didn’t want a damsel in distress, didn’t want your stereotypical princess – he wanted a fighter, he wanted someone who was independent,” Fisher explained to the BBC in 1977.
A scholar of women in the Mexican Revolution and Spanish Civil War notes, however, that soldaderas didn’t wear their hair in side buns. Lucas was conflating his image of a female fighter with early 20th Century photographs of Pueblo women.
Ah, well, Lucas had the right spirit anyway. Should have given Leia a cigarro, though.
Soldadera by Alan Padilla.
Another fun fact that Craig McDonald pointed out — Han Solo’s Blaster was a sci-fi Mauser 1895 broomhandle. Hah!
Matthew says
I was a Star Wars fanatic when I was young. Not so much now (friggin prequels.) I do think Western movies where a major influence on Lucas. The Cantina scene in the first movie, aliens aside, is very western. There’s some wide shots in the first movie that’s very John Ford.
Of course, Leigh Brackett who wrote Rio Bravo also wrote the first draft of Empire Strike Back. He fiction was undoubtedly an influence on it as well particularly Han Solo. I’m pretty certain that C.L. Moore’s Northwest Smith stories. Moore (another early female SF writer) originally imagined him as a old west character originally.
Now, do you want to hear how Kurosawa’s samurai films influenced Star Wars?
JimC says
Kurosawa? Sure, why not?
Predictably, I liked Han Solo cuz he was a gunslinger.
Matthew says
Kurosawa’s Hidden Fortress in particular was influential on Star Wars. There are two Japanese peasants bicker and get caught up the story and were the basis for R2D2 and C3PO. There’s a very Leia like princess (well daughter of a disposed feudal lord.) She’s aided by an old general played by Toshiro Mifune who Lucas wanted Obi-Wan Kenobi. (i.e. an old general who aids the princess.)
I realized a long time ago that Lucas just chopped up other works of art to make Star Wars. (Tatooine, Luke’s home, is basically Arrakis et cetera.)
Just to let you know, I’m holding back most of my geekiness.
When I was younger, Luke was my favorite. Now that I am older it’s Han. Speaking of that I was once watching an old episode Gunsmoke where a minor henchmen of the villain looked really familiar. It was a young Harrison Ford.
JimC says
Lucas parlayed all that borrowing into quite a fortune.
Greg Marshall says
“bad artists copy, great artists steal.”
john roberts says
In 1976 I went to the Worldcon in Kansas City. It was my first SF convention. I’d already sold my first book but I’d never been into the social side of SF. On the last day of the con I wandered into the room where the Star Wars guys had set up their display. I goggled at the great Ralph McQuarrie concept painting that hung on the walls, the R2D2, C3PO outfits and, especially, the Darth Vader costume. There was a glass-case display of props and weapons, including Han’s modified Mauser. There were also some Stormtrooper blasters that were modified Stirling submachineguns. I talked with the guys running the display and they told me Lucas went with real weapons so they would have the weight and heft of the real thing. They also told me the music score would be traditional Hollywood epic score by a guy named John Williams. As I was about to leave one of them says: “Here’s one of the stars.” and Mark Hamill walks in. I didn’t know him from adam. He was schlepping his suitcase, on the way to the airport and just stopped to say goodbye to the crew. I spoke to him, stammered something about how I thought this would be a big hit. He was very gracious and friendly. He was the only original cast member I ever met. Now it’s too late to meet Carrie and I just learned that her mother died today. Damn. 2016.
JimC says
Some guy named John Williams. Wow. I think that magnificent, epic score had a lot to do with the movie’s success.
You were sure right about it being a big hit. Hard to remember that it “shouldn’t” have been, now that it’s completely penetrated the culture. The Vietnam War was supposed to have killed the hero story. Obviously, there remained a craving for the archetypal tales. Maybe it needed to be set “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” in order to get people out of their funk, but whatever it was, it worked big time.
Paul McNamee says
“Johnny” Williams had scored the t.v. themes for LAND OF THE GIANTS, LOST IN SPACE and THE TIME TUNNEL.
I recently saw an early publicity photo of Hamill as Luke where his duds are far more cowboy than samurai. (even to the belt buckle)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_93Y09YDcf0k/TCBm_rWQ65I/AAAAAAAABKM/f7l53Wp6qsQ/s1600/Luke+Skywalker+-+Mark+Hamill+publicity+photo.jpg
They decided to leave the uncouth blaster slinging to Han, for the most part. It fit Luke’s arc but I think I would have liked him to have more gunslinging, too.
john roberts says
Recently I ran across a notebook I kept not long after I got out of the Army in 1970. I was back in college and one evening I saw a TV movie version of “Jane Eyre” starring George C. Scott and Susannah York. It had a beautiful score and when the credits rolled I wrote down the composer’s name thinking to check for him next time I got to a record store. Then I forgot all about it until I ran across this notebook decades later. It says, “Jane Eyre music by John Williams.”
JimC says
Had no idea of this. Of to Youtube…
Matthew says
When I was 12 I found out that Mark Hamil did the voice of the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series. It really blew my mind that the Joker and Luke Skywalker where the same person.
It would be interesting to wonder how the films would have turned out if they made Luke a gunslinger.
As much as I like Williams scores, he got really derivative in his later films.
JimC says
I liked the War Horse OST quite a bit.
thom Eley says
Wonderful! I love these sorts of connections!
john roberts says
That picture of Claire de la Rocha (which wasn’t here last time I looked at this thread) is that a Colt 1905 .45 in her belt? If it is, it’s one of the very few I’ve seen worn by a real combatant. What rifle is she holding?
JimC says
I’m thinking Winchester 1907? Looks like the gas rod is the same, and the squared off fore end?
As for the pistol… Sure looks like it, based on the angle of the grip and that bump under the hammer.
Clara was well armed.
john roberts says
Yeah, the Winchester 1907 was what I was thinking, but I went looking into Remingtons instead. In any case. Clair wanted the very latest in armament, an excellent attitude to have in a real shooting war.
JimC says
Agreed. As you will see in tomorrow’s post, I am adopting the same outlook.
john roberts says
I should add – that business about her taking out a power station: People these days don’t understand what a powerful factor searchlights played in battles back in those days. A night attack could be totally foiled by searchlights. In one case, a night attack by Villistas was foiled by American searchlights deployed from the American side of the Rio Grande, yet one more of many grievances Pancho had against the US.
JimC says
Yep. Agua Prieta, November 1915. One of the final nails in the coffin of the Division del Norte. They lit up Villa’s attack and they were mowed down with machine gun fire. Villa was reportedly nearly insane with rage.
Here’s an outstanding image of Carranza troops (federals) in the trenches defending the border town of Agua Prieta:
