«Rosebud» It was a wonderful night in the yard. The weather did not foreshadow anything bad, and the unfinished Death Star 2 quietly floated in the sky, around which various imperial fighters and bombers flew like fireflies. Meanwhile, the sinister Sith Lord Darth Vader sat silently in his armchair holding a miniature sphere of life support. The dark lord’s thoughts were drawn back to a time when he was not yet Darth Vader, but a young and hot Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, who secretly married the charming Padma Amidala, with whom he could see either under cover of night or in secret apartments somewhere in the boundless corridors of the Republic’s capital, sparkling Coruscante. Vader realized that his life did not go exactly in the direction he dreamed of. On his way, he committed many terrible deeds, for which he will never be forgiven. The second man after Emperor Palpatine, in the whole galaxy, sat at home in complete desolation. Going out on the porch and breathing in the pristine air of earthly nature with the help of his invariable black helmet, the Sith again descended into the chair. Vader took the handle of a lightsaber and, with wild desperation, twisted its ephesus near his temple. No, it can't be like this anymore. The majestic commander decided to remove his helmet, realizing that without him he would soon be in danger of death and said only one word, "rosebud", that is, "pink bud". The camera pulls aside and we can once again enjoy a beautiful dark night, illuminated by a huge deadly space station, whose master has forever left our world. Or not?!
Thanks to the efforts of a young Irish enthusiast Aidan Duffy in the credits of one film appeared the names of two cult American filmmakers who have not yet crossed. Almost any viewer knows that Darth Vader is the main character of the George Lucas franchise called Star Wars, but not everyone understands what story he got into and what was discussed in a given short film. It turns out that Aidan Duffy decided to pay tribute not only to space adventures, but also to the famous drama of 1941 “Citizen Kane”, the creator of which is Orson Welles himself. Unfortunately, in our time, this film is mostly known only as an old classic, but not everyone wants to see it. And a pity, because Citizen Kane is rightfully considered one of the most powerful films of its time and its numerous awards fully justify the content of the masterpiece.
The very picture of Aidan Duffy, "Citizen Vader", tries to repeat the plot of the film by Orson Welles, in which the same citizen Kane, a millionaire and media mogul, dies in his own house saying only one word - "rosebud". It was this word that became the center of the entire narrative of Wells’ painting. Journalist Thompson made it his goal to find out what it means and spent many days in interviews with relatives of Kane, but could not understand what is hiding this “pink bud”. And this mystery has become one of the most popular topics for discussion by leading world critics. Virtually all of them put forward theories about Kane’s last word, looking for clues both in the film itself and in their own reflections. Orson Welles himself hinted to us what his hero was talking about. It turns out that the "pink bud" was called Kane's baby sled. What did they mention before they died? Why did the millionaire remember them until the end? Perhaps he was associated with them trembling memories of days long past, or perhaps it was just the nonsense of a person preparing to move to another world. In general, the theories around the “pink bud” were created not a little, and therefore it is not surprising that one of the most famous scenes in the world of cinema undertook to beat enthusiasts of subsequent generations. And an extraordinary approach to the issue performed by Aidan Duffy not only does not stand at the end of the queue, but on the contrary is intriguing with high-quality performance and a rather unexpected combination of two completely different stories.
A distinctive feature of Citizen Vader from other amateur short films from the Star Wars universe is that the story is transferred from a galaxy far, far away to Earth, and even in the period of the 40s, when the same Citizen Kane was filmed. The style of the film deliberately chosen sub-retro and we will not see bright colors in the frame, but return to the days of black and white cinema, which has its own unique charm. The action takes place within a single room located on the second floor of a small mansion. Computer special effects are also present in the frame, but they practically do not affect the development of the plot, but only show us the power of the Empire, which is about to lose Darth Vader.
As for the semantic load of the short, the inner drama breaks through from the inside of Vader without the help of words. His actions, his throwing show that there is a tremendous pain in his heart that he has carried through all the nightmares that stand in his way. Vader only before his death realizes that love is much stronger than murder and its preservation and it was necessary to deal with Anakin Skywalker in the first place. Of course, “Citizen Vader” does not show us the backstory of his hero, does not open us episodes from the service of the Emperor, and therefore this film will primarily be interesting to fans of the George Lucas Saga, like no one else understands what lies behind the still black mask of the Lord of the Dark Side of the Force. But at the same time, it is impossible to fully appreciate Citizen Vader without getting acquainted with the creative heritage of Orson Welles. Just the notorious “pink bud” can become something unnecessary and simply incomprehensible for the vast majority of modern viewers who are not used to turning to the classics of the past, but are content only with modern advertised films. This is a very wrong approach to the matter. And if the same “Star Wars” is still in the ear, then “Citizen Kane” is on the contrary considered a work for high-brow critics. So I want to sincerely thank Aidan Duffy for not forgetting about the true masterpieces and his original methods popularize them for the masses.
In conclusion, I want to say that Citizen Vader is one of the best amateur short films on Star Wars in the last few years. Of course, I cannot call the creation of Aidan Duffy ideal, since without acquaintance with the primary sources, his short film cannot be considered self-sufficient, but at the same time he managed to emphasize the entire inner drama of the personality of Darth Vader, subtly weaved him into the situation of the media mogul Kane and framed all his efforts in a delightful quality black and white video series. So I can’t say anything else but a pleasant view!
8 out of 10