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Return of the Jedi cut-scene

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Yeah, it's pretty neat to finally see. I like it. Vader's dialogue is a bit lame, don't know if that was final, but the scene builds tension at the opening very effectively, something the start of the movie was lacking in my opinion. Here it sets up the Luke v Vader/Luke vs Dark Side confrontation from the get go, plus it tells you that Luke WILL be coming to kick ass, you just don't know when. :D Shoulda put this back in the film instead of that musical number.

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Finally! In that form though, I'll have to disagree that it would've been good in the movie. Vader is pretty lame, indeed, and Luke just finishes his lightsaber and tests it, it's a bit too much.

One thing's for sure, I'll be buying those BDs now.

And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior, and he shall be known as the Son of the Suns.

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 (Edited)

Yes, also it seems to follow the "join me" storyline from ESB which is completely dropped in ROTJ, so I can see why it was cut. Also it's not the whole scene, as the music that was composed for this it's on the CD and there's more music, so we haven't seen the whole thing yet. So they didn't show it whole, unless they're going to edit it into the movie and plan to make the scene shorter, to avoid ruining the "surprise" of R2 having the saber on the sail barge.

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The problem with Vader's dialog is that it is Lucas dialog, before being handed over to an editor.

 

If it had made the final film, it would have gone from:

Luke. Luke. Join me in the Dark Side of the Force. My son, it is the only way. Luke. Luke.

To this:

Luke. Join me in the Dark Side. It is the only way.

 

Its kinda like that deleted scene for Episode IV on the original dvds where Obi-Wan says "If my blade finds its mark, you will cease to exist, but if you strike me down I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."

First thing the editor did was snip off the first half of that.

http://twitter.com/TheMagnoliaFan

http://www.youtube.com/user/magnoliafan78

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I thought Hamil said he never shot the scene himself?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XczClAxhCEM

I saw Star Wars in 1977. Many, many, many times. For 3 years it was just Star Wars...period. I saw it in good theaters, cheap theaters and drive-ins with those clunky metal speakers you hang on your window. The screen and sound quality never subtracted from the excitement. I can watch the original cut right now, over 30 years later, on some beat up VHS tape and enjoy it. It's the story that makes this movie. Nothing? else.

kurtb8474 1 week ago

http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=SkAZxd-5Hp8


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As you don't really get a good look at Luke, it could have been shot with a double.

Either this was cut very late in post production, or the saber FX was recently added.

I wonder if the shots of Vader in the meditation pod are unused takes from Empire?

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Where were you in '77?

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I would bet he probably shot it and forgot all about it.

Years ago, I was at these rehearsal sessions for the Halloween recording of Alien Voices with Leonard Nimoy and he was performing "The Cask of Amontillado".  I commented to him that I hadn't heard him sound that sinister since Galvatron in Transformers the Movie.

He swore up and down he wasn't in it and never recorded any dialog for anything Transformers. I had to go out and buy a vhs of it (it was pre-dvd release) to show him his name on the cover and he was like "Wow, you don't say?"

After a while, he vaguely started to remember it and said he recorded the whole session for the film in like 2 hours and had never given it another thought.

 

http://twitter.com/TheMagnoliaFan

http://www.youtube.com/user/magnoliafan78

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I must say watching that scene gave me shivers! Its was very cool.

HOWEVER, do you think that will be the best of the deleted scenes from the OT in the BluRay set? I mean, that's the scene they are showcasing, as cool as it is, if that is the best it gets, not worth buying as far as I'm concerened.

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Just one thing to say : O M G !

and yes, Vader's dialogue is a bit lame...but it will be really easy to edit and improve it

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I read a little earlier today that Lucas (or maybe Hamill) said before presenting this scene that it was cut very late in post-production, so the effects, transitions and music were already completed.  It wasn't retouched like the PT deleted scenes were.

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MagnoliaFan said:

I would bet he probably shot it and forgot all about it.

Years ago, I was at these rehearsal sessions for the Halloween recording of Alien Voices with Leonard Nimoy and he was performing "The Cask of Amontillado".  I commented to him that I hadn't heard him sound that sinister since Galvatron in Transformers the Movie.

He swore up and down he wasn't in it and never recorded any dialog for anything Transformers. I had to go out and buy a vhs of it (it was pre-dvd release) to show him his name on the cover and he was like "Wow, you don't say?"

After a while, he vaguely started to remember it and said he recorded the whole session for the film in like 2 hours and had never given it another thought.

 As a lifelong TF fan, I find that anecdote "fascinating." :p I'm surprised he doesn't know what a cult hit the film became.

Also, yeah, the FX look legit, with the old fat lightsaber blade. The scene was scored by John Williams, which means it was full edited and completed with sound and visual effects. That's probably why they are showcasing this one, it's the slickest. For instance, the sandstorm scene will hardly be presentable, because there isn't any dialogue, and it was a dialogue scene.

Keep in mind also, we are only seeing a portion of the scene. That's not the full scene, just a clip. There is a bit more before the scene starts, and the scene continues on for a while longer, with Luke loading the saber in R2 and there's some dialogue too if I'm not mistaken.

Hamill says he doesn't remember it, but as it would have literally been an hour or two of shooting he may simply have forgotten. It could be a double since you don't see his face completely but it looks like him to me. The cave background looks like it might be southern california.

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Very exciting for me. Amazing how different things could have been with that short scene included.

I await the Blu Ray release with great interest.

JD

Creator of Star Wars Begins, Building Empire and Returning to Jedi
Follow me on twitter @jamieSWB. Please support me at - http://www.patreon.com/jamiebenning/

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Always cool to see deleted scenes from a SW movie.  After seeing these movies a zillion times, to see something totally new after all these years is very eerie.

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CO said:

Always cool to see deleted scenes from a SW movie.  After seeing these movies a zillion times, to see something totally new after all these years is very eerie.

That is how I feel about the scene too.  It is very interesting.  I agree with Zombie84 that it looks like Hamill. 

MagnoliaFan said:

I would bet he probably shot it and forgot all about it.

Years ago, I was at these rehearsal sessions for the Halloween recording of Alien Voices with Leonard Nimoy and he was performing "The Cask of Amontillado".  I commented to him that I hadn't heard him sound that sinister since Galvatron in Transformers the Movie.  After a while, he vaguely started to remember it and said he recorded the whole session for the film in like 2 hours and had never given it another thought.

Thank you for sharing that.  As a Transformers and a Nimoy fan, I find the anecdote priceless, and it effectively illustrates how easy it is for people to err in their recollections after many years.

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Hopefully, we finally get to see the whole sandstorm scene.

And welcome aboard, Diego!

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Where were you in '77?

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Anthony Daniels had told me that he had shot a scene with him outside the cave looking in, but that he was the only actor in that shoot. George Lucas himself had beeped R2's "dialogue" which C-3PO reacted to.

This was done very late in the production when they shot the scene with the droids walking towards Jabba's palace. It was a last-minute idea.

The whole scene, though.. I call bullcrap! I am convinced that Luke's obscured face is from another shot. Why else would they show him with the face dark and the hood up? I came to this forum, hoping that some expert on the ROTJ footage could identify it.

Mark Hamill has told us fans at numerous times, in a live fan interview at Hyperspace's forum several years ago and in person to several fans that he did not remember shooting the scene.

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Probably to make Luke all mysterious, (has he fallen to the dark side already?) and build up to his arrival at Jabba's palace. Threepio standing outside the cave could have been matted into a cave set shot later.

Don't forget, Leia and Lando make their entrances in disguise too.

Doubles are used in films all the time. You don't pay Harrison Ford to walk down the street with his back to the camera, or for an insert shot of pushing a button!

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Where were you in '77?

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" am convinced that Luke's obscured face is from another shot. Why else would they show him with the face dark and the hood up?"

To show a visual similarity with the Emperor. And create unease in the viewer that Luke is perhaps turning to the dark side from the (presumably) regular 'messages' from his Father via the Force. A great beginning to the film in my opinion! The more I see it the more it already feels like it belongs to the beginning of Jedi and should be seen that way. Looking forward to some fan edits of this footage into the original film already ;)

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I never thought it was some dark side thing. Luke is mysterious because the Jedi are mysterious. They walk around with robes and hoods and are are mystical and solemn, like monks. That's also the reason he has the black uniform--its supposed to be "jedi-like", in Lucas' words. The reveal of Luke in darkness is a great re-introduction to him in his new calling, completing his new lightsaber to boot. And then when he turns it on--you know that he's going to kick Jabbas ass. I guess its the "return of the jedi"?

Anyway if Hamill swears that he never shot it than maybe he never shot it. It could easily be a double since you don't see his full face. It looks like Hamill's face to me, but that could mean they just had a good double.

What surprises me is the meditation chamber of Vader's. Did they re-build that whole set just for one single shot? Normally that would be possible, but given how cheap Lucas is about not having to build sets this surprised me. Maybe they had it in storage, but it doesn't seem like one of those props/setpieces they would hold on to. I'm wondering if this was an outtake from ESB, but then I can't imagine where in the film it would have fit if it was. The dollying-in towards Vader seems very characteristic of Kershner, but very out of place for Lucas and Marquand.

Also, the Vader dialogue DOES sound like ROTJ-era Vader. But the pieces sound like they are probably alternate recordings for ESB.

Luke, join me on the darkside (and I will complete your training).

My son, (come with me, it is the only way).

And so on. He also says "Luke" a bunch of times in ESB, but not in ROTJ, which may be where they got the Luke line from.

But if the scene was basically finished why would they drop in these constructed readings? Baronlando has a good point about making things overexplained, but the scene was supposed to have Vader communicating to Luke telepathically like in ESB, and not only would not that not be clear at all without the dialogue, I would think you would want to have dialogue for this to even be possible. So, it's weird if the scene was finished and always had dialogue that Jones never recorded original stuff for it. Maybe this is it, I dunno. As I said, it does sound like Jedi-era Vader, even if the lines seem suspiciously like ESB alternates.

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I think "my son" is from Jedi ("a small rebel force has landed. my son is with them.")