Days after Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson tweeted he had dreamed the director of The Lighthouse had made a film in the Star Wars franchise, a fan created a mashup of the two tonally distinct films. Johnson’s 2017 film The Last Jedi may or may not be his only entry in the Star Wars franchise, but this fan-made trailer will probably be the closest viewers see of a Star Wars film in the style of The Lighthouse director Robert Eggers.
On January 24, Johnson tweeted that he had a dream where Eggers showed him a cut of his Star Wars movie. Johnson often engages with other directors on Twitter, but he and Eggers had actually met in October 2019. Following the Director’s Guild of America (DGA) screening in Los Angeles, the two filmmakers discussed The Lighthouse for a DGA-supported podcast. Despite their DGA conversation, these two helmsmen have explored different styles in their films; unlike the glossy, action-packed Star Wars blockbuster, The Lighthouse is an experimental psychological horror film shot in black and white and on 35 mm film.
Thousands of fans reacted to Johnson’s tweet, including Ákos Varga, who is credited as the editor for the mashup video. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi (The Lighthouse style)” was posted by user lennoxasaki on YouTube three days after Johnson’s tweet. You can watch the video below.
Varga captures the unsettling tone of The Lighthouse by replacing the brassy, high definition from Star Wars with the dim, monochromatic style from Eggers’ film. The video also matches several of the shots of the island from Luke’s self-imposed exile with exterior shots of The Lighthouse. For a final touch, the video lifts the musical score from The Lighthouse trailer and dubs in some Last Jedi sound effects, swapping the sounds of seagulls to the cries of porgs.
Although the video was probably made in jest, it does highlight some common motifs between the two films. The Last Jedi was the first in its trilogy to delve into the psychological impact of the Force, particularly the slippery slope toward the dark side with which Rey struggles in the last two films. She grapples with most of her doubts about her identity and her relationship with the Force on Luke’s island, especially during her surreal vision in the cave. Meanwhile, The Lighthouse chronicles two lighthouse keepers’ descent into madness. Whether intentional or not, these two filmmakers may have more in common than fans have noticed.
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Source: lennoxasaki
