| The
Episode III Tokyo Premiere...
You know, for the kids...
We cannot
say how Asia correspondent Mish'al Samman got into the Tokyo
premiere of Episode III, but know that he committed a questionable
act that will cause us to distance ourself from him at future
events. Oh, sure, we'll still take his articles...
What more could
fans want? Over the last several months Japan has
gone wild with the marketing of the final installment of
the Star Wars saga. Japanese companies joined in as they
advertised their products and a chance to win tickets to
see the movie June 18th at the charity premiere, several
weeks before its official release date of July 9th.
Over
15,000 showed up to the event that consisted of 3 separate
screenings from morning to evening in Japan's and possibly
the world's
largest digital projection house that seats 5000, has complete
digital sound, and an all around superior experience for
fans of this most intense digitally shot movie.
The
event was held at the Tokyo International Forum, where a
Star Wars shop was set up so that fans waiting to get in
could buy a range of products, some only available in Japan.
My personal favorite was the Rain Saver umbrella to keep
me company during the current rainy season.
In the
lobby, the 130+ performers and more volunteers from both
the Japanese Rebel Legion and the 501st Japanese garrison
greeted the guests. Stormtroopers, Clone Troopers, Snow
Troopers, Jedi, blue dancers, green dancers, slave girls,
a giant towering Wampa and of course Darth Vaders were there
to greet and feed into the fan's frenzy and delight.
The
atmosphere certainly was joyous and upbeat during the wait.
The red carpet was laid out for the final showing that night,
and celebrities called out to tap their favorite character's
shoulder and pose for pictures, then head up for the movie.
Several
troopers patrolled the gigantic two-story theater, walking
up and down the stairs menacingly. Several minutes before
the presentation the trumpets of the main theme blared and
all the troopers and characters flooded into the auditorium.
After a brief introduction, producer Rick McCallum appeared
to speak a little about the film and told viewers at the
first showing that he had to call George five minutes after
the movie to tell him how it went.
You
can imagine the response.
Each
of the three presentations had practically the same reaction,
with fans going wild as the Star Wars logo faded into the
background of stars and the chapter heading appeared. Overall,
this charity premiere was a big success. It is usually odd
for the Japanese culture to make any noise during a screening,
but hey! It's Star Wars!
Proceeds
went to orphan charities and foster care facilities in Japan,
Alderaan and Tatooine.
|
