Ralph Mcquarrie - [Untitled] Cantina Showdown
Despite the fantastical imagery within this piece of concept art, the presence of relatable cultural codes create a grounding in reality. A large proportion of a western audience will recognise the postures associated with a wild-west showdown. The figure facing us appears slow to reach for his holster and has a relatable human face, this contrasts with the monstrous gangly creature which is showing us it's back and has already whipped out it's blaster. These visual codes relate to the most basic stock characters, a protagonist to which the audience associates and rallies for and an antagonist destined to be thwarted by the virtuous monster slaying hero figure. Though the human hero is not a typically mythical in his stature (he lacks a herculean build) he is causation and wears an outfit reminiscent of a gunslinging cowboy from the old west, which conjures associations with the Hollywood or Spaghetti westerns.
Denotative features are apparent to those unfamiliar with the material. The numerous fantastical figures outnumber the recognisable human figure, we can infer that this is an alien and hostile environment. An armoured figure of authority stands passively as the commotion ensues, we can therefore presume that it is a lawless area and that violence is commonplace. It is connoted that the good characters are those highlighted in colour, and thus by the sunlight, while the villainous lie in a shady dwelling, this is a literal use of the light and dark to visually contrast the conflict between good and evil.
So, despite the initially unusual setting we find that the characters presented are mediated signifiers. The gunslinging hero and the almost satan-like monster shrouded in darkness are both figures that can be traced back through popular culture.
A simple narrative is present in the image, a pair of characters are situated on the left, this insinuates that they have just arrived 'onstage', the human heroic figure has been surprised by the encounter with the trigger happy alien as his posture denotes, a tension is created by the perpetual showdown, the addressee is invited to imagine the next move. This procedural following of common text insinuates that good will indeed vanquish evil in this circumstance.
There are also numerous signs within the image which communicate characterises based on the addressee's cultural understanding. For example the villain of the piece has the iconicity of a medieval biblical monster, it has a pointed tail like a demon. The hero has a crown of golden hair (a staple of purity and heroic intention, which dates back to Roman association of blonde hair with heroics).
Meanwhile a viewer that is familiar with Star Wars will recognise the setting as the cantina in Mos Eisley Space Port, which is a hive of scum and villainy. The image appears to be early concept art of Han Solo and Greedo's showdown in which Han shoots first thus subverting the heroic nature of the character and creating an anti hero (this feature was later thwarted by digital edits). The indexicality reads thus: the hero Han enters a showdown with a bounty hunter which has been sent to settle various debts to his employer Jabba the Hutt. Though much of this information is inaccessible to an unfamiliar viewer, it is quite elementary even if the character design is not finalised.
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