The Empire Strikes Back Vader Costume For Sale 167
Now is your chance to own an original Darth Vader costume from the best of the Star Wars movies. Christie's auction house plans on putting it up for sale on Nov. 25 and it would be unwise to underestimate the value of this costume. From the article: "The jet-black helmet, mask and armor worn by the intergalactic villain are expected to sell for between 160,000 pounds and 230,000 pounds ($250,000 and $365,000) at a sale of pop culture memorabilia next month."
Forget it (Score:4, Funny)
I could buy David Prowse for a lot less than that.
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I dunno, I remember being excited to see the sequel to Star Wars in the theater...and frankly, was disappointed in how it ended...just kinda stopped.
I wasn't expecting a middle chapter of a movie, it ended on a sour note, unlike the first one, etc.
I enjoyed it for it being a Star Wars movie, and I will admit I've warmed up to it more over the years, but my first impressions as a teen watching it back in the day, after waiting for it
Re:Forget it (Score:4, Funny)
You preferred Ewoks? Are you fucking kidding me?
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I'll never understand why people shit on Return of the Jedi. Didn't you enjoy seeing Luke reach his full potential, and Darth Vader recover his good side? Also, compared to the prequels, Return of the Jedi is a masterpiece.
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They liked it when it came out... but with age smugness set in and it became cool to hate the things they used to love.
(I saw RotJ 7 days in a row when it was in the theaters originally. It was my favorite. It is my favorite. Mind you, I was 3 when it came out in '83 but still, I love it to this day.)
Re:Forget it (Score:4, Funny)
Wait, no that's not right.
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I actually bought the DVD with both of those movies on it. I must have been drunk.
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As a kid, I really didn't notice them being terribly bad. Not my favorite characters, but certainly better that fucking Jar-Jar.
But over all, yes, I liked the movie better. It had a beginning, middle and exciting end with the heroes winning, like in the first one (at the time only 3).
Empire Strike Bad...didn't feel like a real movie, it was mostly just filler to link the first and last one. It was dark, and didn't have resolution at the end.
It certainly
Re: empire strikes back (Score:2)
Speaking of The Empire Strikes Back, this was especially good.
Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side (trailer) [youtube.com]
Not all of the FamilyGuy works for me, but one this was very well done. I haven't laughed that hard for a good long while.
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At the time (when I was a kid), I hated ESB. No happy ending, Luke gets his hand cut off, Han gets his ass kicked, and Luke's Jedi training seemed ... meh.
Watching it later, I like it much more. It sets up the big surprises in the movie (holy shit, he's his dad!? Vader wants to overthrow the emperor?), shows Luke growing from Hot Shot Pilot Kid into a more experienced veteran, and shows much more of the romance between Han and Leia. (In ANH, you could kindof go either way if you were trying to imagine Lei
Question: (Score:4, Funny)
Does it come with the ability to use the Force? No? Then no deal.
Re:Question: (Score:5, Funny)
It does come with the unlimited right to say "Luke, I am your father", which would normally get you kicked in the balls if said more than twice a year.
Re:Question: (Score:5, Funny)
It does come with the unlimited right to say "Luke, I am your father", which would normally get you kicked in the balls if said more than twice a year.
Eventually, your friends would alter that deal. Pray they don't alter it any further.
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It does come with the unlimited right to say "Luke, I am your father", which would normally get you kicked in the balls if said more than twice a year.
Eventually, your friends would alter that deal. Pray they don't alter it any further.
You're walking around saying shit like that? What friends!?
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Awesome friends. I wish all my friends were so nerdy.
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Awesome friends. I wish all my friends were so nerdy.
I think you mean imaginary.
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"No, I am your father."
- "Luke, I am your father!"
- No, its "No, I am your father!"
- Geek check! (kicks the correcter in the balls) Uh-oh, twice for flinching! (kick kick!)
.
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That's why you need to buy this suit. I bet no one ever kicked Darth Vader in the balls!
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You couldn't kick Darth Vader in the balls anyhow, because according to the last prequel, they got burned off.
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I'm sure the Emperor would have given him cybernetic testicles.
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That's why you need to buy this suit. I bet no one ever kicked Darth Vader in the balls!
If they did they would be featured on Wikileaks.
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Then the little shit's gonna kick you in the balls anyway, so you might as well give them a reason.
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I'm just wondering why that required a wikipedia link?
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I find your lack of faith... disturbing.
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You know... If you sound just a LITTLE disinterested, you might be able to get them to throw in a lightsaber. But a No-deal off the bat... They'll go to the next customer.
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Does it come with the ability to use the Force? No? Then no deal.
Well, that depends on the number of midi-chlorians in your bloodstre...no wait, wrong movie -- that wasn't from Star Wars...
Sithspawn! (Score:5, Funny)
The auction isn't in time for Halloween! What were they thinking!?!
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I'll alert the costume department that they let a real space suit slip through their fingers.
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I'll alert the costume department that they let a real space suit slip through their fingers.
Obviously, the costume department needed to loosen their grip a bit.
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One of the definitions of "costume" [google.com] is something like "The garment worn by an actor to depict a certain character in a particular period" or an "actor's stage clothing".
I was actually a little disappointed when I saw one of the Darth Vader suits in real life. In the movies it looks awesome, but in real life you can see that it doesn't look realistic at all. The pack on the front of the belt was the most obvious flaw - it looks like a bit of cardboard painted matte black with red circles painted on it that a
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I don't say this often... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:I don't say this often... (Score:5, Insightful)
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You sure about that?
If I buy it, you can better well bet that I'll try it on at least once. Not that I'll advertise that when it's my turn to auction it off...
Re:I don't say this often... (Score:5, Funny)
My guess is that if you're spending a quarter or a half million dollars on an outfit, you're not going to wear it much period. I suspect that it is going to end up behind a glass case for the remainder of its life.
You are utterly, 100% wrong.
Obviously it will be in the glass case. Why would you put it behind a glass case? That doesn't make any sense at all.
Re:I don't say this often... (Score:4, Interesting)
Because the first glass case is a decoy.
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My guess is that if you're spending a quarter or a half million dollars on an outfit, you're not going to wear it much period. I suspect that it is going to end up behind a glass case for the remainder of its life.
You are utterly, 100% wrong.
Obviously it will be in the glass case. Why would you put it behind a glass case? That doesn't make any sense at all.
I don't know. If you're dumb enough to spend that amount of money on a costume...
Even if I had that sort of cash spare I don't think I could bring myself to buy much in the way of Starwars since those awful prequels.
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Not if the Pope buys it...He won't wear it, but he has a matching cloak, and his top bishops will have to take turns wearing it and pretending that he is force-choking them during meetings.
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... But I'm actually a little too short for it. The actor who was in the costume was 1 fathom 1 shaftment, I don't quite make that height. And really, what good is a Vader costume that you can't wear?
Get your units right!
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Are you also a little short for a Storm Trooper?
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What could be cooler than Star Wars and KISS?
Star Trek and Insane Clown Posse? BSG and Alice Cooper? Teletubbies and GWAR? Wait - scratch the sarcasm on that last one - that would be cool.
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... But I'm actually a little too short for it. The actor who was in the costume was 6' 6.5", I don't quite make that height. And really, what good is a Vader costume that you can't wear?
Apparently according to the article $250,000 and $365,000 worth of good. Sell it and you could by a home in a less expensive area, or one heck of an expensive car. Or heck, just take a year or two off work!
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More importantly, how scary would a short Darth Vader be?
Here, have some candy, go scare the neighbors in the next house.
Perfect Gift (Score:5, Funny)
We know what Cheney is getting for an early Christmas present.....
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Why would he need a costume? He can already force-choke.
http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/12/22/alg_cheney-waves.jpg [nydailynews.com]
Yes but... (Score:2)
Thought to have been made? (Score:3, Insightful)
"Christie's said Wednesday that the costume is thought to have been made for "The Empire Strikes Back," the second film in George Lucas's sci-fi series, released in 1980."
I would think that somebody who may well drop a few hundred thousand Imperial credits on Star Wars memorabilia would want a bit more certainty than "We think this might be what it is, but we're fairly certain that some guy didn't just whip this up in his basement."
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I was thinking the same thing. I even had the quote copied into my clipboard! What that tells me is they don't know the authenticity of the piece. With movie memorabilia, authenticity is everything. No serious collector is going to accept "Might be authentic" into their collection unless they have reasonable evidence to back it up. If they're selling this without some proper paperwork, then whoever buys this is likely just purchasing a really expensive Halloween costume.
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It's entirely possible that it originally came from a costume warehouse where all the Vader costumes were stored, and none of them had labels indicating which movie they were from. This would mean it's known to be an original costume, but not known for certain which movie it was used in.
Awesome Christmas Card (Score:3, Informative)
intergalactic? (Score:5, Informative)
Darth Vader was hardly an intergalactic villain. His villainy was strictly limited to one galaxy.
Re:intergalactic? (Score:5, Insightful)
But he's also considered a villian HERE, because of his actions as shown in the documentaries.
And since it happened long ago in a galaxy far, far away, I think it's not totally inaccurate.
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But he's also considered a villian HERE, because of his actions as shown in the documentaries.
Also because of his actions robbing our banks [gothamist.com], presumably to pay for his war.
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But he's also considered a villian HERE, because of his actions as shown in the documentaries.
And since it happened long ago in a galaxy far, far away, I think it's not totally inaccurate.
I wish the prequels had happened in a galaxy far, far, far, FAR, FAR away. Preferably inside a black hole.
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Ah, but they did! Unfortunately, the documentaries were transported here ... ;)
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Just because the Al Capone and the Unabomber became known far outside the US borders, doesn't make them international mafia bosses or international terrorists. The logic doesn't work the way to claim it does.
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Darth Vader was hardly an intergalactic villain. His villainy was strictly limited to one galaxy.
How do you know that? At the end of TESB, you can see the rebel fleet traveled a good distance outside the galaxy. It's very feasible they could travel between galaxies in a reasonable time. AOTC indicated that there are even 2 very nearby galaxies.
ob. Spaceballs (Score:2)
That helmet is so big!
Can anyone lend me some cash....? (Score:2, Funny)
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You mean with the kind of pay you get as a stormtrooper?
Times must be tough (Score:2)
Someone is choosing to liquidate this now, after Halloween. Other than complete random circumstance, I'd wager that the collector is looking for income or to cover a loss. Economic times are tough for mr. anon high end collector.
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It's being sold in the UK, where we don't really "do" halloween like the USA does. Sure, we have the event, but it's nowhere near as big.
It's entirely a coincidence that it's being sold just after halloween I think.
Empire was not the best of the movies. (Score:4, Informative)
I really don't get why people think Empire was the best. It was all connective tissue, with no real story to it, and deliberately ended without a resolution. The first one was self-contained and is rightly deemed one of the greatest movies ever made. The third one resolved the trilogy, but of course...ewoks...so it can't contend.
What? There were three more? Huh. Not part of this series, certainly... No matter.
The point is, Star Wars is the best Star Wars movie. Empire is flashy and necessary to continuing the story, but is still just a sequel and certainly not superior.
Regardless, I will be auctioning my left nut in order to raise funds to bid on this dress. Precisely because I'm rational.
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I mostly agree, and am a bigger than most star wars fan. Some might say much bigger. Empire seems to be one of the few that I fall asleep while watching. I find it to be one of the better played but less interesting or fun of the 3 originals. If that makes any sense.
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I really don't get why people think Empire was the best.
Leia's metal bikini?
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Oh crap. That's a game-changer...
Uhh....no. Still going to go with "has beginning, a middle, and an end" as a big part of what makes a movie good.
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Aha!
And I fell for it.
I think the Ewoks have made me forget that there's still contained regions of awesome in Jedi.
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Leia's metal bikini?
Wasn't that with Jabba in Return?
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You seem to have been fooled into believing that there were three films in the original 'trilogy'. This is not the case. There was one movie, Star Wars, which did really well and got remade via two separate parts: Empire and Jedi.
Synopsis:
Luke learns about who he is, his history and the force. Plucky rebels blow up the death star.
Was I describing the first movie, or the second two?
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Funny creatures fly space ships. Some die and some win.
Was I describing the Star Wars trilogy, or the Apollo missions from an alien perspective?
By limiting the scope of your analysis you can turn almost anything into almost anything else.
The difference between the first movie and the trilogy is that in the first Luke defeats an imperial unit. In the trilogy he defeats the Empire. Yes, there are similarities, but there are important differences. That's the beauty and drama of fractals.
What I'm hoping is t
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The point is, Star Wars is the best Star Wars movie. Empire is flashy and necessary to continuing the story, but is still just a sequel and certainly not superior.
Why not, you make some claims but don't really defend them at all. Empire had actual character development, they were actually dynamic, which lends itself to be a much better story than the original. If you don't understand the conflict, it's in the title - it's the Empire striking back. The story of Darth Vader hunting down and capturing the leaders of the Rebel Alliance is ultimately just as good a story as the Rebel Alliance destroying a space station.
Don't get me wrong, I love the original as much as th
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It deliberately ended where it was because it had already developed the story to an excellent Arc
That's not an ending, it's a cliffhanger.
Empire isn't a story, it's Act 2. In fact, with everyone spread out dealing with their own problems, it's a collection of second acts. It's not a whole movie on its own. Much is begun, little is resolved. It doesn't leave you satisfied, it leaves you starved. It doesn't even serve as a whole movie from an Imperial POV, since all they manage to do is trap Han and cut off Luke's hand.
Yes, there are some cool bits. Tauntaun guts, floating city, Yoda, carbonite, "L
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But Cliffhangers don't always make bad endings though - look at movies like Inception.
Empire Strikes back is at least as much of a story as A New Hope or Return of the Jedi, seriously you can twist any little bit of the movies to sound small and insignificant if you want. All they manage to do in the first one is blow up a second station. Then they do it all again in the third one.
It is a whole story, so much more happens because the characters are split up - you just don't think its an ending because the c
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I haven't seen Inception, but in order to get away with leaving an open question you have to have closed an even bigger one, even if you only did it symbolically (such that people taking the movie literally probably won't get it until it's explained to them), and your point is to have people decide for themselves what might come next.
That's not what happened with Empire. Empire was a utility episode, not a story by itself. It was nothing but setup. Which is fine, since by then the trilogy was deliberately
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I really don't get why people think Empire was the best.
Because it had a script written by somebody other than George Lucas and was directed by somebody other than Lucas. In fact, Lucas' involvement in Ep V was remarkably small. Now I will admit that Lucas really *is* a genius, but that doesn't mean he can do everything well. In my opinion he has three serious shortcomings as an auteur director/screenwriter: (1) he can't write dialog and (2) he can't direct actors (3) he has a kind of creative Asperger's that never seems to pick up on an idea that's outlasted it
Re:Empire was not the best of the movies. (Score:4, Interesting)
Yeah. Whatever did happen to Highlander 2?
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I thought the rule was that Highlander movies get odd numbers, and Trek movies use even numbers?
Re:Empire was not the best of the movies. (Score:5, Funny)
What the hell does that mean? (Score:2)
and it would be unwise to underestimate the value of this costume.
What the fuck does that mean? Can you imagine if you thought this costume would sell for $200k and came in to work next week only to find out someone paid $280k?
Or maybe not (Score:2)
Christie's said Wednesday that the costume is thought to have been made for "The Empire Strikes Back," the second film in George Lucas's sci-fi series, released in 1980.
In other words, they don't know the lineage of this suit. So it could be something made by a collector and not have actually been used in any of the movies.
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Sounds more like a game of telegraph than a clue to a scam.
Christie's isn't going to get itself involved in selling knockoffs using verbage that might allow people to mistake it for the genuine goods.
Rather than a fake, it's probably got papers saying it came from ILM's storage unit, but that ILM doesn't remember which version of the costume this was or which movie it was in.
In any case, the auction catalog [christies.com] will be more distinct about it. And a quick scan shows they get very detailed about what parts of th
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Oh, and did I mention the Captain Janeway uniform and... pardon my drool... a HAL 9000 faceplate (like this only more worn [homestead.com])?
Investment Options (Score:3, Interesting)
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See, now, there's your problem. You're confusing condos with actual real estate. The actual value of a condo is in the building, and those deteriorate. A condo is a very-long-term lease you pay for up front. If you want a relatively cheap place to live, a condo may not be a terribly bad deal. Just compare it to rental and see how things work out for you based on how long you think you'll be living there, what the condo market has done, what you think it might do, etc.
If you want to invest in real estat
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Either the US market works differently than the Norwegian one, or you are wrong. With pretty much every condo here you get an ideal share of the grounds. What does that mean in practice? Well consider if you and your SO owned a house and it got split 50-50 in a divorce (and let's not get side tracked here) then it's not like each own their own square feet - even if you've lived that way. You both own an ideal half to the entire house, just as if you owned 50% of a company. In the same way, there's some 60-7
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>>you've still got a pretty much permanent asset.
Tell that to the landowners on Alderan.
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I wonder if investing in iconic Hollywood paraphernalia is actually a better investment strategy than real estate...
The problem is that these well-publicized stories about massive prices for movie props or other fan items can leave people with the impression that movie props in general have investment value. However what you don't hear about is the massive number of movie props that are totally worthless. Sure, if you can know ahead of time what movies are going to become cult classics, then you can buy up their props or early merchandise for cheap, and sell it decades later at a massive profit. However if you have that
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Plus I'd wager that, unless you have a pocketful of cash, your chances of getting a loan for the condo are slightly higher than your ability to get a loan for the Darth Vader costume.
Also for sale! (Score:2)
The vacuum cleaner and toaster from Hardware Wars and one of the seat cushions from Luke's land speeder! NOW how much would you pay?!
Spaceballs (The Movie) Dark Helmet (Score:3, Interesting)
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If I were Rick Moranis I'd still wear it from time to time.
Another nerdy item at auction (Score:2)
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This is the most amazing reply I think I've seen on slashdot. What doesn't it have?! Trolling? Flaming? Irrationality? Presumptions? Arrogance? Everything!
I think we may have a winner here, guys.