Curious that dooku was honestly not an evil person per SE...just tired of the duplicitous nature of the Jedi order in it's decadence. However, wilding a red lightsaber and what constitutes that means he had to actually break his stubborn morals and ideals in order to corrupt a kaiber crystal
Christopher Lee served in the British special forces during WW2 and was experienced in classical fencing and historical martial arts. When Attack of the Clones was being filmed, he was already in his 70s. Imagine if he had been physically able to perform the demanding lightsaber duels and action sequences. Who else misses him so much?!!!
I really like that idea that Dooku was disgusted by those that wielded two lightsabers because someone who truly mastered the art only needed one. Very fitting with Dooku's character.
@@MrEtamsorojam barren is very much on the ball except for the fact that ventress is a sith assassin and the key difference between an assassin and an actual dark sider is the training itself because ventress and other assassins are never taught a majority of the sith teachings so a lot of their abilities will always be so fundamentally weak that they could never hope to over throw their master and this is why ventress and all the inquisitors didn’t really have any advanced sith abilities they are just never taught them and this is also the key reason dooku never cared about teaching them to use two or more lightsabers even tho he said those who fought like this were just weak duelists who had to use petty tricks to win against true duelists like him it’s because he knows they’re weak and that they’ll never be able to learn abilities that could make them stronger so instead he taught them how to use multiple lightsabers so that even tho they’re weak they can still be useful and so that they could still be able to win because dooku not only was a Jedi know to have been one of the best force telekinetic users the Jedi had but he was their best duelist so anyone he taught would be a force to be feared
Dooku should have been set up in the first film (Phantom Menace) -- at least a passing reference to him, whether by Qui-Gon or someone else. That would have made his appearance in Ep II a real payoff.
Check out Episode 4 of Tales of the Jedi. It is exactly what you’re saying should have been in The phantom menace. 1 scene where Qui Gon talks to dooku about the Sith Lord he encountered on Tatooine And then another scene where Dooku learns that Qui Gon has died, and that Sidious allowed Darth Maul to kill him. It’s interesting because Qui Gon’s death is what really pushed Dooku over the edge into the darkside… check it out it’s only like 10 minutes long but it’s so good Tales of the Jedi - Episode 4 (The Sith Lord)
And then he should have made his first appearance at the start of Ep II and established as a good guy so that it leads to a shocking revelation by the 3rd act when we find out he was really just a bad guy pretending, which gives us a similar parallel to Palpatine, rather than him just randomly show up at the end of the movie.
@@hyperrunner8531 He showed up like 30-40 minutes into a 2 hour movie. Dooku is mentioned in the first 5-6 minutes of the film and makes a physical appearance near the midway point. That’s not too atypical.
@@CrzyWzrd4L He was indeed mentioned (only on one occasion) by the 2nd scene of the film, but it takes roughly an hour later for him to show up, by that point audiences on first watch have already forgotton about the first time he was mentioned and even by some off chance they haven't likely won't even be able to connect his first introduction to his first mention unless they're a hyper analyzer, giving him an actual set up would have created emotional Aha! moment when he was finally revealed to have been working with the Seperatists the whole time the very people behind the assassination attempts and therefore no longer a good man and a jedi like he would have presented himself to be had he been introduced on Coruscant in the beginning scenes, it would have given the audience an interesting mystery to solve and would have led to a big suprise when he's found out to be the villain using the darkside that he claimed to be fighting against. The closest thing to this was the deleted scene where at least Jocasta Nu talks about him and his reason for leaving when Obi-Wan looks at his statue, why George left that great scene out I don't know, scenes like that would have actually emotionally connected the audience to these important characters and their motivations that way the experience can go from merely just being a distant spectator to actually feeling involved with the characters.
I always thought it was pretty clear why Anakin cut the lights. Under those conditions they must rely more on their connection to the force, rather than visual stimuli, in order to anticipate each others intentions/movements as well as to be aware of the physical space around them Dooku was a far superior duelist at this time, and he'd already blindsided Anakin with his force abilities - but Anakin has this one skill to leverage; The skill of being able to trust his intuition and awareness through the force is something Anakin has honed his entire life. It's what made him such a great podracer as a child, something that shouldn't even be possible for a human. He has a stronger connection to the force than Dooku, but less knowledge and less ability. This was the only way to really leverage his one advantage
And based on the acting and shots, he clearly pushed Dooku in these moments and made him uncomfortable. You can see how tired and relieved Dooku looks after, in stark contrast to how he looked when he was toying with Obi Wan. He looks like the encounter disturbed him quite frankly and I think that's intentional. It should be disturbing to cross blades with Anakin while the Chosen One is in his own element, even as a Padawan. Dooku maintained composure and found victory, but he got a taste of something that terrified him. And it's all about the lights lol.
I also thought it was pretty clear that it meant it was easy to sneak a stunt double into the wide shots and you couldn't tell because the room was so dark overall.
From some other research, I'm remember hearing that Anakin relied more on his strength rather than the force. He'd use the force obviously but he relied more on just his skills as a duelist.
the close up duel with just the faces was amazing. It showed the pure concentration in the fight. The eyes were so focused and didn't need any flashy jumping around or swinging.
@@Disizdawaay All of a sudden, you can see Anakin as a completely different person than before. At the end, Dooku had a look and posture of complete exhaustion as if that was the hardest duel of his life...
I remember as a kid reading an adaptation of Ep 2 and it actually made Anakin rushing in make some sense. He was terrified of Obi-Wan seeing him lose control and give into the dark side again like he did on Tatooine, and with Dooku in front of him he was right on the edge of that. So he rushed him not out of anger but desperation to avoid giving into this anger. To avoid disappointing Obi-Wan.
Aesthetically, the ten seconds of "nothingness" is my favorite part of the duel between Anakin and Dooku.. It's also a callback to the final duel between Luke and Vader.
@@senseilowg4957 nah, Dooku had no intention of killing Obi-Wan in my opinion: he was baiting Anakin. A skilled duellist like himself wouldn't have taken a full five seconds to line up a two-handed chop against a downed opponent if he wanted said opponent to die. He could feel Anakin's presence in the Force: he was all but waiting for Anakin to jump in. What people seem to miss about this duel is that it went EXACTLY the way Dooku wanted: three credible witnesses to his newfound dark-side powers, each injured or exhausted as a testament to his abilities, throwing all of the truths he had fed to Obi-Wan into doubt and leaving the Jedi Council confused and disoriented, whilst introducing others in the Jedi Order to the idea that the dark side was a route to greater power, just at a moment when the Order were forced into a war situation. Considering Dooku's vision was to remake the Jedi into a Sith Order (with himself at its head), this was optimal for him. Had he straight-up killed Obi-Wan or Anakin, he'd immediately have become a figure of disdain: the Republic could paint him as a cheap murderer rather than an idealist, and he would have lost political clout. As it was, Dooku got everything he wanted in that hangar and lost nothing.
@@senseilowg4957 Dooku was hard baiting Anakin. He immediately smiled when Anakin blocked that blow and wasn't surprised in the least, instead going for a chat with him. Furthermore, he takes Obi-Wan out non-lethally with insane precision using Makashi, which is the dueling form. Dooku doesn't do big heavy strikes. There's no need to with a lightsaber (even Vader understood that later). Why the hell would he take five seconds to so demonstrably wind up such an overhead swing? He never does that shit. And this is further backed by the fact that he blatantly disobeyed Sidious in ROTS and refused to kill Obi-Wan. The novel expands on this. He was tasked with slaying Obi-Wan, but going easy on Anakin. And while he did go easy on Anakin, he deliberately over exerted himself to take Obi-Wan out non-lethally for the second time. He tired himself out and disobeyed Sidious just to keep Obi-Wan alive. It arguably resulted in his death since his force reserves were empty by the time he'd broken Obi-Wan's force shield and had to fight an enraged Anakin again. Had he been younger or not put the extra effort in to take Obi-Wan out in a controlled manner (which any fighter knows is way harder than just going for the kill), he would've still beat Anakin there. So it just doesn't make sense. Not the way he tried to kill Obi-Wan, and not the fact that he tried to do it at all. I don't think he was being serious. He saw Obi-Wan as something of a grandson. The protegee of his protegee.
Agreed. In terms of cinematography, I thought this was the most artistic part of the fight. If Akira Kurosawa and Gordon Willis shot a lightsaber duel, this is what they would’ve done
It’s so funny the pains people go to in 2022 to lavish praise on the prequels. This was not the case when the movies were actually released. They were panned by casual moviegoers, hardcore fans, and critics alike. The actual dialog is objectively bad. The performances are largely subpar, save for Ian McDiarmid and in ROTS, Ewan McGregor. The cartoon nature of everything (CG used for things that should have been real, like clone troopers for example) makes them look cheap. And the fact that Episode II & III were shot in 1080p digital gives them an even cheaper look as there simply isn’t enough real detail present. Episode I at least had the benefit of being shot on film. Though the one scene they shot digitally as a test stood out like a sore thumb. But let it simmer for 17 years (2005 since ROTS) and suddenly they’re misunderstood masterpieces??? IMHO, they represent a largely blown opportunity. The story is incredible. The execution is largely poor. Lucas was so focused on things outside of what actually makes a movie good (a good screenplay and actors that are pushed to extract maximum potential from the words on the page), that he ended up making what would be passable if it were temp’d in effects and performance rehearsals. One of the things the sequels got right was that if something can be real, then make it real. Don’t use the ‘fix it in post’ crutch of just using CGI for most everything. Once Lucas became a billionaire answerable to no one, he lost the discipline of necessity that made the original film so truly groundbreaking. Though even that he tried to screw up by throwing cartoons in the frame where he could in later re-releases. Like it was really part of his original vision to have a Jawa screeching while being thrown from whatever creature it was riding? Come on, engage common sense. He changed it because he could and his ego was such that no one around him would tell him something was just bad. Sorry. I’m actually as big a Star Wars fan as there is. Which is why the missed opportunity of the prequels bugs me so much.
@@scottwallace1 he also tried to cram too much story into just three movies. We meet Anakin, the syth return, we fast forward like twelve years to the Jedi got a clone army then we fast forward to the end of the war. You just can’t jump around that much.
@@scottwallace1 Completely agree Scott. It's amazing what being subjected to a trilogy even worse, that being the last trilogy, would do to make people run back to what was a weak first trilogy and try and make it something it wasn't. At the end of the day Star Wars movies are the weakest point of the franchise, the series, games and books are far superior overall, as over 50% of the movies are not very good at all.
@@scottwallace1 I'm so glad people like you with your head screwed on straight still exist within Star Wars spaces, sometimes I feel like I'm the insane one when I see so many people collectively shower these movies with love and adoration, while defending them as if they're, as you said, misunderstood masterpieces. I don't get it. I will never understand why some people are so scared to just admit the media they enjoy is flawed, or even bad, there's nothing wrong with liking bad movies.
The closeups during the Dooku fight are great visual storytelling. You can see Dooku having a harder time than he imagined, sensing the darkness and intensity in Anakin and Anakin gets his first taste of fighting a Sith lord, which is his own destiny. It makes the fight a little more personal and foreboding instead of just fancy choreography.
Bullshit. That can be shown after; ANY fighter worth his salt shows NOTHING on his face while fighting; it will give an opponent an advantage and make you lose all the faster. Meanwhile ACTUAL fighters lost great choreography. Good work. Dumbass.
People seem to have forgotten that Anakin cutting the lights is because that is where he started to become an ambush attacker like all of Vader's fights with Luke. True Anakin is a very skilled dualist with a lightsaber but getting that tiny edge in the fight was his signature and downfall when he fought Obi wan.
Nick Gilliard is the man. always have appreciated his work so much in the prequels; all of those fights were magnificent. Star Wars Theory is forming a interview with Nick as i type this. i highly encourage anyone interested in Nick’s work to check it out when it releases (which i believe will be this week)!
2:54 worst part? With the red and then blue and then red lights running across their faces? Its a brilliant shot, and emphasise the good and evil in both characters. And most importantly that shot is just undeniably classic Star Wars
Only thing that damages it imo is the sound design, the muted clashes and lack of the subsequent flashes make it feel llike they're just spinning their blades randomly and barely colliding
Close up footage in movies is symbolic to the characters feeling trapped. In the case of Anakin and Dooku, it was an artistic way to show that Dooku was fully in the red, while Anakin was staying in the light, refusing to turn to the darkness. A similar scene was shown in the Kenobi series when Obiwan fought against Darth Vader. When his helmet was broken and we saw Anakins face for a moment, the colors changed, symbolizing his conflict. Don't hate on the close ups, there is meaning behind them.
5:35 is a shot of 79 y o legend Christopher Lee wielding both blades. Just for that fact, I think the sequence should have remained in the final version
Dude, TCW ruined his character, I don't know why anyone would respect him if they saw that. It absolutely butchered Sir. Christopher Lee's work, and even with such a talented VA, he comes off as cartoonishly villainous and obviously evil.
@@tk-6967 good. He deserved it. You realise bum Chris lee lied about his life right? He wasn’t secret service. He wasn’t James Bond. He was a bullshitter. Plain and simple. He wanted to impress people at dinner parties before the internet existed. Nobody could prove him otherwise. But once the internet became available, he was caught out in all his lies. He completely lied about his whole life. And you fell for it you absolute helmet.
he showed slight remorse, when talking to obi wan, even chose to disable him in their first fight. I believe that was enough to show that he really wasn't sith. The show wasn't about dooku, it was about the clone wars?
The Sith were corrupting the Republic and the Jedi were along for the ride, he saw Independence as an escape from corrupt centralized government and I completely understood that even when I was 12.
I honestly dont think they will ever top the duel of the fates from the phantom menace. Still go back and watch that to this day. It is a sheer masterpiece ✨️
it's a shame to see how you could say such disgusting things to a brilliant man looking to please the community with his old footage from the prequels. I swear this community is so fcked sometimes
The man is a god tier filmmaker but he dropped the ball a few times when it came to the fight choreography. His choreographer gave him the best of the best and he cut most of it out. I would say the only good prequel duels are Maul vs Obi/Qui Gon and Obi vs Anakin. The rest are wasted potential.
I always find it weird that we are all fans of a series that talks a lot about overcoming your anger, only to have half of our fan base completely submerged in anger. Balance in the force I guess
Not to double comment, but I have to get this off my chest. For example the whole sequel movie thing. I'm just as disappointed as everybody else, but I didn't get super pissed to the point of hatred about it. I just enjoyed the Legends books and UA-cam videos
Obi-Wan vs. Grievous, Anakin vs. Dooku, Anakin vs. Obi- Wan, and this duel all had better or just as good / extremely innovative choreography left on the cutting room floor. Damn shame.
I believe that he killed the lights to show the darkness taking him over--- both him and Dooku have their light sabers over their heads like 2 SITH LORDS…. I believe that this is when they wanted to show how Anakin was turning into a Sith Lord…. Kind of like a prerequisite where he had been engulfed by the darkness and he’s on a very thin red line to not cross into it…. But then he does….😢
That’s an after-the-fact explanation. Best way to describe it is that Anakin has an obsession with theatrics. He’s a competent fighter who’s also extremely arrogant, but doesn’t quite realize he’s met his match.
The lightsabers over their heads is actually a dueling stance, it was showing that Anakin is actually a competent duelist. He was just very outclassed and thought killing the lights would even the playing field.
It also obscures their vision somewhat. They can still see the Lightsaber blades clearly, but the rest is barely lit. Forcing them to depend on their other senses to navigate and making it harder to spot weak points in the others defenses because they can only see the most defended points.
Uh, no. You’re reading way too deep into this. Anakin simply did it to obscure Dooku’s vision. It was purely tactical. You don’t have to reach this hard for thematic expression when Star Wars is full of it.
The close up shots of Dooku and Anakin are meant to foreshadow the light vs dark But also the how Anakin is on the path to the darkside. The same way that in Ep 3 the volcano is behind Anakin representing the darkside and the Sun is behind Obi-wan representing the light side.
Are there really people out there who think Dooku is boring? I find him way more interesting than Maul and Palpatine combined, not to mention he was played by Christopher Lee, that man doing any sort of character in any movie was always a pleasure to watch
Dooku was such an interesting character! I loved the idea that he was such a great duelist that he made obi wan look weak. His form was specific to dueling and you can really see how well he handled anakin and obi wan. It’s even hard for me to admit but to some extent I think Dooku, had he not had orders to not kill anakin he could have been anakins greatest opponent. Dooku also never fully went to the dark side. He did serve palpatine but he wasn’t pure evil. Far from it. After Dooku hurt obi wan it did something to anakin. He wanted to kill Dooku for hurting obi wan. Once anakin started channeling his rage he overpowered the old man Dooku. At that point anakin could have probably overpowered anyone ina duel if he channeled his anger and considering how old Dooku was and how he was under strict orders he did more then hold his own. The duel in Revenge with obi wan is different in the sense that obi wan had trained anakin to be the warrior he is today. They were so familiar with each others fighting style they were two warriors of the same. Anakin clearly was more powerful and probably better with a lightsaber as well but the discipline obi wan had made all the difference. Obi wan was actually generally not regarded as a powerful jedi but that is what got him so much respect among other Jedi. He was nothing special in the sense of his natural power in the force but he was The master or Soresu and it’s why they sent him to fight Grievous. Although mace windu was certainly much stronger then obi wan he was the perfect opponent for grievous who was much more of a physical threat in the clone wars then he was depicted in Revenge but it actually had to do with what had occurred just before the events of the opening battle scene in Revenge. His coughing was from mace windu force crushing grevious during their capture of chancellor palpatine. Previous to the damage he received from mace windu just before the opening battle we see in orbit of Coruscant, Grievous was known to slaughter jedi and collect their lightsabers
Depends on the continuity, but for canon you'd be dead wrong if you think Dooku wasn't pure evil. He was aristocratic and dignified, but he was still a selfish, ego-driven war criminal who committed countless atrocities for the sake of achieving his own ambitions. He willingly killed millions, tortured innocent people, ordered assassinations and martial law, among other heinous acts. So don't think for one second he was some misguided idealist serving under the thumb of an evil dictator. Dooku also was not holding back against Anakin in RotS. Anakin had legitimately surpassed him and Dooku's defeat was the final confirmation Palpatine needed to realize Anakin was ready to become his apprentice.
@@thewarner2139 I never really watched the clone wars cartoon show, I do wish to get into it one day but in the movies you don’t really see that at all and they mostly portray him as someone who clearly wasn’t pure evil, however they did flesh that out in the Disney cartoons. As to their duel in ROTS he has specific orders to not kill anakin and palpatine would have never allowed that regardless. Him in the chair chained up was an illusion. Anakin certainly improved far beyond what Dooku could have anticipated but he was holding back to some degree. The fight was clearly unfair, Obi wan was still not up to the caliber of Dooku but he was still a formidable jedi alone, look what he did to Grievous single handedly. With Anakins help Dooku still easily handled them both at the same time and took obi wan out of the fight nearly right away and once he turned to anakin he was knew he couldn’t kill him so he wasn’t looking for a killing blow it anakin was too good at this point to leave an opening for Dooku to take advantage of. Palpatine had made the decision years ago that no mater what anakin would replace Dooku. He had no need for an apprentice nearly his age. Your right about how Anakin surpassed Dooku and palpatine knew that 100%. He orchestrated this whole capture mission so anakin would face off and defeat Dooku like palpatine knew he would. It served two purposes, it eliminates Dooku, a loose end at this point who had served his purpose to palpatine and palpatine knew that anakin killing palpatine would have a level of satisfaction in anakin for Dooku taking his arm. Palpatine knew he could manipulate anakin to kill him. Palpatine knew this would play out the way it did and he always knew anakin would be his apprentice the moment he saw him
@@danieljusino1391 Yeah, no. Absolutely nothing in canon states Dooku was told to go easy on Anakin. Not a single named reference mentions anything about Dooku being told to hold back either. They have multiple fights in TCW that serve to gauge Anakin's progress, including one Palpatine is present to witness first-hand. Palpatine only wanted the most powerful apprentice he could get, and he did not want any asterisks next to their victories; because that would compromise the entire point of the rule of two. Anakin beat him straight up, that is canonical fact. There is other source material confirming Anakin and Obi-Wan were perfect equals throughout the course of the film. So while it would have been more difficult, Kenobi also had the ability to defeat Dooku and that is why Dooku had to separate them. They had reached his level and he could no longer comfortably 2v1 them without a real danger of being defeated. In the legends-only RotS novel, Dooku initially held back and believed he could win as the Sith had planned, but then Anakin and Obi-Wan changed styles midway through the battle and took him by surprise. Once Anakin was on his own, he broke through Dooku's charade and forced him to get serious. Then Anakin tapped into the dark side; and Dooku realized it was an inevitability that he would be defeated by the younger man. So even at his best, Dooku wasn't in the same league as dark side Anakin.
@@thewarner2139 We both agree that anakin defeated Dooku fair, no question I even said that in my first comment. I never said otherwise. Anakin could have probably bested anyone except for maybe mace, yoda, obi wan and obviously the emperor at that point if he tapped into his anger. But what your saying is retroactive. When the movie was created it was in fact cannon. He was actually instructed to kill Obi Wan, but weather he failed or purposely didn’t kill him is another question but Palpatine wanted Obi Wan dead so he could have no one in his way to corrupt anakin but Disney changed that over 10 years after they purchased the rights. What I am saying is that when the movie came out the original cannon was he was in fact holding back on anakin and was looking for the first opportunity to separate them because, as I mentioned earlier, it wasn’t exactly a fair fight. Obi wan was extremely formidable and anakin had become tremendously powerful since they last met. Most of the source material that would suggest Obi wan being able to defeat Dooku is not even cannon anymore, so it’s really semantics because it was cannon at one point but I do not think obi wan would have been able to beat Dooku. He was a master duelist who mastered in the dueling form of lightsaber combat and trained the man who trained obi wan to begin with. Anakin had to tap into his anger and rage to defeat Dooku, Obi wan fought solely defensively with his Soresu form. I don’t think obi wan would have been able to beat Dooku with out using his rage which he wouldn’t have done. It really took anakin to channel his rage and in only a few key strokes anakin was able to cut his hands off clean. I do believe obi wan grew as a jedi as well since their last engagement but Dooku held his own against Yoda when moments before he had just incapacitated Obi wan in a very short engagement. Anakin even lasted against Dooku in episode two when he was a teenager. My point being anakin definitely grew much stronger and obi wan did too but not as much as anakin had become from the time of episode two leading into ROTS
Many diss it because in truth it could have been visualized alil better. But it's about Anakin looking into a mirror of his future destiny,this aspect go's over the head of many a fan..clones has a lot of great subtitle moments like this
@@StarWarsAnalyst ..almost lost my head like Dooku in his final battle w Anakin, lol, just a little corny humor. Looking forward to this, as I appreciate how you find and share awesome deleted scenes. Bravo, Star Wars Analyst! 👏👏
@@StarWarsAnalyst You're welcome, and thank you! Guess you might classify this under Lightsaber Dooku-mentaries, lol! Merry Christmas to you and yours 💌🎄🕊️
I’m glad you made the disdain that Dooku had for duel wielding, it was the first thing I thought when I started watching the video. I do think dooku should have been developed more in AOTC. Good video !
I couldn't focus on this vid with that incredible lofi jazz of the droid march But I understand George's thinking at the close-up shots during the duels. He wanted to show their emotion, how each combatant felt completely different about the battle. Dooku was highly focused and unemotional, Anakin was ANGRY and a bit confused. I also don't think Dooku dualwielding ONCE would have made him a hypocrite. It was just the best tactical decision at the time.
It would have looked silly having back to back dual lightsaber fights. I think Annakin only doing it was the correct move, made us see how developed he was already in his skills. My only drawbacks were how quickly Obi-wan is disposed of by Dooku in both movies, and I thought Yoda flipping around etc was too much. But then again, a lot of people liked that
Hey man! I knew you back in the early Instagram days 6 or 7 years ago. Glad to see you're doing well on here! Your content has only improved. Keep trucking away!
I got to watch attack of the clones with my best friend and we were absolutely loving seeing Yoda saber duel, it was the thing I'd been wanting to see and had been joking about since I was a kid. "like, can you imagine YODA fighting with a light saber??" "IKR??" Watching Yoda actually fight with a light saber: "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!!! Yoda is a freakin Badass!"
You’re SO right - those close ups during the saber duels are total WTF moments. 🤷♂️ your channel rocks btw dude!!! I’m watching your videos for the second time currently 😅
Are you kidding? That closeup sequence of Anakin and Dooku spinning their lightsabers is atonishin. Adds a lot of tension to the duel. Cinematic brilliance.
He absolutely should have fought with two sabres -- his previous Jedi weapon and a new one that he would have crafted upon joining the Sith. It would reflect a certain duality about him that would fit the character -- a foot in both worlds.
One of the only parts of this sequence I love is Anakin very quickly, and seemingly without thought, is him cutting the power with that one swipe. It feels like something Vader would do, and often does, with him always using his surroundings as tools for combat, and for that I can appreciate it. But I do agree wholeheartedly that the swirling of sabers above their heads, while not really showing anything, looks kind of silly. And then Anakin just holds still with his arm out for like 2 seconds so Dooku can chop it... That's one scene I often rewind and watch more than once because it just looks so ridiculous and makes me laugh. They're like "look at how I twirl my saber with the pretty, flashing lights..... woooooo." And don't get me wrong, I'm a prequel fan (thanks TCW) but it does look stupid. But the cutting of the lights by Anakin was still a good move in that fight.
Saw Attack of the Clones on the day one release, and EVERYONE in the theater stood up and clapped after the Yoda fight. And when he pulled out the lightsaber before the fight, you could hear gasps and "Yeaahh!!" through the whole theater.
2:57 It’s in the movie as homage to the fight at the end of VI. And not everyone cares about the fighting that much - so some cinematic art is better than a flat wide shot.
Back than I see Dooku as a very skilled Lightsaber duelist that he can beat both obiwan and anakin I see Dooku as Anakins rival at the time hoping he could beat him.
I like the idea that Dooku disdained dual-wielding and then had to resort to it as he was hard-pressed. Hypocrisy is a big part of Dooku's character and I think this would have illustrated it beautifully if it was established beforehand.
What you said about the close up and lights out scene during Anakin and Dooku’s ep 2 duel broke my heart man. That was one of the most beautiful scenes in the prequels
George was not young anymore, so he lost the sense of "what excitement is all about." He has been through a lot more than we think with his divorce and life. He almost die doing Ep IV. That is why he did not find appealing some of those amazing lightsaber fight scene.
The closeup is supposed to show their faces and show a duel of ideals and anakin is lit by light and dark, just like dooku. It’s visual thematic storytelling my dude. That’s also why Sidious and Windu does the same thing; not only is one of the combatants getting a closeup but also too old to do acrobatics, it’s also supposed to show PURPLE and red, because windu is really pushing the line between light and dark, without holding back or second thought
3:02 I believe George did this because he wanted the light from the sabers to illuminate their faces, nothing else. Interesting choice, but he is an experimental filmmaker after all. As for the close-up shots of Windu and Palpatine - the actors are quite old, and don't look particularly skilled or agile in a fight that's supposed to be tense? In bts footage from ROTS you can see how they had to develop this fight during production.
IMHO this would have actually heightened what a master swordsman Dooku is. Not only is he skilled with a single blade in the sense of a duelist but also in terms of a master strategist and tactician, using the change of body language to throw off his opponent as he switches from hand to hand in a demonstration of his ambidextrousness as he uses the threat of the unlit saber to distract his foe all the while using their hesitation to play them like a bith flute.
I've long felt that the blue and red "lightshow" sequence of the Anakin/Dooku clash in AOTC is symbolic of both characters. Anakin has begun treading on the Dark Side, while Dooku (at least in my estimation) never seemed as truly sinister as Palpatine, but rather seems to have joined the Dark Side for more pragmatic reasons. Neither one is wholly good or wholly bad, hence the blue and red shifting lights illuminating both their faces.
0:38 Amazing to hear Hayden lifting up lesser known names and their enormous contributions, as he still does to this day 🙏 Speaking of which, typing that just made me think of Jamie Stangroom of The Geeknd... sad his channel still hasn't gotten the attention it deserves with him interviewing many lesser known names in Star Wars.
And good on you for bringing Nick Gillard's name up yourself later in the video. On Wikipedia it says he is simply a stuntman and stunt coordinator, but he must have some serious martial arts chops or just be very good at researching to come up with all these different Lightsaber combat styles.
He even played a Jedi called Cin Drallig. He was the temple “battle master” and knew all 7 forms of lightsaber choreography. He taught all the Jedi how to fight. And the name backwards literally spells Nic Gillard
Absolutely agree with not using dual sabers, Dooku was a master with a saber and didn't need 2. As you said if anybody's watched the clone wars series they'd know this
I like the way the books handled the fight. Dooku was pure duelist economy, not a single wasted movement or flourish. meanwhile Anakin was by far the more energetic and fit combatant but he had neither the skills at the time nor the experience to take on a master duelist. The second saber was a way to allow his attack speed and ferocity to show through while forcing Dooku to split his attention, if only for a moment.
I love that things just make sense in the prequels, I like to think that George adding those wasted sequences is for dramatic effect and breaks up the duelling outshots. For Yoda, they should’ve hired a ‘little person’ in a green screen suit size compatibility and someone to duel with. Who knows, but very well explained!
As a fan of course we’d love to see all the movements in those close up shots but as a movie enjoyer I think it gives a sense of a tight/claustrophobic feel for a anakin vs the count.
3:08 I guess pretty much because christopher lee was very old when filming his scene and Ian Mcdiarmid maybe hadn't had the talent (like Daisy Ridley) plus he was old as well. You then either use stunt men for the fights (which would have been noticeable) or use closeups to convey action.
The glow close-ups was the first scene in SW history with interactive lighting props. In 2002, the midnight premiere? Those "wasted close-ups" had the audience CHEERING.
Christopher Lee's reaction to his hands being cut off. You can see the man had seen some real life horrors. And by the way I loved the close-ups in the dark. It's a bit like a western, capturing the intensity. A story isn't about choreography.
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Was so looking forward to this , thank u brah merry sithmas 🤣🤣
ua-cam.com/video/wtTjZtqvkic/v-deo.html 13:10
Nice Gillard exposes star wars analyst
@@greyjedi6430 how ironic you told him sithmas. Especially after how we all know what a vile POS he is
Curious that dooku was honestly not an evil person per SE...just tired of the duplicitous nature of the Jedi order in it's decadence. However, wilding a red lightsaber and what constitutes that means he had to actually break his stubborn morals and ideals in order to corrupt a kaiber crystal
Anakan cut the line so he wouldn’t trip over an obstacle while fighting . It was not pointless .
Christopher Lee served in the British special forces during WW2 and was experienced in classical fencing and historical martial arts. When Attack of the Clones was being filmed, he was already in his 70s. Imagine if he had been physically able to perform the demanding lightsaber duels and action sequences. Who else misses him so much?!!!
Amazing actor , So many facts about him that not alot of people know , he could speak 5 languages ,
The character Dooku is literally 80 during AOTC
@@brianhanes5413 but had the force to help strengthen him. Lee did not.
What else would you expect from the main character of life?
Christopher Lee is an absolute legend. The fact that he’s both Dooku and Saruman just blows my mind after all these years.
I really like that idea that Dooku was disgusted by those that wielded two lightsabers because someone who truly mastered the art only needed one. Very fitting with Dooku's character.
Well Said Franky.. It's Truth to Count Dooku's character.
Then what about Ventress?
@@MrEtamsorojam i think it's been quite established that dooku always treated her more of a servant (just like grievous as well)
@@MrEtamsorojam barren is very much on the ball except for the fact that ventress is a sith assassin and the key difference between an assassin and an actual dark sider is the training itself because ventress and other assassins are never taught a majority of the sith teachings so a lot of their abilities will always be so fundamentally weak that they could never hope to over throw their master and this is why ventress and all the inquisitors didn’t really have any advanced sith abilities they are just never taught them and this is also the key reason dooku never cared about teaching them to use two or more lightsabers even tho he said those who fought like this were just weak duelists who had to use petty tricks to win against true duelists like him it’s because he knows they’re weak and that they’ll never be able to learn abilities that could make them stronger so instead he taught them how to use multiple lightsabers so that even tho they’re weak they can still be useful and so that they could still be able to win because dooku not only was a Jedi know to have been one of the best force telekinetic users the Jedi had but he was their best duelist so anyone he taught would be a force to be feared
dont forget dooku's form was built around dismantling saber users so needing the "handicap" of an additional saber for defense doesnt make sense
Dooku should have been set up in the first film (Phantom Menace) -- at least a passing reference to him, whether by Qui-Gon or someone else. That would have made his appearance in Ep II a real payoff.
Check out Episode 4 of Tales of the Jedi. It is exactly what you’re saying should have been in The phantom menace.
1 scene where Qui Gon talks to dooku about the Sith Lord he encountered on Tatooine
And then another scene where Dooku learns that Qui Gon has died, and that Sidious allowed Darth Maul to kill him. It’s interesting because Qui Gon’s death is what really pushed Dooku over the edge into the darkside… check it out it’s only like 10 minutes long but it’s so good
Tales of the Jedi - Episode 4 (The Sith Lord)
And then he should have made his first appearance at the start of Ep II and established as a good guy so that it leads to a shocking revelation by the 3rd act when we find out he was really just a bad guy pretending, which gives us a similar parallel to Palpatine, rather than him just randomly show up at the end of the movie.
The character didn't exist before Lucas started work on AotC.
@@hyperrunner8531 He showed up like 30-40 minutes into a 2 hour movie. Dooku is mentioned in the first 5-6 minutes of the film and makes a physical appearance near the midway point. That’s not too atypical.
@@CrzyWzrd4L He was indeed mentioned (only on one occasion) by the 2nd scene of the film, but it takes roughly an hour later for him to show up, by that point audiences on first watch have already forgotton about the first time he was mentioned and even by some off chance they haven't likely won't even be able to connect his first introduction to his first mention unless they're a hyper analyzer, giving him an actual set up would have created emotional Aha! moment when he was finally revealed to have been working with the Seperatists the whole time the very people behind the assassination attempts and therefore no longer a good man and a jedi like he would have presented himself to be had he been introduced on Coruscant in the beginning scenes, it would have given the audience an interesting mystery to solve and would have led to a big suprise when he's found out to be the villain using the darkside that he claimed to be fighting against.
The closest thing to this was the deleted scene where at least Jocasta Nu talks about him and his reason for leaving when Obi-Wan looks at his statue, why George left that great scene out I don't know, scenes like that would have actually emotionally connected the audience to these important characters and their motivations that way the experience can go from merely just being a distant spectator to actually feeling involved with the characters.
I always thought it was pretty clear why Anakin cut the lights.
Under those conditions they must rely more on their connection to the force, rather than visual stimuli, in order to anticipate each others intentions/movements as well as to be aware of the physical space around them
Dooku was a far superior duelist at this time, and he'd already blindsided Anakin with his force abilities - but Anakin has this one skill to leverage; The skill of being able to trust his intuition and awareness through the force is something Anakin has honed his entire life. It's what made him such a great podracer as a child, something that shouldn't even be possible for a human.
He has a stronger connection to the force than Dooku, but less knowledge and less ability. This was the only way to really leverage his one advantage
And based on the acting and shots, he clearly pushed Dooku in these moments and made him uncomfortable. You can see how tired and relieved Dooku looks after, in stark contrast to how he looked when he was toying with Obi Wan. He looks like the encounter disturbed him quite frankly and I think that's intentional. It should be disturbing to cross blades with Anakin while the Chosen One is in his own element, even as a Padawan. Dooku maintained composure and found victory, but he got a taste of something that terrified him.
And it's all about the lights lol.
I also thought it was pretty clear that it meant it was easy to sneak a stunt double into the wide shots and you couldn't tell because the room was so dark overall.
Maybe he just didn't want to trip on the cable? :P
@@masterexploder9668 that's what I thought
From some other research, I'm remember hearing that Anakin relied more on his strength rather than the force. He'd use the force obviously but he relied more on just his skills as a duelist.
the close up duel with just the faces was amazing. It showed the pure concentration in the fight. The eyes were so focused and didn't need any flashy jumping around or swinging.
Exactly… some of us understand his vision of that scene.
@@Disizdawaay All of a sudden, you can see Anakin as a completely different person than before. At the end, Dooku had a look and posture of complete exhaustion as if that was the hardest duel of his life...
Oh please 😂
I just love that "signature look of superiority" description of Dooku's face in the Labyrinth of Evil book 😂
That's actually from one of the Essential Guide to Star Wars books. Labyrinth of Evil is a novel.
I remember as a kid reading an adaptation of Ep 2 and it actually made Anakin rushing in make some sense. He was terrified of Obi-Wan seeing him lose control and give into the dark side again like he did on Tatooine, and with Dooku in front of him he was right on the edge of that. So he rushed him not out of anger but desperation to avoid giving into this anger. To avoid disappointing Obi-Wan.
Aesthetically, the ten seconds of "nothingness" is my favorite part of the duel between Anakin and Dooku.. It's also a callback to the final duel between Luke and Vader.
I think it shows that Dooku had a soft spot for obi, because he could have killed him several times there. i watched the duel at .25 speed.
@@inventorsstudiosproductionsi think you need to watch the fight again… count dooku tried to kill obi wan but anakin stopped him last second
@@senseilowg4957 nah, Dooku had no intention of killing Obi-Wan in my opinion: he was baiting Anakin. A skilled duellist like himself wouldn't have taken a full five seconds to line up a two-handed chop against a downed opponent if he wanted said opponent to die. He could feel Anakin's presence in the Force: he was all but waiting for Anakin to jump in.
What people seem to miss about this duel is that it went EXACTLY the way Dooku wanted: three credible witnesses to his newfound dark-side powers, each injured or exhausted as a testament to his abilities, throwing all of the truths he had fed to Obi-Wan into doubt and leaving the Jedi Council confused and disoriented, whilst introducing others in the Jedi Order to the idea that the dark side was a route to greater power, just at a moment when the Order were forced into a war situation. Considering Dooku's vision was to remake the Jedi into a Sith Order (with himself at its head), this was optimal for him.
Had he straight-up killed Obi-Wan or Anakin, he'd immediately have become a figure of disdain: the Republic could paint him as a cheap murderer rather than an idealist, and he would have lost political clout. As it was, Dooku got everything he wanted in that hangar and lost nothing.
@@senseilowg4957 Dooku was hard baiting Anakin. He immediately smiled when Anakin blocked that blow and wasn't surprised in the least, instead going for a chat with him. Furthermore, he takes Obi-Wan out non-lethally with insane precision using Makashi, which is the dueling form. Dooku doesn't do big heavy strikes. There's no need to with a lightsaber (even Vader understood that later). Why the hell would he take five seconds to so demonstrably wind up such an overhead swing? He never does that shit.
And this is further backed by the fact that he blatantly disobeyed Sidious in ROTS and refused to kill Obi-Wan. The novel expands on this. He was tasked with slaying Obi-Wan, but going easy on Anakin. And while he did go easy on Anakin, he deliberately over exerted himself to take Obi-Wan out non-lethally for the second time. He tired himself out and disobeyed Sidious just to keep Obi-Wan alive. It arguably resulted in his death since his force reserves were empty by the time he'd broken Obi-Wan's force shield and had to fight an enraged Anakin again. Had he been younger or not put the extra effort in to take Obi-Wan out in a controlled manner (which any fighter knows is way harder than just going for the kill), he would've still beat Anakin there.
So it just doesn't make sense. Not the way he tried to kill Obi-Wan, and not the fact that he tried to do it at all. I don't think he was being serious. He saw Obi-Wan as something of a grandson. The protegee of his protegee.
@@sabershenanigans Good points. Sounds relevant...
Dooku is so disrespected by the Fandom, I love he's getting a lot more fleshed out. He was awesome.
Huh ? What are you talking about? Everyone respects him.
@@Pitbull00000 no they don’t
I disagree. Every forum or comment section I have read tends to hold Dooku in high regard.
@@Darthpsychonis Over the last year Tales of The Jedi has helped but since the prequels he’s been shit on or ignored for years. 🤷♂️
@@ZYXPQI Again, not sure how you are forming that opinion.
I actually enjoyed the part when Anakin and Dooku fight in the dark, I love how in a dark room or theater their lightsabers illuminated the space.
Dark is fine…close ups aren’t
@GeoTheRomanianOrthodox lol
Same. The close ups were good too
Agreed. In terms of cinematography, I thought this was the most artistic part of the fight. If Akira Kurosawa and Gordon Willis shot a lightsaber duel, this is what they would’ve done
Agree
Honestly, things worked out fine in the end, George managed to craft the battle we saw and it was spectacular.
No harm in talking about ways it could have been improved though.
It’s so funny the pains people go to in 2022 to lavish praise on the prequels. This was not the case when the movies were actually released. They were panned by casual moviegoers, hardcore fans, and critics alike. The actual dialog is objectively bad. The performances are largely subpar, save for Ian McDiarmid and in ROTS, Ewan McGregor. The cartoon nature of everything (CG used for things that should have been real, like clone troopers for example) makes them look cheap. And the fact that Episode II & III were shot in 1080p digital gives them an even cheaper look as there simply isn’t enough real detail present. Episode I at least had the benefit of being shot on film. Though the one scene they shot digitally as a test stood out like a sore thumb. But let it simmer for 17 years (2005 since ROTS) and suddenly they’re misunderstood masterpieces??? IMHO, they represent a largely blown opportunity. The story is incredible. The execution is largely poor. Lucas was so focused on things outside of what actually makes a movie good (a good screenplay and actors that are pushed to extract maximum potential from the words on the page), that he ended up making what would be passable if it were temp’d in effects and performance rehearsals. One of the things the sequels got right was that if something can be real, then make it real. Don’t use the ‘fix it in post’ crutch of just using CGI for most everything. Once Lucas became a billionaire answerable to no one, he lost the discipline of necessity that made the original film so truly groundbreaking. Though even that he tried to screw up by throwing cartoons in the frame where he could in later re-releases. Like it was really part of his original vision to have a Jawa screeching while being thrown from whatever creature it was riding? Come on, engage common sense. He changed it because he could and his ego was such that no one around him would tell him something was just bad. Sorry. I’m actually as big a Star Wars fan as there is. Which is why the missed opportunity of the prequels bugs me so much.
@@scottwallace1 he also tried to cram too much story into just three movies. We meet Anakin, the syth return, we fast forward like twelve years to the Jedi got a clone army then we fast forward to the end of the war. You just can’t jump around that much.
@@scottwallace1 Completely agree Scott. It's amazing what being subjected to a trilogy even worse, that being the last trilogy, would do to make people run back to what was a weak first trilogy and try and make it something it wasn't. At the end of the day Star Wars movies are the weakest point of the franchise, the series, games and books are far superior overall, as over 50% of the movies are not very good at all.
@@scottwallace1 I'm so glad people like you with your head screwed on straight still exist within Star Wars spaces, sometimes I feel like I'm the insane one when I see so many people collectively shower these movies with love and adoration, while defending them as if they're, as you said, misunderstood masterpieces. I don't get it. I will never understand why some people are so scared to just admit the media they enjoy is flawed, or even bad, there's nothing wrong with liking bad movies.
The closeups during the Dooku fight are great visual storytelling. You can see Dooku having a harder time than he imagined, sensing the darkness and intensity in Anakin and Anakin gets his first taste of fighting a Sith lord, which is his own destiny. It makes the fight a little more personal and foreboding instead of just fancy choreography.
wrong
I agree
Dooku never had a hard time with Anakin until their final duel. He could have killed Anakin several times in any of their duels.
Bullshit. That can be shown after; ANY fighter worth his salt shows NOTHING on his face while fighting; it will give an opponent an advantage and make you lose all the faster. Meanwhile ACTUAL fighters lost great choreography. Good work. Dumbass.
People seem to have forgotten that Anakin cutting the lights is because that is where he started to become an ambush attacker like all of Vader's fights with Luke. True Anakin is a very skilled dualist with a lightsaber but getting that tiny edge in the fight was his signature and downfall when he fought Obi wan.
Dooku is a total badass and he's completely underappreciated
Anakin: "I'll take him now--"
Dooku: *casually presses R1*
Nick Gilliard is the man. always have appreciated his work so much in the prequels; all of those fights were magnificent.
Star Wars Theory is forming a interview with Nick as i type this. i highly encourage anyone interested in Nick’s work to check it out when it releases (which i believe will be this week)!
@@StarWarsAnalyst you are so fake it's insane. wtf lol
2:54 worst part?
With the red and then blue and then red lights running across their faces?
Its a brilliant shot, and emphasise the good and evil in both characters.
And most importantly that shot is just undeniably classic Star Wars
Only thing that damages it imo is the sound design, the muted clashes and lack of the subsequent flashes make it feel llike they're just spinning their blades randomly and barely colliding
I see where you're coming from in that but it could have been done a lot better. I'd say it's by far the worst part.
Close up footage in movies is symbolic to the characters feeling trapped. In the case of Anakin and Dooku, it was an artistic way to show that Dooku was fully in the red, while Anakin was staying in the light, refusing to turn to the darkness. A similar scene was shown in the Kenobi series when Obiwan fought against Darth Vader. When his helmet was broken and we saw Anakins face for a moment, the colors changed, symbolizing his conflict. Don't hate on the close ups, there is meaning behind them.
5:35 is a shot of 79 y o legend Christopher Lee wielding both blades. Just for that fact, I think the sequence should have remained in the final version
Seeing the choreographers/stun doubles going at it in a prolonged duel is just.. Art. It's what a battle would really look like I feel.
I loved Dooku's character even before the Clone Wars. It was Top Tier Acting and he really was more of a Fallen Jedi rather than a Sith.
Nah. Dooku was a Full Sith. That's just disrespectful.
Dude, TCW ruined his character, I don't know why anyone would respect him if they saw that. It absolutely butchered Sir. Christopher Lee's work, and even with such a talented VA, he comes off as cartoonishly villainous and obviously evil.
@@tk-6967 good. He deserved it. You realise bum Chris lee lied about his life right? He wasn’t secret service. He wasn’t James Bond. He was a bullshitter. Plain and simple.
He wanted to impress people at dinner parties before the internet existed. Nobody could prove him otherwise. But once the internet became available, he was caught out in all his lies.
He completely lied about his whole life. And you fell for it you absolute helmet.
he showed slight remorse, when talking to obi wan, even chose to disable him in their first fight. I believe that was enough to show that he really wasn't sith. The show wasn't about dooku, it was about the clone wars?
The Sith were corrupting the Republic and the Jedi were along for the ride, he saw Independence as an escape from corrupt centralized government and I completely understood that even when I was 12.
I always felt that closeups of their faces, lights from the lightsabers dancing in the tense contours of their expressions was one of the best parts
> "He killed the lights..."
I always took that as Anakin was cutting the power cord charging the ship up.
You are correct. I realized this after. That’s why he had to use the solar sail
even with mistakes, he did better than disney with modern tech
1000%
Not really. This fight looked stupid!
@@amethystglare Yo momma looked stupid
@@amethystglare As opposed to being so bad that weapons had to be removed in post-edit, I'll take this all day.
That praetorian guard scene is the worst fight scene in all of star wars
I honestly dont think they will ever top the duel of the fates from the phantom menace.
Still go back and watch that to this day.
It is a sheer masterpiece ✨️
it's a shame to see how you could say such disgusting things to a brilliant man looking to please the community with his old footage from the prequels.
I swear this community is so fcked sometimes
Straight up, Analyst is a flog.
Yea respect Gon down for this rando as soon as I saw that interview
The man is a god tier filmmaker but he dropped the ball a few times when it came to the fight choreography. His choreographer gave him the best of the best and he cut most of it out. I would say the only good prequel duels are Maul vs Obi/Qui Gon and Obi vs Anakin. The rest are wasted potential.
I always find it weird that we are all fans of a series that talks a lot about overcoming your anger, only to have half of our fan base completely submerged in anger. Balance in the force I guess
Not to double comment, but I have to get this off my chest. For example the whole sequel movie thing. I'm just as disappointed as everybody else, but I didn't get super pissed to the point of hatred about it. I just enjoyed the Legends books and UA-cam videos
Obi-Wan vs. Grievous, Anakin vs. Dooku, Anakin vs. Obi- Wan, and this duel all had better or just as good / extremely innovative choreography left on the cutting room floor. Damn shame.
I believe that he killed the lights to show the darkness taking him over--- both him and Dooku have their light sabers over their heads like 2 SITH LORDS…. I believe that this is when they wanted to show how Anakin was turning into a Sith Lord…. Kind of like a prerequisite where he had been engulfed by the darkness and he’s on a very thin red line to not cross into it…. But then he does….😢
That’s an after-the-fact explanation. Best way to describe it is that Anakin has an obsession with theatrics. He’s a competent fighter who’s also extremely arrogant, but doesn’t quite realize he’s met his match.
The lightsabers over their heads is actually a dueling stance, it was showing that Anakin is actually a competent duelist. He was just very outclassed and thought killing the lights would even the playing field.
It also obscures their vision somewhat. They can still see the Lightsaber blades clearly, but the rest is barely lit. Forcing them to depend on their other senses to navigate and making it harder to spot weak points in the others defenses because they can only see the most defended points.
Uh, no. You’re reading way too deep into this. Anakin simply did it to obscure Dooku’s vision. It was purely tactical. You don’t have to reach this hard for thematic expression when Star Wars is full of it.
The close up shots of Dooku and Anakin are meant to foreshadow the light vs dark But also the how Anakin is on the path to the darkside. The same way that in Ep 3 the volcano is behind Anakin representing the darkside and the Sun is behind Obi-wan representing the light side.
Love the character and his seemingly casual one handed ol' gent fighting style. Watching Clone Wars and the new SWs shorts with him was great.
Are there really people out there who think Dooku is boring? I find him way more interesting than Maul and Palpatine combined, not to mention he was played by Christopher Lee, that man doing any sort of character in any movie was always a pleasure to watch
The 9th Gate.
I think that advertising a second lightsaber while talking about Dooku's disdain for dual-lightsabers was an interesting choice.
Dooku was such an interesting character! I loved the idea that he was such a great duelist that he made obi wan look weak. His form was specific to dueling and you can really see how well he handled anakin and obi wan.
It’s even hard for me to admit but to some extent I think Dooku, had he not had orders to not kill anakin he could have been anakins greatest opponent. Dooku also never fully went to the dark side. He did serve palpatine but he wasn’t pure evil. Far from it. After Dooku hurt obi wan it did something to anakin. He wanted to kill Dooku for hurting obi wan. Once anakin started channeling his rage he overpowered the old man Dooku. At that point anakin could have probably overpowered anyone ina duel if he channeled his anger and considering how old Dooku was and how he was under strict orders he did more then hold his own. The duel in Revenge with obi wan is different in the sense that obi wan had trained anakin to be the warrior he is today. They were so familiar with each others fighting style they were two warriors of the same. Anakin clearly was more powerful and probably better with a lightsaber as well but the discipline obi wan had made all the difference. Obi wan was actually generally not regarded as a powerful jedi but that is what got him so much respect among other Jedi.
He was nothing special in the sense of his natural power in the force but he was The master or Soresu and it’s why they sent him to fight Grievous. Although mace windu was certainly much stronger then obi wan he was the perfect opponent for grievous who was much more of a physical threat in the clone wars then he was depicted in Revenge but it actually had to do with what had occurred just before the events of the opening battle scene in Revenge.
His coughing was from mace windu force crushing grevious during their capture of chancellor palpatine. Previous to the damage he received from mace windu just before the opening battle we see in orbit of Coruscant, Grievous was known to slaughter jedi and collect their lightsabers
Depends on the continuity, but for canon you'd be dead wrong if you think Dooku wasn't pure evil. He was aristocratic and dignified, but he was still a selfish, ego-driven war criminal who committed countless atrocities for the sake of achieving his own ambitions. He willingly killed millions, tortured innocent people, ordered assassinations and martial law, among other heinous acts. So don't think for one second he was some misguided idealist serving under the thumb of an evil dictator. Dooku also was not holding back against Anakin in RotS. Anakin had legitimately surpassed him and Dooku's defeat was the final confirmation Palpatine needed to realize Anakin was ready to become his apprentice.
@@thewarner2139 I never really watched the clone wars cartoon show, I do wish to get into it one day but in the movies you don’t really see that at all and they mostly portray him as someone who clearly wasn’t pure evil, however they did flesh that out in the Disney cartoons.
As to their duel in ROTS he has specific orders to not kill anakin and palpatine would have never allowed that regardless. Him in the chair chained up was an illusion.
Anakin certainly improved far beyond what Dooku could have anticipated but he was holding back to some degree.
The fight was clearly unfair, Obi wan was still not up to the caliber of Dooku but he was still a formidable jedi alone, look what he did to Grievous single handedly. With Anakins help Dooku still easily handled them both at the same time and took obi wan out of the fight nearly right away and once he turned to anakin he was knew he couldn’t kill him so he wasn’t looking for a killing blow it anakin was too good at this point to leave an opening for Dooku to take advantage of.
Palpatine had made the decision years ago that no mater what anakin would replace Dooku. He had no need for an apprentice nearly his age. Your right about how Anakin surpassed Dooku and palpatine knew that 100%. He orchestrated this whole capture mission so anakin would face off and defeat Dooku like palpatine knew he would. It served two purposes, it eliminates Dooku, a loose end at this point who had served his purpose to palpatine and palpatine knew that anakin killing palpatine would have a level of satisfaction in anakin for Dooku taking his arm. Palpatine knew he could manipulate anakin to kill him.
Palpatine knew this would play out the way it did and he always knew anakin would be his apprentice the moment he saw him
He's a moustache twirling villain but without the charisma and joy of Palpatine.
@@danieljusino1391 Yeah, no. Absolutely nothing in canon states Dooku was told to go easy on Anakin. Not a single named reference mentions anything about Dooku being told to hold back either. They have multiple fights in TCW that serve to gauge Anakin's progress, including one Palpatine is present to witness first-hand. Palpatine only wanted the most powerful apprentice he could get, and he did not want any asterisks next to their victories; because that would compromise the entire point of the rule of two. Anakin beat him straight up, that is canonical fact.
There is other source material confirming Anakin and Obi-Wan were perfect equals throughout the course of the film. So while it would have been more difficult, Kenobi also had the ability to defeat Dooku and that is why Dooku had to separate them. They had reached his level and he could no longer comfortably 2v1 them without a real danger of being defeated.
In the legends-only RotS novel, Dooku initially held back and believed he could win as the Sith had planned, but then Anakin and Obi-Wan changed styles midway through the battle and took him by surprise.
Once Anakin was on his own, he broke through Dooku's charade and forced him to get serious. Then Anakin tapped into the dark side; and Dooku realized it was an inevitability that he would be defeated by the younger man. So even at his best, Dooku wasn't in the same league as dark side Anakin.
@@thewarner2139 We both agree that anakin defeated Dooku fair, no question I even said that in my first comment. I never said otherwise. Anakin could have probably bested anyone except for maybe mace, yoda, obi wan and obviously the emperor at that point if he tapped into his anger.
But what your saying is retroactive. When the movie was created it was in fact cannon. He was actually instructed to kill Obi Wan, but weather he failed or purposely didn’t kill him is another question but Palpatine wanted Obi Wan dead so he could have no one in his way to corrupt anakin but Disney changed that over 10 years after they purchased the rights.
What I am saying is that when the movie came out the original cannon was he was in fact holding back on anakin and was looking for the first opportunity to separate them because, as I mentioned earlier, it wasn’t exactly a fair fight. Obi wan was extremely formidable and anakin had become tremendously powerful since they last met.
Most of the source material that would suggest Obi wan being able to defeat Dooku is not even cannon anymore, so it’s really semantics because it was cannon at one point but I do not think obi wan would have been able to beat Dooku.
He was a master duelist who mastered in the dueling form of lightsaber combat and trained the man who trained obi wan to begin with.
Anakin had to tap into his anger and rage to defeat Dooku, Obi wan fought solely defensively with his Soresu form.
I don’t think obi wan would have been able to beat Dooku with out using his rage which he wouldn’t have done. It really took anakin to channel his rage and in only a few key strokes anakin was able to cut his hands off clean. I do believe obi wan grew as a jedi as well since their last engagement but Dooku held his own against Yoda when moments before he had just incapacitated Obi wan in a very short engagement. Anakin even lasted against Dooku in episode two when he was a teenager. My point being anakin definitely grew much stronger and obi wan did too but not as much as anakin had become from the time of episode two leading into ROTS
5:29 me when I see a streamer die 30 times to a boss I killed first try: *SIGNATURE LOOK OF SUPERIORITY*
Wish the fight with Dooku was longer. Love his fighting style.
Should have had better set design though. The battle on Naboo between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Maul was done perfectly. Give Yoda that same treatment.
@@shanekeenaNYC hindsight is also 20/20 but there’s nothing wrong with the scene imo
@@thaiylooze8217 Eh, we will agree to disagree there.
Fighting in the dark is the best part of the fight, it is foreshadowing Anakin's dark side and he holds his own the most during that time.
Meaningful doesn't mean "good"
I love the positive fight when you can just see the light of the lightsabers shining on Anakin and Dooku's faces very unique very well done
I know. Kinda rhymes..like poetry.
Many diss it because in truth it could have been visualized alil better. But it's about Anakin looking into a mirror of his future destiny,this aspect go's over the head of many a fan..clones has a lot of great subtitle moments like this
..just about lost my head when I read the headlines..
@@StarWarsAnalyst ..almost lost my head like Dooku in his final battle w Anakin, lol, just a little corny humor. Looking forward to this, as I appreciate how you find and share awesome deleted scenes. Bravo, Star Wars Analyst! 👏👏
@@anthonychihuahua thanks I appreciate the support 😎
@@StarWarsAnalyst You're welcome, and thank you! Guess you might classify this under Lightsaber Dooku-mentaries, lol! Merry Christmas to you and yours 💌🎄🕊️
Same here. I guess you can Count me in on feeling the same 😅
Just like Dooku
I’m glad you made the disdain that Dooku had for duel wielding, it was the first thing I thought when I started watching the video.
I do think dooku should have been developed more in AOTC.
Good video !
Queue the apology video
Stop stealing clips from nick Gillard
Click Bait
I miss Christopher Lee. Dracula, Dooku, Saruman. His whole story from WW2 to his movie and music career. He's a Legend.
When I saw dooku with his stunt double, my first thought was “this is getting out of hand. Now there are two of them.”
close up shots brings attention back to the tention between the individuals, which is crucial to create strong character
Your disrespect of Nick Gillard is inexcusable and you are blatantly stealing his content. Shame on you.
It's not that deep lmfao
Lucas had to present Dooku as Yoda's equal, and then you remember that Dooku is still just an apprentice so his master must be even stronger.
3:54 quote "laser sword"
I couldn't focus on this vid with that incredible lofi jazz of the droid march
But I understand George's thinking at the close-up shots during the duels. He wanted to show their emotion, how each combatant felt completely different about the battle. Dooku was highly focused and unemotional, Anakin was ANGRY and a bit confused.
I also don't think Dooku dualwielding ONCE would have made him a hypocrite. It was just the best tactical decision at the time.
It would have looked silly having back to back dual lightsaber fights. I think Annakin only doing it was the correct move, made us see how developed he was already in his skills. My only drawbacks were how quickly Obi-wan is disposed of by Dooku in both movies, and I thought Yoda flipping around etc was too much. But then again, a lot of people liked that
I love the close ups when the lights get cut
It actually still appears in the graphic novelization comic. So it isn't fully erased. Must have not gotten caught and removed prior to publishing.
Anakin killing the lights was meant to get the ship to stop charging so Dooku would have less chance of escaping.
Hey man! I knew you back in the early Instagram days 6 or 7 years ago. Glad to see you're doing well on here! Your content has only improved. Keep trucking away!
Thanks for sticking around 😎
I got to watch attack of the clones with my best friend and we were absolutely loving seeing Yoda saber duel, it was the thing I'd been wanting to see and had been joking about since I was a kid.
"like, can you imagine YODA fighting with a light saber??"
"IKR??"
Watching Yoda actually fight with a light saber:
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!!! Yoda is a freakin Badass!"
Special Effects Guy: "If it's not handled just right, it could look silly."
I guess you should have handled it just right, then.
Star Wars analysts indeed. Great video- keep ‘em coming!
Thanks!
Thank you 😎
Shameless.
Zero respect.
Grow up.
You’re SO right - those close ups during the saber duels are total WTF moments. 🤷♂️ your channel rocks btw dude!!! I’m watching your videos for the second time currently 😅
L
Are you kidding? That closeup sequence of Anakin and Dooku spinning their lightsabers is atonishin. Adds a lot of tension to the duel. Cinematic brilliance.
He absolutely should have fought with two sabres -- his previous Jedi weapon and a new one that he would have crafted upon joining the Sith. It would reflect a certain duality about him that would fit the character -- a foot in both worlds.
Love the saxophone remix of music in the back, please link it if it ain’t somewhere already, I absolutely love it
One of the only parts of this sequence I love is Anakin very quickly, and seemingly without thought, is him cutting the power with that one swipe. It feels like something Vader would do, and often does, with him always using his surroundings as tools for combat, and for that I can appreciate it.
But I do agree wholeheartedly that the swirling of sabers above their heads, while not really showing anything, looks kind of silly. And then Anakin just holds still with his arm out for like 2 seconds so Dooku can chop it... That's one scene I often rewind and watch more than once because it just looks so ridiculous and makes me laugh. They're like "look at how I twirl my saber with the pretty, flashing lights..... woooooo." And don't get me wrong, I'm a prequel fan (thanks TCW) but it does look stupid.
But the cutting of the lights by Anakin was still a good move in that fight.
The close-up shots in the dark looked incredible at the cinema
Saw Attack of the Clones on the day one release, and EVERYONE in the theater stood up and clapped after the Yoda fight. And when he pulled out the lightsaber before the fight, you could hear gasps and "Yeaahh!!" through the whole theater.
“Yoda jumping around might look silly if not done right.”
Guess what? It’s done right - and it still looks silly
2:57 It’s in the movie as homage to the fight at the end of VI. And not everyone cares about the fighting that much - so some cinematic art is better than a flat wide shot.
Back than I see Dooku as a very skilled Lightsaber duelist that he can beat both obiwan and anakin
I see Dooku as Anakins rival at the time hoping he could beat him.
I like the idea that Dooku disdained dual-wielding and then had to resort to it as he was hard-pressed. Hypocrisy is a big part of Dooku's character and I think this would have illustrated it beautifully if it was established beforehand.
Will you find something better to do with your remaining years of existence than posting the same copy pasta under every comment?
Dude your channel has such a nice mood I live the background music
Content theft
@Star Wars Analyst i love how you used the Closed on Sundays starwars chillhop mix in the background music. Pretty good choice really.
What you said about the close up and lights out scene during Anakin and Dooku’s ep 2 duel broke my heart man. That was one of the most beautiful scenes in the prequels
George was not young anymore, so he lost the sense of "what excitement is all about."
He has been through a lot more than we think with his divorce and life. He almost die doing Ep IV.
That is why he did not find appealing some of those amazing lightsaber fight scene.
lol, that’s my favorite part of the light duels! The up-close, only the face. That’s how the force works. The force is directing the characters,
The closeup is supposed to show their faces and show a duel of ideals and anakin is lit by light and dark, just like dooku. It’s visual thematic storytelling my dude. That’s also why Sidious and Windu does the same thing; not only is one of the combatants getting a closeup but also too old to do acrobatics, it’s also supposed to show PURPLE and red, because windu is really pushing the line between light and dark, without holding back or second thought
The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.
3:02 I believe George did this because he wanted the light from the sabers to illuminate their faces, nothing else. Interesting choice, but he is an experimental filmmaker after all. As for the close-up shots of Windu and Palpatine - the actors are quite old, and don't look particularly skilled or agile in a fight that's supposed to be tense? In bts footage from ROTS you can see how they had to develop this fight during production.
I love the close up shot in the dark it’s so intense
3:12 "George can do so much right, but sometimes it's just like: 'What are you thinkin', man?!'"
George Lucas described perfectly in a nutshell.
IMHO this would have actually heightened what a master swordsman Dooku is. Not only is he skilled with a single blade in the sense of a duelist but also in terms of a master strategist and tactician, using the change of body language to throw off his opponent as he switches from hand to hand in a demonstration of his ambidextrousness as he uses the threat of the unlit saber to distract his foe all the while using their hesitation to play them like a bith flute.
I've long felt that the blue and red "lightshow" sequence of the Anakin/Dooku clash in AOTC is symbolic of both characters. Anakin has begun treading on the Dark Side, while Dooku (at least in my estimation) never seemed as truly sinister as Palpatine, but rather seems to have joined the Dark Side for more pragmatic reasons. Neither one is wholly good or wholly bad, hence the blue and red shifting lights illuminating both their faces.
0:38 Amazing to hear Hayden lifting up lesser known names and their enormous contributions, as he still does to this day 🙏
Speaking of which, typing that just made me think of Jamie Stangroom of The Geeknd... sad his channel still hasn't gotten the attention it deserves with him interviewing many lesser known names in Star Wars.
And good on you for bringing Nick Gillard's name up yourself later in the video. On Wikipedia it says he is simply a stuntman and stunt coordinator, but he must have some serious martial arts chops or just be very good at researching to come up with all these different Lightsaber combat styles.
He even played a Jedi called Cin Drallig. He was the temple “battle master” and knew all 7 forms of lightsaber choreography. He taught all the Jedi how to fight. And the name backwards literally spells Nic Gillard
@@StarWarsAnalyst Whaaat I knew Cin Drallig from the Episode III video game at least, but not all that! Very cool!
Absolutely agree with not using dual sabers, Dooku was a master with a saber and didn't need 2. As you said if anybody's watched the clone wars series they'd know this
I like the way the books handled the fight.
Dooku was pure duelist economy, not a single wasted movement or flourish. meanwhile Anakin was by far the more energetic and fit combatant but he had neither the skills at the time nor the experience to take on a master duelist.
The second saber was a way to allow his attack speed and ferocity to show through while forcing Dooku to split his attention, if only for a moment.
Nah the close up shots were fire I loved it
2:12 nobody talking about that drop... whats the music anyway??? i need to know!
I love that things just make sense in the prequels, I like to think that George adding those wasted sequences is for dramatic effect and breaks up the duelling outshots. For Yoda, they should’ve hired a ‘little person’ in a green screen suit size compatibility and someone to duel with. Who knows, but very well explained!
Can’t believe he shows up with only and hour left of AOTC and dies immediately in ROTS completely wasted him
A good teacher is like a candle it consumes itself to light the way for others.
As a fan of course we’d love to see all the movements in those close up shots but as a movie enjoyer I think it gives a sense of a tight/claustrophobic feel for a anakin vs the count.
This is what you expect the behind the scenes stuff to look like.
3:08 I guess pretty much because christopher lee was very old when filming his scene and Ian Mcdiarmid maybe hadn't had the talent (like Daisy Ridley) plus he was old as well. You then either use stunt men for the fights (which would have been noticeable) or use closeups to convey action.
The close up shots are great I don’t know what you’re talking about it looks sick
The glow close-ups was the first scene in SW history with interactive lighting props. In 2002, the midnight premiere? Those "wasted close-ups" had the audience CHEERING.
Christopher Lee's reaction to his hands being cut off. You can see the man had seen some real life horrors.
And by the way I loved the close-ups in the dark. It's a bit like a western, capturing the intensity. A story isn't about choreography.
3:55 Lucas referring to lightsabers as “laserswords” will always crack me up. 😂😂
Bro, this was sick - love your commentary too
Pretty sure he did the close up shots because both dookus actor and palpatines actor were both really old and struggled with the dueling scenes