Tuesday 13 May 2014

LAUNCHING THE LEGEND. PIC SIX: 'REVENGE OF THE SITH' 2003


In the run up to commencement of EPISODE VII's PINEWOOD STUDIOS principal photography, apparently slated for May 14th, 2014, STAR WARS AFICIONADO presents a key image from the first days shooting of the previous six films of the saga.

June 30th, 2003. The Attack of the Clones had come and gone, attracting the same kind of hit and miss status with critics and certain fans as EPISODE I, but nonetheless sustaining strong box office returns and continued audience interest. Now, the seasoned Lucas had his sights fully set on completing the trilogy and the saga with the all-important EPISODE III- the film that would likely be the real challenge of his Prequel-making career, what with the need to believably and successfully fuse two STAR WARS universes together into a satisfying whole, giving fans lots of continuity to the future past to enjoy, especially linked to Ian McDiarmid's final rise to power as The Emperor, yet not without bringing new and varied alien landscapes to keep general cinema-goers entertained, helped by an impressive supporting villain in the form of multiple lightsaber-wielding cyborg General Grievous to complicate events in the movie's middle, and providing an overall darker edge not seen in the series for quite a while- notably with its final quarter, and the ultimate descent into Sith Hell that Anakin Skywalker would face, becoming the more machine than man nightmare that would be Darth Vader.

But before all that, the reunited cast and crew would have to warm up once again with their first day of digital principal photography, part of a planned, very tight, sixty day shoot: on the cards this premiere day, scenes of Jedi heroes Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan traversing the lift corridor of The Invisible Hand to rescue the captured Palpatine. Always a pleasure to see these Jedi heroes, their complicated friendship would be tested ever further after the concluding events of the three-year lifespan of The Clone Wars. Anakin's relationship with his Jedi mentor and "brother" Obi-Wan would have its last chance to be explored within EPISODE III, and stars Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor, who had become the greatest of friends over three years, wanted to make sure that what was shown onscreen between them, before their final cataclysmic lightsaber duel on the volcanic world of Mustafar, rang true with audiences and for what would later be established in the overall Classic Trilogy storyline. For the most part they would be successful, as the eventually titled Revenge of the Sith, with its fast pace and memorable scenes, concluded the impactful 1999-2005 cinematic experience, and STAR WARS at that time, on an eventful high, winning the hearts and minds of a new generation of fans- a process that will continue on with the Lucas legacy now inherited by Kathleen Kennedy and J.J. Abrams for 2015's EPISODE VII.


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