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starwarsmania

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26-Mar-2007
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30-Aug-2011
Posts
48

Post History

Post
#289170
Topic
Holiday Special Cartoon/Deleted Scene DVD rumours at CELEBRATION IV
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/289170/action/topic#289170
Time
The cut scene of the group outside Toshi Station was shown during Scott Chernoffs STAR WARS CAST REUNION. All of the guests enjoyed watching the deleted scene and many of the fans there had, surprisingly, never seen the footage bfore-a fact that still amazes me!!!

It was only shown because an excellent, forward thinking fan (Skot, take a bow if that was you) brought it along with them...


STARWARSMANIA
Post
#289054
Topic
Intriguing new info on Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy deleted scenes gleaned from CELEBRATION IV.
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/289054/action/topic#289054
Time
Ever on the hunt for more information on the missing scenes of the STAR WARS SAGA, STAR WARS AFICIONADO managed to discover some fascinating new gems at CELEBRATION IV that we thought people would REALLY want to know about….

GEORGE ROUBICEK (COMMANDER PRAJI)

Playing Commander Praji in A NEW HOPE (the Imperial character who tells Vader of the escape pod jettisoning down to Tatooine), the veteran British film and television actor, in only his second convention appearance, revealed that he had worked on the film for three days in total (of which one day was spent waiting in his dressing room and not being used at all!!). He also recalled that the filming of his scenes was very fast and that the crew were under great pressure to get it all done, with the white corridor wall set behind him, whilst talking to Vader and actor Al Lampart, being so delicate that you couldn’t get too near it or lean against it in case it fell down!! Additionally, due to time factors, no stills photographs of his character were taken on set (the reason why his autograph picture is from a high quality screen grab). The big news, however, was his revelation that he had additional sequences to the one seen on screen, including a death scene on the Blockade Runner which was filmed!!! Our good friend Skot at STARWARSHOLIDAYSPECIAL.COM confirmed to me at the convention that he had previously seen storyboards on the Blockade Runner in which a hidden Rebel soldier/s pops out of hiding and guns down an Imperial Stormtrooper/s. Could this scene have been filmed and involved Commander Praji? It seems the most likely explanation. A shot was recently unearthed in STAR WARS INSIDER which showed Vader watching three captured Rebels (one injured and being supported by his colleagues) being escorted away by Stormtroopers-could this have been part of that scene-could a small hidden group of Rebel soldiers carried on the fight before the Blockade Runner was totaled by the Imperials?

Asking Roubicek if he played one of the officers who watched the escape pod blasting away from the Blockade Runner, the actor replied that he wasn’t in this scene, so that means there are two unidentified actors, whose face aren’t seen, in that sequence. A recent behind the scenes report from Pablo Hidalgo on STARWARS.COM site listed actor Ken Hutchison as being on the actors call sheet for part of the Blockade Runner filming. Since Hutchinson cannot be seen in the film, to my knowledge, could he have played one of those two officers and had his voice dubbed? Or possibly one of the in-hiding Rebel Soldiers?

Anyone out there have any more info on this?

ANTHONY FORREST (FIXER) / GARRICK HAGON (BIGGS DARKLIGHTER)

One of the main highlights of the convention was meeting Anthony Forrest, who played both Fixer (during filming at Tunisia and Elstree) and an Imperial Stormtrooper (at Djerba/Ajim for the scene where they stop Luke and his party in the Landspeeder).

Now a film producer, Forrest’s recollections of the STAR WARS filming were impressive and highly detailed and he was an excellent convention guest. On the cut scenes side, Forrest revealed that, for the scene where Fixer, Camie and Biggs follow Luke outside Toshi station and check out the sky, where Biggs debunks Luke’s theories of an overhead space battle, that the sequence continued on inside the Toshi power station afterwards and that it didn’t just end with Camie casually throwing the binoculars back to an offended Luke. Does anyone out there have any more info on this amazing new revelation?

Of the previous introduction sequence, in which Luke is re-united with Biggs, Garrick Hagon would also reveal that the sequence wasn’t just filmed in wide shot (as seen in DELETED MAGIC)-that there were also filmed insert shots of Biggs, Deak and Windy playing the intergalactic pool game as well!!!

Of the Stormtrooper scene shot in Djerba, Forrest revealed exclusively at CELEBRATION that he played the lead Stormtrooper who is given the Jedi mind trick by Ben Kenobi. Basically, his playing the part was a last minute thing as Guinness decided that he wanted to act opposite another actor in the Stormtrooper costume rather than a Tunisian extra. In a quick piece of thinking, Lucas asked a sun bathing Anthony Forrest at the hotel if he would don the Stormtrooper costume as a favour to him and Sir Alec Guinness. Forrest was only too happy to oblige for the scene. The only problem being that the Stormtrooper costumes shoulder and shoulder pad sections were extremely heavy, weighing down on his sun burnt shoulders inside the costume. Forrest also recalls how raw and uncomfortable the Stormtrooper costumes were then, with very rough inside edges (Robert Watts, also at CELEBRATION IV, would later go on to state that the Stormtrooper costumes built by people like the 501 LEGION were much better than anything built for the actual STAR WARS films!!)

COLIN HIGGINS-THE ORIGINAL WEDGE ANTILLES

As AFICIONADO revealed way back in 2004, British actor Colin Higgins played Wedge first and was later replaced by Denis Lawson. This has now been fully confirmed with Higgins first US convention appearance at CELEBRATION IV. He also revealed that, through his own fault, he was fired from the STAR WARS set back in 1976. Being a tv actor, the young actor was inexperienced and unused to both the process of feature film-making and the language of American film scripts (and especially a script with the nature of STAR WARS, with all its technical jargon and fantasy universe descriptions), finding himself very insecure (at one point throwing up through nerves at all the problems of filming). Not correctly saying a part of his dialogue scenes with Mark Hamill (of which the actor, who had more lines than was seen in the finished movie, was unused to American parts of the dialogue), requiring several re-takes, Higgins, who was not able to speed up his line delivery for the filming (a problem that also apparently affected Alex McCrindle when playing his scenes as General Dodonna), would un-knowingly cause the film-makers a valuable loss of time and money on re-shooting, leading them to make the decision of not recalling him back to the July filming of his characters scenes in the X-Wing fighter cockpit, and replacing him with Denis Lawson instead.

Despite his enjoying the sets and costumes and the overall epic sense of the production, as well as liking the company of Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, Higgins would also cause further accidental upset when, being one of the speaking part actors, was incorrectly thought to be a background artist when he entered the actors food line during lunch break. With the angry extras, who had their own separate food line, thinking he was a background artist as well (who shouldn’t be in the same food line as the speaking part actors), the situation would also cause further friction between them, Higgins, and certain members of the production team.

Seeing the completed film at a London cast and crew preview screening in 1977, Higgins would be thrilled at how good the movie was, but decidedly upset at the problems he had encountered during the 1976 filming-a situation which prevented him from making appearances at STAR WARS events until very recently.

THE JOHN KNOLL PRESENTATION

With his immense work on the STAR WARS Prequels, the STAR WARS AFICIONADO team were looking forward to seeing what intriguing photos and clips the effects producer would reveal in his presentation. And he certainly didn’t disappoint in that respect-the main presentation being of the photos he had taken during the Prequel filming, of which several shots were cut scenes. Notable highlights included Mace Windu's original office from ATTACK OF THE CLONES, an intriguing action shot of Anakin and Obi-Wan fighting over head battle droids magnetized to the ceiling on the bridge of the Invisible Hand for REVENGE OF THE SITH, and a shot of Padme from ATTACK OF THE CLONES wearing her famous deleted white head covering on Tatooine before departing for Geonosis, and wearing the same head gear for her arrival within the Genosian Plaza with Anakin (in the originally filmed sequence before the Droid conveyor belt action scene replaced it).

Anyone out there got any more new cut scene info?


STARWARSMANIA
Post
#289030
Topic
Holiday Special Cartoon/Deleted Scene DVD rumours at CELEBRATION IV
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/289030/action/topic#289030
Time

Talking to someone who seemed a very reliable source at CELEBRATION IV (I don't want to name the person as they could get into very serious trouble), I heard news of a late in the year DVD release of the HOLIDAY SPECIAL cartoon, either separately, or together, with cleaned up Deleted Scenes from the Original Trilogy.

Did anyone else hear any news about this at the convention?


STARWARSMANIA
Post
#289027
Topic
Making of Star Wars (New Book) Discussion
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/289027/action/topic#289027
Time
The STAR WARS AFICIONADO MAGAZINE team got the chance to talk to J.W. RINZLER in the FAN CLUB lounge at CELEBRATION IV. Impressed with his recently released MAKING OF STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE, we managed to ask him some burning questions that we thought needed to be covered, and glean some additional information that we think you might find interesting:


1. That no photos or information exists in the LUCASFILM ARCHIVES on the creation of the Vader mask/main costume. Very few behind the scenes shots available in the LUCASFILM ARCHIVES of Dave Prowse as Darth Vader from A NEW HOPE.

2. Of all the photos taken for the films, A NEW HOPE is the one that is the least represented in the archives with few discs of images compared to the two sequels that followed it and the Prequels.

3. Very little was documented of the pre-production build up to filming. With the film being green lit for filming so late in the day by FOX, no one was thinking properly about creating any visual documentation. Additionally, so much documented information from that period is not in the archives (either lost, destroyed or in private collections).

4. There were also very few images of behind the scene production personnel in the LUCASFILM ARCHIVES, with Rinzler having particular trouble finding good images of British Special Effects Technician John Stears (we at AFICIONADO can attest to this-we had great trouble finding images for our MAKING OF STAR WARS issue as well!!)

5. According to Rinzler’s information, the on set photographer (we assume he means John Jay) was not present for every day’s filming- apparently only handling a certain batch of days a week. For some sections of the book where filming of certain scenes was not apparently covered, Rinzler had no choice but to use screen grabs (kindly supplied to him by his friend John Knoll-some of which were from the SPECIAL EDITION and had been used in Knoll’s own 365 DAYS book). From information AFICIONADO has, however, we believe that Jay was present throughout the location and ELSTREE/SHEPPERTON filming. There were other photographer so the set as well, like David Steen and Terry O’Neill, who may not have been around for the full filming (often handling the posed studio pictures), so I’m wondering if there is some understandable confusion there on Mister Rinzler’s part.

6. A longer, full length transcript version of Alan Arnold’s ONCE UPON A GALAXY: THE MAKING OF EMPIRE STRIKES BACK book exists, which is a possibility to be used when Rinzler ultimately begins work on his own MAKING OF EMPIRE edition (something that looks very likely, after he has completed work on his INDIANA JONES book, as sales of the MAKING OF A NEW HOPE book have been very encouraging, alongside several very positive reviews).

7. In some instances, the best behind the scenes information came from Lucas and his lawyer (who kept very precise notes on the creation of the first film, and the director’s relationship with TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX).

8. A full cast list for A NEW HOPE exists in the LUCASFILM ARCHIVES but there is no pressure for them to release the information.

9. The Midichlorians reference in the character notes of the hardback edition was not added on to ease pressure on Prequel criticisms. Rinzler confirms that this was in Lucas’s original reference material/commentaries given to Carol Titelman in 1977/78 (of which Threepio’s original origin, as having come from the planet Affa, would later be confirmed by Anthony Daniels to Presenter Chris Kelly in the UK 1980 edition of the Children’s film-making television programme CLAPPERBOARD.

10. For reasons unknown, possibly timing (as he was not present for all the filming-traveling to and from the States), Charles Lippincott did not interview the enigma that was Sir Alec Guinness, or Peter Cushing (who was only on set filming for a select period of days in early May). Additionally, other actors, such as Dave Prowse, weren’t either. In some cases, Rinzler had to use quotes from other sources, from 1976/77, for Alec Guinness, and later 1990’s quotes for Peter Cushing.

11. The full script for REVENGE OF THE JEDI (RETURN OF THE JEDI) exists in the archives. There are no plans to release it at this time.

12. As far as Rinzler is aware, the LOST CUT that was featured in David West Reynolds STAR WARS INSIDER article back in 1998/99 is the FIRST ROUGH CUT and was never apparently intended as a real version of the film (we don’t know what to make of this info-John Jympson, who was hired, and later fired, for his work on the FIRST ROUGH CUT was an acclaimed film editor at that time-why would Lucas hire someone so prestigious to work on a ROUGH CUT?)

I offered Mister Rinzler, who gave an excellent talk and was an extremely nice guy, a copy of the MAKING OF STAR WARS AFICIONADO special issue (which cointains behind the scenes information not in his book) but, for understandable legal reasons, he was not able to accept it.
Post
#286951
Topic
Star Wars - The Exhibition, London
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/286951/action/topic#286951
Time

My fellow STAR WARS AFICIONADO buddy, Ian, and I attended the opening day of the exhibition and I have to say that it was nowhere near as good as it was when it was at the Science Museum in Paris. It may have been a large venue to place the exhibits in but it didn't seem all that well planned out and the visual displays and interactive areas that were so good in Paris just weren't evident this time around. The stuffy historical design bureacracy of the building particularly drowned the various paintings and storyboards on display. Additionally, not all of the previous exhibits were at the London event-presumably these missing ones are soon to appear at CELEBRATION IV?

It was also seriously over-priced-the Paris exhibition was half the cost and much better. I don't know if I'd want to spend £16.50 again on it-thats quite a chunk of dough for me these days!!

So, sorry to report what could have been superb was merely just average-and there wasn't even any great exclusive Exhibition merchandise for people to buy!!


STARWARSMANIA

Post
#286950
Topic
STAR WARS AFICIONADO MAGAZINE at CELEBRATION IV
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/286950/action/topic#286950
Time
Hello Everybody,

Just to let anyone attending CELEBRATION IV in Los Angeles know that the UK STAR WARS AFICIONADO magazine will be having a small get together at the upstairs lounge of the EMERALD BAR AND GRILL on Monday May 28th at 7pm located within the HOLIDAY INN HOTEL opposite the Convention Centre, for the unveiling of the new 110 page, 1500 photos/illustration packed AFICIONADO THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE, of which a limited amount of copies, now being released on PDF/CD-R, will be available to purchase prior to its full release on June 6th.

Both myself and my colleagues, Ian and Chris, will be at the convention for all of the event. I have enclosed a picture of my ugly mug, if anyone needs it for reference, in the FILES folder of the AFICIONADO YAHOO GROUPs-http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/starwarsaficionado2-as well as other info in the letters posted area of the site.

The three YAHOO GROUP/s for the magazine, which can be accessed via the LINKS folder in the Group 2 web address provided above, have had lots of other Thirtieth Anniversary coverage/pictures recently added to them which I think you'll enjoy.

We hope to meet some of you at the convention.

Cheers,


SCOTT (STARWARSMANIA)
Post
#284205
Topic
"BRING BACK STAR WARS" Channel 4 UK documentary coming soon...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/284205/action/topic#284205
Time

Hi everybody,

Was reading the UK TV listings magazine TV AND SATELLITE WEEK yesterday, and in it's news section there's info that the UK's Channel 4 and British comedian Justin Lee Collins (the presenter of their hit FRIDAY NIGHT PROJECT late night comedy show) are doing a new documentary, BRING BACK STAR WARS, which aims to bring together as many members of the original STAR WARS cast as possible in Los Angeles for a reunion party. If anyone out there saw C4's/Lee Collins last BRING BACK programme, which was on re-uniting the A-TEAM (which was a great success, and extremely good fun, with Collins genuinely fond of the subject matter), then this shoud be pretty good-especially if Collins goes to the kind of lengths in finding and contacting Harrison Ford as he did with Mister T!!!

No airdate is announced but it's bound to be May or June, I suppose.

Thought I'd let people know...

Cheers.


STARWARSMANIA
Post
#283535
Topic
Star Wars Insider - R.I.P.
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/283535/action/topic#283535
Time

Have been eagerly anticipating the new look STAR WARS INSIDER to see what changes TITAN were going to make to the magazine. Would we see a return to form for the magazine we loved in 1995-2000? Would TITAN be doing a magazine along the excellent lines of John Freeman’s Editorship of the stand alone British magazine from 1995-1997? Would we get great features, interviews, rare photos galore again?

In a word: no.

Sorry to say, but I thought that, apart from one photo I’ve never seen before (a great pic of Darth Vader watching injured Rebel prisoners taken away in the Rebel Blockade Runner), and the 1975 storyboards, TITAN’s first new issues was DREADFUL!! My heart sank when I read it from cover to last page in about ten minutes… Absolutely dreadful. We all thought that the last few years of the magazine weren’t as good as when Scott Chernoff and the other guys were writing it, but this new look is WORSE!!

I’ve worked in contract publishing for many years, and I’ve seen the quality of magazines deteriorate into bite sizes, short attention span featurettes. Sadly, STAR WARS has joined that trend.

Printed on cheap paper, with the same old photos being regurgitated, with kids magazine layouts, bare bone features, tons of product placement, if this is the re-invention of STAR WARS then I won’t be renewing my subscription after the anniversary celebrations are over…

All the potential for STAR WARS, the ANNIVERSARY, everything. Even the PREQUELS aren’t getting much of a look in and there are still lots of areas in that aspect of the Saga to be covered.

This is a big disappointment. Can the 100 page anniversary issue coming in two months be an improvement? God, lets hope so. Otherwise, I may just be readig the J.W.Rinzler book for the next three years until the cartoon and live action TV series…

What does everyone else out there think??

Post
#283180
Topic
The Star Wars Archives, a different kind of preservation
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/283180/action/topic#283180
Time
I've been researching interview material for the MAKING OF RETURN OF THE JEDI STAR WARS AFICIONADO magazine coming out at the end of the year. So far in my interview perusals, only Carrie has talked about George Lucas giving different direction from Marquand on one days filming of the Jabba Palace set. There are rumours that Alan Hume, Marquand's long time cinematographer, left filming at ELSTREE because he was annoyed at the way Marquand was being treated-there are pics of Hume's assumed replacement, Alec Mills, filming scenes with Marquand in March 1982 during the Emperors throne room scenes but, as far as I'm aware, Hume was part of the filming team that went to Yuma and the Rdwoods from April, working alongside an additional American cinematographer (due to US filming rules).

Marquand DID direct that film, and Lucas was HEAVILY involved with him on it, especially on the effects side which Marquand was not used to. Marquand did his first cut of the film with longtime film editing colleague Sean Barton. Then Lucas worked with him-Lucas insisted that they worked together on the editing- on a refined version which became the film we know now, working with Duwayne Dunham with extra help/trusted editing advice from Marcia Lucas Text
Post
#281996
Topic
STAR WARS 1977 Premiere and party in London, England-any info?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281996/action/topic#281996
Time
Hello everybody!!

Does anyone out there have any more info about a London/UK premiere and party for STAR WARS on its original release? I'm assuming this was December 1977 in London's West End, before the films general release around the UK in late January 1978? Did any of the stars turn out for it, or was this a press/general British celebrity attended event?

According to the current STARBURST STAR WARS SPECIAL writer Alan Jones recalls having been given a star paperweight from the event, made from clear perspex with "MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU" on it, that was placed on the tables of the after show party.

If anyone has any more info, can they get in touch..

Thanks


STARWARSMANIA
Post
#281429
Topic
Info: The Making of The Empire Strikes Back (Michel Parbot)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/281429/action/topic#281429
Time
HELLO ROK!!

Thank you SO much for your contributions. Have joined RAPIDSHARE and downloaded the STAR WARS/A NEW HOPE stuff-it's terrific. Is the Parbot EMPIRE footage link still working?-I keep keying it in but RAPIDSHARE says it can't find the file?

I've tried the YOUSENDIT conversion but for some reason, even with the ANTIVIRUS security turned off, it won't get past the sign in on my machine.

Thanks again,


STARWARSMANIA
Post
#280689
Topic
'Serenity' dethrones 'Star Wars' as UK's favourite sci-fi film
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/280689/action/topic#280689
Time
I have to say that many friends of mine who are film reviewers were telling me how wonderful SERENITY was. I'm afraid I was very disapointed. It was well made, and the cast were likeable enough but it just didn't do anything for me. I felt watching it that I'd seen it all before (there were echoes of STAR TREK, STAR WARS, and Wheedon had even re-used his motley group of renegade hero/rogues ideas from his script for ALIEN RESURRECTION, with a bit of his own BUFFY ass kicking babe type concepts thrown in). Say what you like about the PREQUELS, but there were more brand new ideas, and a highly unique visual style, and at least attempts being made to be different to the Original Trilogy, in those three movies-TPM, AOTC and ROTS- than there were in SERENITY..

SERENTIY-BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM OF ALL TIME? Sadly, I don't think so. Even if people prefer SERENITY over STAR WARS, can anyone say it was better than such well deserved classics as 2001, PLANET OF THE APES and BLADE RUNNER?

Call me a dumb-ass cynic-but STAR WARS blew everybody away in 1977. I had never seen anything like it in 1977. And I haven't had that same feeling about anything since.....
Post
#279924
Topic
STAR WARS: still finding out things thirty years on...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/279924/action/topic#279924
Time
Continued by STARWARSMANIA..

Looking at the wording on STARWARS.COM they could, I suppose, be meaning the shot of Luke looking at the Tusken Raiders through the binoculars (the DEATH VALLEY shot where the Bantha was superimposed to make it look like there were two of them!!), but if so it's not worded well at all...

If there is any extra info, give us a buzz...

Ta,


SWM..
Post
#279921
Topic
STAR WARS: still finding out things thirty years on...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/279921/action/topic#279921
Time

I was looking at STARWARS.COM today, who are doing an intriguing new series of articles about what was going on in the month's leading up to the films May 25th 1977 release. Intriguingly, in their list of work being done by ILM (and I assume by the various other optical effects companies helping them) there is a listing for an image graphic for a Tusken Raider binocular-I'm assuming this a binocular or rifle scope of some kind thats on the gun that one of the Raider ceatures aims at Luke Skywalker and Threepio when they are searching the Jundland wastes for Artoo?

Though I was previously aware of the aborted Landspeeder dashboard radar-like graphic that had previously been shown in the ART OF STAR WARS book, I wasn't aware of this new little piece of information at all? Does anyone out there have any more info? Does a picture of the graphic exist, or will it be one of the tasty morsels to be revealed in the upcoming J.W.Rinzler book?

Why was it not used in the end film?

Intriguing stuff, eh?

Thirty years on and there is still so much to learn...
Post
#279750
Topic
Star Wars Aficionado Magazine, and a hello...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/279750/action/topic#279750
Time
Hello everybody,

After years of lurking in the shadows of this site-I've become a bit like Darth Sidious, waiting for the time to strike!!!-I've fully joined OT.COM and wanted to say hello. I hope to contribute as much as I can to the Forums over the coming years...

Also, with my Editor-in-Chief cap on, just to let you know that the new edition of the UK STAR WARS fan magzine STAR WARS AFICIONADO is now available as a PDF on CD-R-a revised magazine completely dedicated to the making of STAR WARS (or STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE). Details of how to get it, alongside page previews, are available on the YAHOO GROUP site:

http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/starwarsaficionado2/

Best regards to you all,


SCOTT