"You're gonna pay for all the Jedi you've killed today, Dooku!" - Anakin Skywalker
Anakin and Obi-Wan race to the hangar bay and discover Count Dooku making his final preparations to leave Geonosis. Though they should have taken on the formidable dark side enemy together, Anakin recklessly decides to take Dooku on himself and is soon taken out of combat temporarily by an immense bolt of Force lightning dispatched by his opponent. Though Obi-Wan proves an adept duellist, even he can't defeat Dooku at this time or reach stalemate, the former Jedi's combat experience and power soon leaving him seriously injured and facing imminent death from his enemy's blade...
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| The classy but deadly lightsaber of Count Dooku. Image: StarWars.com |
Filmed towards the end of the original principal photography run of EPISODE II at the FOX Studios, Australia - late August, 2000, Christopher Lee would do as many shots possible of the duel without too much potentially painful movement, as well as close-ups where he was actively able to use his hands with the unique lightsaber blade specially created for the character.
With height and build similar to Christopher Lee, expert duellist Kyle Rowling would play Dooku for the intense parts of the duel that were once more choreographed by Nick Gillard and rehearsed over an eight week period (notably alongside Hayden Christensen). Rowling would often have his head CGI replaced with a digital double of Christopher Lee during the film's ILM post production phase.
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| A superb wide shot of the hangar pre-duel. |
“I can recall reading the script and saying to George, "If I play Anakin as on the page - the whiny teenage quality - there's going to be a backlash.'' And there was. But I thought the critics got it wrong. Sometimes they were blasting me for Anakin's flaws. Sometimes I had to remind myself that George must have seen something in me.”
Hayden Christensen - unknown internet interview quote - 2005
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| Rushing in alone, Anakin is soon taken out for a time by a burst of Force lightning from Dooku. |
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| Dooku attacks Obi-Wan with another Force bolt but the Jedi deflects it with his saber. |
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| With Anakin incapacitated, Obi-Wan fights Dooku alone, but the Sith's lightsaber skills soon prove too experienced. |
"The (lightsaber) fighting in EPISODE II was unsatisfactory, I think. I don't think the fight (Obi-Wan and Anakin versus Dooku) was nearly as good as it should have been and I certainly didn't have as big a crack of the whip as the first one."
Ewan McGregor - FemaleFirst.Com internet interview - 2005
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| Obi-Wan continues to fight Dooku. |
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| Behind the scenes duelling shot of Kyle Rowling fighting Ewan McGregor. |
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| Sure enough, Dooku delivers two fast lightsaber cuts that sends the injured and saber-less Kenobi to the floor. Dooku swiftly prepares to cut him in half. |
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| The Geonosis tower secret hangar interior set at the FOX Studios, Australia. 2000. |
Geonosis Cut Scenes - The Lightsaber Duel
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