[Cannes Dispatch by Eugene Hernandez]

"If you're not with me, you are my enemy," threatens Hayden Christensen, as the newly christened Darth Vader in "Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith". "Only a Sith deals in absolutes," responds Ewan McGregor coolly as the betrayed mentor, Obi-Wan. Such a line, not to mention the film's story of a growing empire that is transformed from a democracy into a dictatorship, has stirred some of the film's first viewers to question filmmaker George Lucas about the political context of the film.

"This really came out of the Vietnam era," Lucas said today of his six-part story about the transformation and rise of Darth Vader. But he admitted during this afternoon's press conference here in Cannes that there are parallels between Vietnam and Iraq and added that such themes have recurred throughout history. But, he feels that "Star Wars" is especially relevant today. "When I wrote Star Wars, Iraq didn't exist. We were just funding Saddam Hussein and giving him weapons of mass destruction, we weren't worried about him."

"I didn't think it was going to get quite this close," he said during the crowded session with the select press, "I hope this doesn't become true in our country. Maybe the film will wake people to see how easily a democracy can be subverted."

"This is not the fun, happy go lucky movie that some of the others were," George Lucas explained at the press conference. Then, asked if this is really the end of the saga, Lucas put to rest any rumors of more "Star Wars" films (other than an animated TV series about the Clone Wars and a live-action TV series about minor characters).

"This is about the tragedy of Darth Vader, it starts when he is 9 years old and ends when he dies," Lucas explained. "There really isn’t any more story."

Lucas added that in time, he hopes viewers will see the six films as one movie. Rejecting criticism of the recent two chapters, he said, "I see it all as one movie, I don’t pay attention to how people like one chapter or another chapter." He explained that those over 25 years old favor the first trilogy and those under 25 "fanatically adore" the recent episodes. "The devotion for each group is pretty much equal," Lucas said, reiterating his hope that in a decade, "I hope they are remembered as one movie."