Monday 22 July 2019

THE 'PHANTOM' AT TWENTY: SYMBIONT OBSERVATIONS!

Addressing the Gungan council.

Though treated with polite respect, the Jedi are unable to convince the Gungan people, led by the suspicious Boss Nass, to help their human co-inhabitants above surface. Jar Jar Binks remains in trouble from a prior incident, but having owed a life debt, alongside some friendly 'persuasion' from Qui-Gon Jinn, will also travel with the Jedi back to Theed.

The notion of symbiosis between lifeforms large and small in the story is introduced here. This was a concept that clearly interested Lucas when scripting EPISODE I, part of an overall fascination he's always had in the natural world and anthropology since his U.S.C. days. The idea of an underwater civilisation in the saga was an idea originally thought of by Lucas in 1977, in the very early development of The Empire Strikes Back.

Introducing Boss Nass.

"He's got a deep sense of humour, a hero but very menacing. He's greatly respected by the Jedi. But be careful, you don't want to fool with him."

"In this huge studio with klaxons going off, George (Lucas) silenced hundreds of people and then put his face four inches from mine and quietly explained my character eye-to-eye. For me time stood still."

Brian Blessed on becoming Boss Nass - Empire magazine - August 1999

"Brian Blessed brought so much to the character, we hardly needed other references for Boss Nass."

Rob Coleman (Animation Director) - The Making of Star Wars Episode One book - 1999

Ready to depart Otoh Gunga.

"I don't think Ewan had ever seen a blue screen in his life, and Liam (Neeson) certainly hadn't, nor Natalie (Portman)."

Rick McCallum - Empire magazine - 1999

"The first couple of weeks it was very difficult to get into that way of working (against blue screen with things that weren't there). Sometimes you'd be rehearsing with an actor and sometimes not. You'd see a model of what the creature you're doing the scene with will be like - and then everything is taken away."

Ewan McGregor - Online interview - 1999

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