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Spaceballs

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For the TV series, see Spaceballs: The Animated Series. For other uses, see Spaceball.
Spaceballs
Movie poster
Directed byMel Brooks
Written byMel Brooks
Thomas Meehan
Ronny Graham
Produced byMel Brooks
StarringMel Brooks
John Candy
Rick Moranis
Bill Pullman
Daphne Zuniga
Dick Van Patten
George Wyner
Joan Rivers
CinematographyNick McLean
Edited byConrad Buff
Music byJohn Morris
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn Mayer
Release date
June 24, 1987
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS $22,700,000 (estimated)

Spaceballs is a 1987 science fiction parody film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks. It was released on June 24, 1987, and earned only modest returns, but has gone on to become a seminal cult classic on video.

Its plot and characters contain numerous parodies of elements primarily from the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as Star Trek and other popular science fiction films. The script was written by Mel Brooks in only six months, and was approved by George Lucas, as he was a big fan of Brooks's previous films.[1] Special effects were done by Apogee, Inc.

On 4 June 2008, an animated sequel TV series premiered on Super Channel in Canada, [2] and in the United States on September 21, 2008 on G4.

Synopsis

Planet Spaceball, led by President Skroob (Mel Brooks), has wasted all of its air and, desperate to find more, plans the extraction of all the air from planet Druidia. They plan to kidnap the Druish Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga), who is about to marry the narcoleptic Prince Valium (Jim J. Bullock). Resenting this marriage, Vespa runs off from the altar with her Droid of Honor, Dot Matrix (voiced by Joan Rivers and played by well-known mime/dancer Lorene Yarnell), and escapes into space, where she is attacked by the Spaceballs under the command of Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis).

Vespa's father, King Roland (Dick Van Patten), hires Captain Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his mawg (half-man, half dog) sidekick Barf also known as Barfolemew (John Candy) who are desperate for money to pay back their debts to the Mafioso Pizza the Hutt (Dom DeLuise), to rescue his daughter. They manage to rescue her by literally "jamming" a radar hub (a jar of raspberry jam is hurled into it) and then escaping by entering light speed, to which the enemy ship Spaceball One then pursues by going to "ludicrous speed" ("They've gone to plaid!"). Upon exiting hyperspeed, the heroes realize they have run out of fuel and crash-land on the desert planet Vega. There, they meet Yogurt (Mel Brooks), who introduces Lone Starr to The Schwartz and the audience to the film's merchandising (which is prevalent throughout the film henceforth). However, the Spaceballs, having discovered their location by using an "instant cassette" of the movie, trick Vespa and capture her again, taking her to their capital city. Lone Starr and Barf rescue the Princess again, but not before the Spaceballs have succeeded in forcing King Roland to reveal the entry code to Druidia's atmosphere (12345, leading Dark Helmet to exclaim "That's the kind of code an idiot would have on his luggage!"; President Skroob then bursts in and exclaims "That's the same combination I have on my luggage!").

Spaceball One, upon arriving at Planet Druidia, then transforms into Mega Maid with a vacuum cleaner, which starts to extract the air from the planet. Lone Starr uses his Schwartz ring to reverse the procedure, ("She's gone from suck to blow!") and sneaks through an ear to the central brain area of the ship to activate the self-destruct button, attempting to use a Vulcan neck pinch on an unsuspecting guard (who then corrects him and knocks himself out). As he is about to press the button, Dark Helmet appears and challenges him to fight. They proceed to duel using lightsaber-like weapons emanating from their Schwartz rings, (accidentally killing a cameraman in the process) until Dark Helmet tricks Lone Starr into losing his ring. Yogurt then speaks to Lone Starr, convincing him he doesn't need the ring to use the Schwartz. Using this advice, Lone Starr summons a mirror to reflect Dark's attack and inadvertently press the self-destruct button, causing chaos aboard the ship as Mega Maid counts down to self-destruction. The heroes then escape as Dark Helmet, President Skroob and Col. Sandurz look on in horror (Even in the future things don't work right). (Mega Maid's head, its hand, and the handle of the giant vacuum—which resemble parts of the Statue of Liberty—then crash-land on a neighboring planet à la Planet of the Apes, much to the horror of its residents. ("Oh shit, there goes the planet.")

Lone Starr returns the Princess to Druidia and (since his creditor Pizza the Hutt, while locked in his car, ate himself to death) leaves without taking the agreed payment of one million spacebucks (though he takes 248 spacebucks for lunch, gas, and tolls). After disgustedly leaving a space café after an alien bursts from the stomach of a customer who orders the "special" (played by John Hurt, to whose character the same thing happens in Alien - he looks at the alien and mutters "Oh, no. Not again!") and then imitates Michigan J. Frog, he offers a snack to Barf who is still hungry. Barf opens a fortune cookie originally given to Lone Starr by Yogurt to discover that he is a "soitified [(certified)] Prince", and then returns in time to interrupt the marriage to marry Vespa.

Cast

Actor Role
Mel Brooks President Skroob/Yogurt
John Candy Barfolemew (Barf)
Rick Moranis Lord Dark Helmet
Bill Pullman Captain Lone Starr
Daphne Zuniga Princess Vespa of Druidia
George Wyner Colonel Kernel Sandurz
Dick Van Patten King Roland, Ruler of Druidia
Michael Winslow Radar Technician
Joan Rivers Dot Matrix (voice)
Lorene Yarnell Dot Matrix (body)
Jim J. Bullock Prince Valium
Dom DeLuise Pizza the Hutt (voice)
John Hurt Kane (John Hurt's character from Alien)
Dey Young Waitress
Tim Russ Trooper with giant Afro pick

Box office

The budget for Spaceballs was $22,700,000 (estimated). The film grossed $38,119,483 during its run in the United States, taking in $6,600,000 on its opening weekend.[3]

Critical reception

Response to Spaceballs was mixed. It has a 'rotten' rating on RottenTomatoes.com.[4] Many critics agreed that, while it was funny, doing a Star Wars parody ten years after the original film had been released seemed slightly pointless. Roger Ebert remarked "I enjoyed a lot of the movie, but I kept thinking I was at a revival. (Spaceballs) should have been made several years ago, before our appetite for Star Wars satires had been completely exhausted"[5] In spite of this, "Spaceballs" is one of Brooks most popular movies, and maintains a strong cult following.

Soundtrack releases

When the film was released, Spaceballs: The Soundtrack was also released on Atlantic Records, featuring many of the songs heard in the film, as well as three score cues by composer John Morris.

For the '19th Anniversary', La-La Land Records released the score presented in its entirety for the first time, with bonus tracks featuring alternate takes and tracks composed for, but not used in the film. It has been released as a "limited edition" of 3,000 units.[6]

Parodies

Heroes

  • Captain Lone Starr combines traits from Star Wars' two male heroes, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. His name is derived from Isaac Asimov's Lucky Starr series and the Lone Star of Texas. He hails from the Ford Galaxy, in reference to Harrison Ford (who played Han Solo), and also a play on the Ford Galaxie, a car made by the Ford Motor Company. Lone Starr is revealed as being a prince from an unknown kingdom at the end of the film. Exactly where in the Ford Galaxy he's from has to this day never been revealed. The only clue to his true identity was a pendant that later turned out to be 'a royal birth certificate', according to Yogurt; by film's end, the pendant is what allows him to marry Vespa. A further clue is hinted at, but never followed up in the film: Just before their fight, Dark Helmet "reveals" to Lone Starr that he is a former roommate of his cousin, brother, or Lone Star himself (your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate, but Lone Starr does not seem to remember any such thing). Lone Starr's costume is intentionally misplaced, resembling Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones costume (he is seen wearing a fedora in his first scene, which is set aside and not seen for the remainder of the film) rather than that of Han Solo or Luke Skywalker.
  • His companion Barf (Barfolomew), a mawg (half-man, half-dog), is a parody of the Wookiee Chewbacca (Chewie). Notably, in Russian translation "a mawg" was rendered as "chelobakka", a portmanteau of words "chelovek" (a man) and "sobaka" (a dog) also spoofing the name Chewbacca. Similar to this the german translation uses the term "Möter" which also is a combination of "Mensch" (man) and "Köter" (mutt).
  • Their ship Eagle 5 is a modified Winnebago RV. Its shabby state resembles the Millennium Falcon. The seal for the Eagle 5 is an altered parody of the Apollo 11 patch. Bumper sticker says "I (love) Uranus."
  • Yogurt, a parody of the Jedi master Yoda (named after the food yogurt), is a sage with deep knowledge of the mysterious power called The Schwartz (The Force). His bombastic entrance resembles that of the wizard in The Wizard of Oz. Like many characters played by Mel Brooks, he embodies several Jewish stereotypes.
  • He is assisted in his work, particularly merchandising, by the Dinks, a group of red-clad little people who resemble the Jawas from Star Wars while making sounds similar to the Seven Dwarfs (Lone Starr even asks, "When did we get to Disneyland?") and singing a version of the "Colonel Bogey March" and The Bridge on the River Kwai.

Druidians

Spaceballs

  • President Skroob, though in the place of Star Wars's Emperor Palpatine, appears more like a modern president without any supernatural powers. His name is an anagram of "Brooks," but also resembles the verb to screw (to cheat) and Ebenezer Scrooge. He is played by Mel Brooks.
  • Dark Helmet, the Space Balls' second-in-command, is an obvious parody of Darth Vader. He resembles Darth Vader in appearance, but is much shorter, has a much larger helmet, and wears a tie. (However, he changes into a khaki uniform and an equally oversized pith helmet during the desert scene.) He speaks in a deep bass voice and breathes audibly, as the helmet hinders his breathing. This often causes him to lift his visor, revealing his bespectacled face and his intentionally normal voice. Helmet is the commander of the Spaceballs' "Imperious Forces" (a parody of the Imperial Forces in Star Wars, as well as the Imperious Leader from Battlestar Galactica), and commands the flagship Spaceball One (see below). He uses The Schwartz to discipline his subordinates, not by force grip (as with Darth Vader) but by crushing their testicles with the Schwartz. He enjoys playing with Spaceballs dolls, taking special pleasure in acting out a scenario in which he seduces Princess Vespa, but is embarrassed when anyone notices his playing. Vader's relationship to his nemesis Luke Skywalker is parodied by Helmet declaring himself Lone Starr's "father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate." which he sums up as making them "absolutely nothing". He is played by Rick Moranis.
  • Colonel Sandurz is a parody of the leading Imperial Officers from Star Wars, such as Veers and Piett or Grand Moff Tarkin. 'Colonel' is his rank, however, 'Kernel' is his real name. His name is a pun on KFC's founder Colonel Sanders. (At one point, Dark Helmet says to him, "What's the matter, Colonel Sandurz? Chicken?") Sandurz is played by George Wyner.
  • Snotty, who operates the transporter beam in planet Spaceball's capital city, is a reference to Star Trek's engineer Scotty. His thick Scottish accent, stereotypical Scottish attire (kilt and tam o'shanter) and his referring to "Loch Lomond" also point to Snotty's Scottish background.
  • Major Asshole and Gunner's Mate First Class Philip Asshole are two cross-eyed Spaceballs serving aboard the Spaceball One, both being generic parodies of Imperial personnel from the Star Wars films - Major Asshole being the officer and Gunner Asshole the gunner respectively. Their family name is a reference to their apparent stupidity. Both characters are played by Jim Jackman. When asked how many Assholes are on the ship, nearly everyone on the bridge raises their hands, leading Dark Helmet to exclaim, "I knew it! I'm surrounded by Assholes!" as well as "keep firing, Assholes!" (In the edited for T.V. version, the word "asshole" is replaced with "moron".)
  • Commanderette Zircon is a dominating female Spaceball officer and the head of Central Control in Spaceball City. She perpetually keeps in touch with President Skroob via a Videophone. Like Sandurz, she appears to be a parody of various Imperial officers, but may possibly be a parody of dominant female characters such as Maya from Space: 1999. She is played by Leslie Bevis.
  • The Captain of the Guard is an effeminate officer who appears briefly as the Head of Security of Spaceball City, and accidentally captures the stunt-doubles of the heroes. He is a parody of the Prison Wardens seen in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and is played by Stephen Tobolowsky.

Spaceball One

The Spaceballs' weapon of conquest, Spaceball One, is a powerful spaceship. The opening scene is an homage to the opening scene of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope with the ridiculously long, wide angle continuous shot of Spaceball One. The length of the ship may also be an homage to the opening of the movie Alien, which also featured a very long ship (though not as long as Spaceball One). Its shape resembles Battlestar Galactica and the Super Star Destroyers, while its name is a pun on Air Force One, the U.S. president's airplane. The Spaceballs' attitude toward others is expressed by the ship's large bumper sticker: "We brake for nobody."

The ship's absurd size is a frequent point of references:

  • The ship is so large that it contains a shopping mall, a zoo, and a three-ring circus (complete with a freak show).
  • The ship takes about 1 minute and 47 seconds to cross the screen at the beginning of the film. This is emphasized by the music theme (based on the musical theme from Jaws) which stops and resumes again several times, each time growing louder and louder, implying that the orchestra is getting frustrated with the ship's seemingly endless length.
  • President Skroob is once forced to jog to the bridge in order to arrive before the end of the film. He references this by saying "This ship is too big. If I walked, the movie would be over."

Spaceball One is capable of traveling at four different speeds: sub-light speed, light speed, ridiculous speed, and ludicrous speed. When going into ludicrous speed all crew members must use a seat belt for their own safety. Ludicrous speed results in the ship leaving a trail of plaid, parodying the "warp trail" seen in the first few Star Trek films.

Spaceball One's secret weapon is its ability to transform into Mega Maid, a colossal cleaning woman holding a gigantic vacuum cleaner used to extract air from other planets and take it back to planet Spaceball. It can also reverse that process, expelling air, going from suck to blow. When Spaceball One begins to undergo its metamorphosis into "Mega Maid," Dark Helmet exclaims "Ready, Kafka?", an allusion to Franz Kafka's novella The Metamorphosis.

The ship's destruction resembles the destruction of the Death Star in Star Wars: Lone Starr's ship flies through Mega Maid's ear to reach the self-destruct button. It resembles how the Rebel Alliance in Star Wars entered the deathstar through a hole in order to reach the core and destroy it. Mega Maid's head and the hand holding the vacuum cleaner crash into a nearby planet, with the pieces resembling the Statue of Liberty as seen in the final scene of Planet of the Apes.

Other villains

  • Pizza the Hutt, named after the pizza restaurant chain, is a half-man, half-Pizza Mafioso and a parody of Jabba the Hutt. The voice of Pizza the Hut is performed by Dom DeLuise.
  • His companion Vinnie, taking the place of the various courtiers and associates of Jabba, such as Bib Fortuna. He resembles a stereotypical gangster with an outlandish costume, and exhibits stuttering speech patterns and mannerisms similar to Max Headroom

The Schwartz

Primarily, “The Schwartz” is a play on “The Force,” from the movie Star Wars. Also, FAO Schwarz is the toy store chain which distributes the Star Wars toys; therefore it is yet another parody of film merchandising, as in the entire first Yogurt scene.

The lightsabers emanating from the Schwartz-rings held in front of the crotch are phallic symbols — a play on the words schwantz/Schwanz, which are Yiddish/German slang for penis.[7] Schwarz (an adjective) is German for “black.” In the dubbed German version of the film, “The Schwartz” is translated as Saft (“juice,” a noun).

The Light and Dark sides of the Force are parodied by being called the “up side” and the “down side.” In the animated series, the Dark Side is called "The Schwartz side of the Schwartz"

It has also been widely reported that "the Schwartz" is a reference to Mel Brooks' lawyer, Alan U. Schwartz.[8][9][10]

Sequel rumor

Breaking the fourth wall, the possibility of a sequel was already included in the film itself: "God willing, we'll all meet again in Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money." In September 2004, news about a sequel (possibly hoaxes), parodying the Star Wars Prequel trilogy, appeared on the internet.[11] It was rumored that there was going to be a Spaceballs sequel entitled "Spaceballs 3: The Search For Spaceballs 2", but the operation was canceled due to unknown reasons. In January 2005, it was revealed that Spaceballs would be turned into an animated television show.[12] On September 21, 2006, Mel Brooks announced that he was developing an animated TV series based on Spaceballs, which debuted in September 2008.[13] The show, Spaceballs: The Animated Series, premiered on the Canadian Super Channel, is still airing there, but has come to the American cable channel G4.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Trivia for Spaceballs." IMDB. Retrieved on 2006-09-21.
  2. ^ "Spaceballs: Animated Series." Retrieved on 2008-09-21.
  3. ^ "Business Data for Spaceballs." IMDB. Retrieved on September 21, 2006.
  4. ^ "Spaceballs Movie Reviews".
  5. ^ "Spaceballs - rogerebert.com".
  6. ^ Spaceballs press release at La-La Land Records
  7. ^ Sex-Lexis October 09, 2007
  8. ^ David Margolick, "LAW: AT THE BAR; More lawyers are less happy at their work, a survey finds", New York Times, August 17, 1990.
  9. ^ David A. Kaplan, "Requiem for a law firm", Newsweek, January 7, 1991.
  10. ^ Emily Bryson York, "Writers' rights: L.A. attorney Alan Schwartz has represented Truman Capote and Mel Brooks," Los Angeles Business Journal, August 14, 2006.
  11. ^ Slashdot September 29, 2004
  12. ^ Elizabeth Guider, "'Spaceballs' rolls to TV", Variety, January 19, 2005.
  13. ^ "'Spaceballs' to become TV cartoon", CNN, September 21, 2006.

Trivia

  • When Barf is bouncing laser balls back at some Ping Pongs, each of them scream as they are hit, the last one emits the Wilhelm scream.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Spaceballs.
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