Edward D. Wood Jr.

Edward D. Wood Jr.
(Worst Director of All Time)

Frank Henenlotter

Frank Henenlotter
(Film Maker & Film Historian)

sexta-feira, 28 de junho de 2013

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock







































Info About The Third Star Trek Movie Of The Series:

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is a 1984 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the third feature film of the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the center of a three-film story arc that begins with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and concludes with Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. After the death of Spock (Leonard Nimoy) the crew of the USS Enterprise returns to Earth. When James T. Kirk (William Shatner) learns that Spock's spirit, or katra, is held in the mind of Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Kirk and company steal the Enterprise to return Spock's body to his home planet. The crew must also contend with hostile Klingons, led by Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), bent on stealing the secrets of a powerful terraforming device.
Paramount commissioned the film after positive critical and commercial reaction to The Wrath of Khan. Nimoy directed, the first Star Trek cast member to do so. Producer Harve Bennett wrote the script starting from the end and working back, and intended the destruction of the Enterprise to be a shocking development. Bennett and Nimoy collaborated with effects house Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to develop storyboards and new ship designs; ILM also handled the film's many special effects sequences. Aside from a single day of location shooting, all of the film's scenes were shot on Paramount and ILM soundstages. Composer James Horner returned to expand his themes from the previous film.
The Search for Spock opened June 1, 1984. In its first week of release, the film grossed over $16 million from almost 2,000 theaters across North America. It went on to gross $76 million at the domestic box office, toward a total of $87 million worldwide. Critical reaction to The Search for Spock was mixed to positive. Reviewers generally praised the cast and characters, while criticism tended to focus on the plot; the special effects were conflictingly received. Roger Ebert called the film a compromise between the tones of the first and second Star Trek films. The Search for Spock was released on multiple home video formats, including VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray high definition discs. Nimoy went on to direct The Search for Spock's sequel, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

Plot

The Starship Enterprise limps back to Earth following a battle with the genetically engineered superhuman Khan Noonien Singh, who tried to destroy the Enterprise by detonating an experimental terraforming device known as Genesis. The casualties of the fight include Admiral James T. Kirk's Vulcan friend, Spock, whose casket was launched into orbit around the planet created by the Genesis Device, where it eventually lands on the planet's surface. On arriving at Earth Spacedock, Doctor Leonard McCoy begins to act strangely and is detained. Starfleet Admiral Morrow visits the Enterprise and informs the crew the ship is to be decommissioned; the crew is ordered not to speak about Genesis due to political fallout over the device.
David Marcus (Merritt Butrick)—Kirk's son, a key scientist in Genesis' development—and Lieutenant Saavik (Robin Curtis) are investigating the Genesis planet on board the science vessel Grissom. Discovering an unexpected life form on the surface, Marcus and Saavik transport to the planet. They find that the Genesis Device has resurrected Spock in the form of a child, although his mind is not present. Marcus admits that he used unstable "protomatter" in the construction of the Genesis Device, meaning that Spock is rapidly aging and the planet will be destroyed within hours. Meanwhile, Commander Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), a member of the Klingon race, intercepts information about Genesis. Believing the device to be a potent weapon, he takes his cloaked ship to the Genesis planet, destroys Grissom, and captures Marcus, Saavik, and Spock.
Spock's father, Sarek (Mark Lenard), confronts Kirk about his son's death. The pair learn that before he died, Spock transferred his katra, or living spirit, to McCoy. Spock's katra and body are needed to lay him to rest on his homeworld, Vulcan, and without help McCoy will die from carrying the katra. Disobeying orders, Kirk and his officers spring McCoy from detention, disable USS Excelsior, and steal Enterprise from Spacedock to return to the Genesis planet to retrieve Spock's body.
In orbit, Enterprise is attacked and disabled by Kruge. In the standoff that follows, Kruge orders that one of the hostages on the surface be executed; David is killed defending Saavik and Spock. Kirk and company feign surrender and activate Enterprise's self-destruct sequence, killing the Klingon boarding party while the Enterprise crew transports to the planet's surface. Promising the secret of Genesis, Kirk lures Kruge to the planet and has him beam his crew to the Klingon vessel. As the Genesis planet disintegrates, Kirk and Kruge engage in hand-to-hand combat; Kirk emerges victorious after kicking the Klingon off a cliff. Overwhelming the last member of the Klingon crew, Kirk and his officers set course for Vulcan.
Spock's katra is reunited with his body in a dangerous procedure called fal tor pan. The ceremony is successful and Spock is resurrected alive and well, though his memories are fragmented. At Kirk's prompting, Spock remembers he called Kirk "Jim" and recognizes the crew.[3]

Cast

William Shatner reprises the role of Admiral James T. Kirk, Starfleet officer. Shatner remarked that being directed by Leonard Nimoy, his longtime co-star and friend, was initially awkward, although as the shoot went on it became easier as Shatner realized how confident Nimoy was.[4] To reduce weight, Shatner dieted before the start of production, but as filming continued, he tended to "slip"; the costume department had to make 12 shirts for him.[5] In his book with Chris Kreski, "Star Trek Movie Memories: The Inside Story of the Classic Movies", he believes that the scene where he learns his son's death is "Kirk's finest celluloid moment ever".[6]
Nimoy, in addition to his directing duties, appears towards the end of the film as Spock, but only appears in the opening credits as the director. Nimoy found the most difficult scene to direct was one in which Leonard McCoy talks to the unconscious Spock in sickbay, en route to Vulcan. Nimoy recalled that not only was he in the scene, but his eyes are closed, making it difficult to judge the quality of the shot or the actor's performance: "It drove DeForest Kelley crazy. He swears that I was trying to direct him with the movement and flutter of my eyelids." Nimoy was thankful the story required him to appear in a minimal number of scenes.[4] The rapidly aging Spock, at the ages of 9, 13, 17, and 25, was portrayed successively by Carl Steven, Vadia Potenza, Stephen Manley and Joe W. Davis. Frank Welker provided Spock's screams, and Steve Blalock doubled for Nimoy, so that a total of seven actors contributed to the role.[7]
DeForest Kelley is cast again as Leonard McCoy, doctor and the carrier of Spock's living spirit. Kelley has the majority of the film's memorable scenes, but admitted to occasional difficulties in acting with and being directed by his longtime co-star. However, he has declared that he had no doubts about Nimoy's ability to direct the film.[3] Responding to suggestions that Star Trek copied Star Wars, Kelley asserted that the opposite was true.[8] Playing the other crew members are James Doohan, as Montgomery Scott, the chief engineer; George Takei, as Hikaru Sulu, Enterprise's helmsman; Walter Koenig, as Pavel Chekov, navigation and acting science officer; and Nichelle Nichols, as Uhura, the ship's communications officer. Nichols had always insisted on wearing a skirt; although the standard female uniform used slacks, the costume designer created a skirted version specifically for her.[7] Nichols role was bookended in the film, appearing only in the beginning and ending. Takei was dismayed to hear that his character was called "Tiny" by a guard at McCoy's cell during the film, and argued with the film's producer to have the line cut. When Takei saw the first screening of the film, he changed his mind and promptly apologized.[7] He would later admit in his To the Stars: The Autobiography of George Takei that "without that snipe from [the guard], the scene [where Sulu eventually beats up that same guard] would not have played even half as heroically for Sulu."[9]
At the age of 87, and after an acting break of 14 years, Dame Judith Anderson accepted the part of T'Lar—a Vulcan high priestess who restores Spock's katra to his body—at her nephew's urging.[7][10] Nimoy wanted someone with "power and magic" for the ethereal role.[11] Anderson claimed to be 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m) tall, but her true height was closer to 4 feet 8 inches (1.42 m), which presented a problem when the designers needed to make her look appropriately regal. The solution was to dress her with an overlong hem and built-up shoes which, combined with a crown, added 6 inches (15 cm) to her height.[12] Kirstie Alley, who had played Saavik in The Wrath of Khan, did not return to reprise her role because she feared being typecast.[13] Robin Curtis had arrived in Los Angeles in 1982; she made friends with the head of Paramount's casting department, who recommended her for the role. Nimoy met with Curtis, and gave her the assignment the next day.[11]
Nimoy had admired Christopher Lloyd's work in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Taxi, and was impressed by his ability to play powerful villains. Lloyd was given the part of Kruge, a Klingon interested in securing the powerful secrets of Genesis for use as a weapon. Nimoy said that Lloyd brought a welcome element of theatricality to the role.[11] Mark Lenard plays Sarek, Spock's father and Vulcan ambassador. Lenard had previously played the role in the television episode "Journey to Babel". Merritt Butrick appears as David Marcus, Kirk's son, a scientist who had helped develop the Genesis Device.
Other roles include Robert Hooks as Admiral Morrow, the commander of Starfleet; James Sikking as the Commanding Officer of the Excelsior Captain Styles, Miguel Ferrer as the Excelsiors First Officer and Helmsman;[14] and Phillip R. Allen as Captain J.T. Esteban, the captain of the ill-fated Grissom. John Larroquette plays Maltz, a member of Kruge's bridge crew whom Nimoy describes as "the thoughtful Klingon".[11] Catherine Shirriff plays Valkris, Kruge's doomed lover. Grace Lee Whitney, who played Janice Rand in the Star Trek television show, made a cameo appearance as "Woman in Cafeteria". Scott McGinnis plays a young man whom Uhura forces into a closet at gunpoint.[15]


Selected Contents:




Themes

Nimoy wrote that The Search for Spock's major theme is that of friendship. "What should a person do to help a friend? How deeply should a friendship commitment go? ... And what sacrifices, what obstacles, will these people endure? That's the emotion line of the film [and] its reason for existence," he recalled.[18] While Spock's bodily resurrection was complete, his mind was a blank slate—The Search for Spock, Michele and Duncan Barrett argue, says that the important question is whether an individual's mind functions, as this is the key to a meaningful existence.[62]
Brown University professor Ross S. Kraemer argues that The Search for Spock "became Star Trek's first and most obvious exploration of Christian themes of sacrificial, salvific death and resurrection".[63] According to Larry J. Kreitzer, The Wrath of Khan provided "its own versions of Good Friday and a hint of the Easter Sunday to come", with the hints fulfilled by Spock's bodily restoration in The Search for Spock.[64] David and Saavik's discovery of Spock's empty coffin and burial robes parallels the evidence the Apostles found that pointed to Jesus' resurrection in the Gospel of Luke, asserts Kraemer.[65] Spock's resurrection not only proves the Vulcan's belief in the existence of the katra, but also affirms these are not just a belief system but a certainty.[66] Barrett points to the Star Trek feature films in general and The Search for Spock in particular as a turn away from the irreligious television series.[67] In more practical terms, Jeffery A. Smith pointed to The Search for Spock as one of many Hollywood films culminating in a 1990s trend where death has little permanence (Ghost, Defending Your Life, What Dreams May Come, Meet Joe Black).[68]
The Genesis planet became a doomed experiment partly for dramatic reasons; having a time limit for the characters to save Spock added tension. On the other hand, Nimoy was interested in scientific ethics—how quickly can science move and what are the dangers of that movement.[11] University of Houston professor Dr. John Hansen notes that while Spock's sacrifice in The Wrath of Khan is the "archetype of reason and rationality manifesting the archetype of human virtue," a selfless and freely-made choice, the death of Valkris (who has learned too much about the Genesis Device) in The Search for Spock is far different: the Klingon willingly accepts her death for the "common good" as determined by the state, relinquishing her liberty and life. Hansen contends that the issues of personal liberty and the exploitation of technology, in this case Genesis, are "intertwined".[69] The Genesis Device was intended as a liberating technology, creating life from lifelessness, but in the Klingon view it is a tool for dominion (contrasting the contemporary views of how technology can promote or constrain liberty).[70]

Release

The Search for Spock was not heavily marketed. Among the promotional merchandise created for the film's release were Search for Spock-branded calendars[71] and glasses sold at Taco Bell.[72][73] A novelization (ISBN 0-671-49500-3) was also released, and reached second place on The New York Times paperback bestsellers list.[74] President Ronald Reagan screened the film for friends during a weekend away from the White House in 1984, spent with White House staff chief Mike Deaver and the president's own close friend Senator Paul Laxalt. Reagan wrote of the film: "It wasn't too good."[75]
The Search for Spock opened June 1 in a record-breaking 1,996 theaters across North America;[76] with competing films Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Gremlins, Ghostbusters and Top Secret! released at the same time, more than half of the nation's screens were filled by summer blockbusters.[77] The Search for Spock grossed over $16 million in its opening weekend. In its second weekend the film's gross dropped 42 percent.[78] The box office strength of The Search for Spock and Indiana Jones led Paramount to dominate early summer film business.[79] The film made $76.5 million in North America,[80] for a total of $87 million worldwide.[81]
The soundtrack to the film was released on a 43-minute LP record. Film Score Monthly released an expanded two-compact disc score June 1, 2010.[

Critical response

The Search for Spock received generally positive reviews from critics. Richard Schickel of Time praised the film as "perhaps the first space opera to deserve that term in its grandest sense".[83] Janet Maslin of The New York Times and Newsweek wrote that while the film felt weighed down by the increasingly aged actors and television tropes, it was leavened by its dedication.[84][85] Roger Ebert called the film "good, but not great" and a compromise between the special effects-dependent The Motion Picture and the character-driven The Wrath of Khan.[86] Conversely, USA Today praised the film as the best of the three and the closest to the original spirit of the television series.[87] An overwhelmingly negative view of the film was offered by The Globe and Mail's Susan Ferrier Mackay, who summed the film up as "ba-a-a-d".[88] In a 2010 retrospective of the film franchise, author Jill Sherwin suggests the aging Enterprise served as a metaphor for the aging Star Trek franchise.[89]
Critics praised Nimoy's direction, to which USA Today attributed the film's success in capturing the essence of the television show.[87] Newsweek wrote that due to Nimoy the film was the best-paced Trek film, and that his familiarity with these actors enabled him to bring out the best from them.[85] Newsweek, and David Sterritt of the Christian Science Monitor, appreciated how the film slowed the action down to allow moments of reflection, comparing this with the focus of most contemporary action films on effects rather than actors.[90] The Washington Post's Rita Kempley wrote that Nimoy's direction was competent, but his background in television showed—"the film feels made-for-TV", she summarized.[91] Fellow Post critic Gary Arnold concurred with Kempley's television film assessment, but also wrote that Nimoy was smart to focus on the essentials of each scene; he "[concentrates] on the actors in ways that flatter and enhance their work."[92]
The Search for Spock's plot solicited comment; Schickel called the film "overplotted" and filled with "heavy expository burdens", comparing it to real opera.[83] Sterritt said that the script occasionally veered in "arbitrary" directions and contained missteps, such as how the Grissom and its crew are suddenly lost, but the plot disregards their fate.[90] Arnold wrote that Shatner missed an opportunity to act on par with The Wrath of Khan's revelation that Kirk was David's father. The critic considered David's death an attempt at a similar shock, but felt it was not a success.[92] Harry M. Geduld, writing for The Humanist, criticized the film for what he called "contradictions and implausibilities", such as Scott's sabotage of the Excelsior and Spock's regeneration.[93]
The film's sense of self-seriousness and the camaraderie amongst the characters were generally cited as positive aspects. Maslin wrote that certain tacky elements of the film's television roots were outweighed by the closeness of the Enterprise crew and "by their seriousness and avidity about what seem to be the silliest minutiae [...] That's what longtime Trekkies love about the series, and it's still here—a little the worse for wear, but mostly untarnished."[84] The Los Angeles Times wrote that despite its spectacle, the film's "humanity once again outweighs the hardware, and its innocence is downright endearing".[87] Mackay offered an alternate view, calling the characters' actions and dialogue "wooden" and saying that the film's monsters had more life than the acting.[88] Lloyd's portrayal of Kruge received praise from New York's David Denby and The Daily News's Hunter Reigler.[94][95]
The film's effects were conflictingly appraised. Schickel wrote that the effects were "technically adroit" and occasionally "witty",[83] and Ebert singled out the Bird of Prey as a "great-looking" ship.[86] Sterritt felt that the settings always felt like they were on soundstages rather than out in space,[90] and Denby wrote that more could have been done with Genesis, and that while it was an interesting concept its special effects execution lacked.[94] Kempley appreciated the sets' low values, writing that "the fakier the sets", the closer the film felt to its television origins.[91]

Home media

The Search for Spock was released on home video in 1985. The initial retail offerings included VHS, Betamax, LaserDisc and CED formats with closed captioning.[96] As part of a plan to support its push of 8mm video cassette, Sony partnered with Paramount Home Video to bring titles like The Search for Spock to the platform in 1986.[97]
The film was given a "bare bones" DVD release on May 11, 2000, with no extra features—the release was several months earlier than the release of The Wrath of Khan.[98] Two years later, a two disc "Collector's Edition" was released with supplemental material and the same video transfer as the original DVD release. It featured a text commentary by Michael Okuda and audio commentary from Nimoy, Bennett, Correll, and Curtis.[99]
The film was released on high-definition Blu-ray Disc in May 2009 to coincide with the new Star Trek feature, along with the other five films featuring the original crew in Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection.[100] The Search for Spock was remastered in 1080p high-definition from the 2000 DVD transfer. All six films in the set have new 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio. The disc features a new commentary track by former Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager television writers Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor.[100][101]


Above Extracts Taken From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_III:_The_Search_for_Spock

More Info: http://www.startrek.com/page/star-trek-iii-the-search-for-spock - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088170/


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