Ah, the Jawa droid sale. It's a little moment, but one that cannot be underestimated - from this point forward, the life of Luke Skywalker will never be the same again. However, it's the depiction of plain domesticity in the scenes set at the moisture farm that are most striking. It's the only time in Star Wars where you get to see a part of this vast universe untouched by war; something away from all the grandness to come, tucked away in a forgotten corner of the galaxy. You can see the '70s New Hollywood influence on Lucas' film here in how Luke's life before joining the Rebels is of small, quiet drama - at this point the film is about people making ends meet, not special effects. The impromptu droid market is also a marvel of design, a litany of fascinating-looking robots on sale by those mysterious tradesmen the Jawas pouring out of an enormous, rusting mining vessel. All of it, along with the naturalistic performances, adds up to create something hardly better captured elsewhere: science fiction approached as social-realism.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
