Pay special attention to Anakin after Shmi says, "He can help you, he was meant to help you." Anakin's face is clearly digitally manipulated to turn sideways.
Those scenes were clearly doctored in post-production I believe Lucas took different takes of Lloyd saying lines and splicing those with Pernilla August's. Watch carefully his scenes at the dinner table, sitting with Qui-Gon at night, and saying goodbye to his mother. Traces of post-production fiddling is evidenced most forcefully with Jake Lloyd's Anakin. That hand on the shoulder was probably the BEST moment in that film, a sign of human connection in a swirling clash of galactic politics gone awry. Neeson revealed that it took him a long time to convince Lucas to allow Qui-Gon to place a hand on Shmi's shoulder after he convinces her to allow him to take Anakin away to Coruscant. In other words, Lucas simply expected the actors to say lines devoid of emotional content, as if the post-production could somehow invest emotional motivation. First, he noted that Lucas was reticent to give the actors any motivation for lines, expressions, or anything. In an interview in Premiere Magazine, Liam Neeson gave a telling anecdote that illustrates my point. To me, the best moments were those intimate, interpersonal moments-Padme giving Anakin a blanket, Qui-Gon placing his hands on Anakin's shoulders in the Jedi temple, and ESPECIALLY all those moments with Shmi Skywalker, Anakin's mother. PM is technically brilliant, yet it is so technically brilliant that it lacks a certain "human" warmth.
Phantom Menace reminds me of something someone said of Citizen Kane: A hollow masterpiece. Overall, Episode One ranks above Episode Six, about par with Episode Four, but certainly nowhere near the grandeur and wit of Episode Five. But I am a committed fan (in the sense of being devoted, not insane), and I feel the need at least to declare publicly my admiration for Lucas' latest work, and also a few of my concerns. With all the voices and opinions and critical ravings about The Phantom Menace, I am sure that one more voice weighing in ain't gonna make that much of a ripple.
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