DARTH VADER
Only in Italy is Darth Vader called Dart Fener, because in 1977 the renowned dubbing director Mario Maldesi decided it sounded better that way in Italian. Whether you know him as Vader or Fener, we’re talking about one of the most infamous and ruthless villains in cinema history. Lucas conceived the character as the antagonist of Luke Skywalker, the hero of the 1977 film Star Wars (later titled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope). But, as the story unfolds in the sequel, we discover that Darth – who has no father – actually has a son, who happens to be Luke Skywalker. Their relationship is deeply conflictual. The father wants his son to follow in his footsteps and embrace the dark side, while the son implores his father to reject evil and return to being the Jedi Knight he once was. Each is driven by the need to recruit the other to their cause, to create a sort of family unity that is only achieved when Vader sacrifices himself to save his son from the Emperor. In doing so, Vader earns his redemption. The fate of the galaxy is decided by family ties.
Between episodes I and VI, Anakin Skywalker/ Darth Vader progressively loses all four of his limbs and suffers severe lava burns, which also compromise his ability to breathe. This is the reason for his respirator helmet and full body armour (all his limbs are robotic by the time of his death). A cruel man-machine hybrid, he projects the aura of a black hole bursting with negative energy. His striking simplicity, his absence of colour, his lightsaber and flowing cloak are all basic elements that make him unique, but they also resonate with eclectic cultural references. Darth Vader is the future but also the past. His helmet is reminiscent of German Stahlhelm military helmets, complete with a skull-like mask and a samurai crest. His cape, meanwhile, came from the medieval section of a costume warehouse, and his jumpsuit was a set of a motorcyclist’s leathers (equipped with high-tech accessories). The structure of Star Wars is inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and chivalric romance, but also classic cinema, adventure films, Westerns and peplum movies, Flash Gordon, pulp comics and Kurosawa. Thanks to the saga invented by George Lucas, many elements of classical mythology have entered contemporary digital culture.
Lucas, the father of the fatherless Darth, has always denied that the name Vader had any connection to the character’s identity as Luke’s dad. He says that the assonance with the German vater, meaning “father”, is completely coincidental, since there were no plans to develop the character beyond the 1977 film for which he was created. Could that be true? Meanwhile, in 2012 Lucas sold Lucasfilm, and therefore Star Wars, to Disney. Prophet or bored father? It will take many years to answer these questions and who knows how many more episodes of the saga.