'AN EMPIRE' AT 45: FROM FINSE WITH LOVE!

UK art technician Alan Tomkins with the Tauntaun prop outside the Finse 1222 hotel in Norway. Image: Pamela Mann.

Filming of the desert realms of Tatooine, in Tunisia, for the original Star Wars back during March/April 1976, had brought its own unique problems that had to be overcome by the film crew, but those were nothing in comparison to the location work at Norway for the opening act of The Empire Strikes Back set on the ice planet of Hoth. Heavy ice, snowstorms, avalanches and 'white-outs' were constant, in the worst weather that the chosen location, Finse, had seen for decades. In such conditions it was a marvel that the main first unit, headed by Irvin Kershner, a frost-bitten Gary Kurtz, stalwart David Tomblin, and others, were able to accomplish so much. And thankfully, some material could even be shot literally outside the hotel! 

But the worsening weather would go on to heavily affect the second unit's eventual filming of the ground snow battle scenes against the AT-AT's going into April, 1979...

Gary Kurtz and Irvin Kershner brave the elements.

Mark Hamill gets sun sun and rest atop one of the special Empire snow vehicles.

Peter Mayhew and crew enjoy a warming meal on at one the location camp bases.

Filming Chewbacca's one and only scene on location.

Continuity Polaroid of Mayhew with Pamela Mann.

"That was fairly horrendous. It was cold and the wind was blowing. It was just a bit unpleasant, but the filming of that scene was only half a day."

Peter Mayhew - Star Wars Insider - Issue 28

Quickly abandoning filming as a dreaded 'white-out' arrives at the site.

Inside one of the two location camp huts, Irvin Kershner rehearses a scene with Mark Hamill atop the primary Tauntaun prop, watched and recorded by Michel Parbot and his documentary team.

Posing atop the full scale prop for publicity images.

Filming reaction shots with the head prop, also built by Stuart Freeborn and his team in London.

Some of the crew assemble at a base camp with the prop Tauntaun. Image: Pamela Mann.

Crewman Des Webb wears the heavy stilts whilst playing the Wampa snow monster.

The snow vehicles continue on throughout the location filming.

Lifted by helicopter (likely piloted by film-making veteran Marc Wolfe), Colin Skeaping doubles as Luke for his descent from the damaged Walker.

UK Script Supervisor and Continuity talent Pamela Mann enjoys the location.

Pamela even enjoys her own igloo as part of the location camraderie.

Harrison Ford, Kershner and crew prepare for the next Tauntaun sequence.

Moving the damaged Snowspeeder prop into location positioning.

Filming Luke's swift escape from the wrecked Snowspeeder.

Filming the Probot prop at varying sites on location.

The half Probot prop and tracks outside the Finse 1222 hotel.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE WRONG ROOM!

Ignoring a frightfully rude protocol droid counterpart, Threepio, distracted from his friends, enters a small chamber and soon meets the wrong kind of hidden visitors to Bespin...

To not give the game away about the Stormtroopers presence on Bespin, the voice that asks who Threepio is came from an unknown actor suspiciously sounding like Frank Oz as Yoda, perhaps an unused line of his talking to Luke from the Dagobah filming...

Going all the pieces!

Alan Tomkins and friend at the Elstree workshops, alongside a full-suit Threepio that may have been used in the explosion stunt sequence.

With thanks to Chris Baker for selected imagery. 

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: WHO'S THAT YODA?

At Elstree, Alan Tomkins measures the potential simian inhabitant of a Yoda costume.

Following on from a chimpanzee being used successfully to bring Battlestar Galactica's electronic 'Muffit the Daggit' to life in 1978, an early idea for the creation of Yoda for Empire was to also use their own trained simian inside some kind of mask and costume. Thankfully, the idea was aborted at a very early stage- animal rights control in TV/movie-making may not have been as powerful then as it is now, but I'm sure someone would have rightfully deemed the idea very cruel and uncomfortable for the monkey.

The simian wears a mask for a test photo.

AFICIONADO REVIEW: 'STARS AND WARS: THE FILM MEMOIRS AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF ALAN TOMKINS'

We've all got photo albums packed with memories to treasure, but surly none could be as exciting, exotic and world travelled, nor as memorably diverse, as those held in the collection of top British Art Director Alan Tomkins, his pre-retirement working CV a veritable goldmine of some of the most iconic and successful blockbusters ever made, across all types of genres over the last fifty years. His new book from THE HISTORY PRESS, Stars and Wars, is a lovely assemblage of those rare on-set photos and Polaroids he'd take over the years, coming alive alongside his unique behind the scenes memories revealing his major, often understated, contributions to the films that we never tire of watching, blessed with a rare talent that would go on to impress and wow legendary filmmakers like Oliver Stone (who, despite his seemingly gruff exterior in the media, gives a genuinely warm-hearted and pleasing introduction to this book), the ultimate Kid-ult that is Steven Spielberg, and the late, great John Huston.

This warm-hearted trip down memory lane includes so many great movie adventures and so many practical challenges for the rising star of the UK Art Department world to overcome and make his mark on- from getting his big break as a junior at the original ABPC Elstree Studios in London then making his way up through hard work, lots of luck and assembling a very strong list of contacts and friends that would prove invaluable in the years to come, primarily launched via the experiences of David Lean's spirited desert adventure Lawrence of Arabia. War movies would become a particular speciality of Tomkins, showing his expertise and love of aviation, from Guy Hamilton's epic sky drama Battle of Britain, to the epic Richard Attenborough helmed, star-packed A Bridge Too Far, Harrison Ford's shaky visit to Hanover Street, and the incredible exploits of those brave young pilots flying the flak explosions in their beloved Memphis Belle, followed by the genuine "war is hell" visceral and gritty qualities of Spielberg and Tom Hank's Saving Private Ryan. An altogether different type of war would encapsulate Tomkins imagination and attention to detail by 1979, that of the George Lucas fantasy variety. No stranger to blockbusters, what with numerous larger-than-life James Bond films under his belt, Tomkins would head out to the harsh climes of Finse, Norway to help bring The Empire Strikes Back's trench warfare of the Rebel soldiers of Hoth against the Imperial AT-AT Walker juggernauts to exciting life, working and often stuck in a genuinely hostile and danger-packed location but emerging to savour an experience that proved ultimately rewarding, and a sequence that has become much beloved by worldwide STAR WARS fans who'll certainly enjoy the intriguing section that Tomkins provides in this book, alongside some great snowbound imagery.

STAR WARS may be the main focus of the cover and of primary interest to readers of this blog, but the Classic Trilogy saga occupies but a small section of Tomkins invaluable collection of England and Hollywood-related memories and nostalgia, of which this tome contains sections both brief and detailed on all manner of other films large and small, some known, some not, but all pivotal landmarks or turning points in his growing career. Highlights include working with the genuinely one-of-a-kind charisma/whirlwind Stanley Kubrick -both heaven and hell for anyone working behind the scenes with him on what would become the benchmark science fiction wonder 2001: A Space Odyssey, landing back on planet Earth for a memorable stint on the seventies Paul Newman thriller, The Mackintosh Man (in which he famously got to direct the lead man and found the experience a joy), the live-action version of 101 Dalmatians (the challenges of creating sets occupied by so many gorgeous puppies), a demanding trilogy of Oliver Stone movies (from the stunning and authoritative JFK, to the psychedelic murder and mayhem of Natural Born Killers), then to the dark modern fusing of comic book and gritty urban thriller that would be the first Batman Begins from England's new "wunderkid", Christopher Nolan, helping to bring the Dark Knight's incredible war arsenal, the Batmobile, to such barnstorming creation. Tomkins ends his journey with the first of the Daniel Craig era James Bonds- the franchise reinvigorating Casino Royale, being one of the main contributors to its key finale sequence, where a Venice building sinks into the water as Bond fights his nemeses. As the book comes to close, Tomkins extensive filmography reveals other intriguing films that I wish he could have shed some light on, like Lewis Gilbert's sadly cancelled Terry & the Pirates, the Tobe Hooper UK horror Lifeforce, or Michael Mann's feature film debut, The Keep. Perhaps his contributions to those intriguing cult classics will come to light one day via an alternate route...

Bolstered by rare stills imagery and striking movie posters, plus other biographical details, and packaged in a nice, easy to read style highlighting Tomkin's generosity and amiable personality, Stars and Wars is another fine slice of publication magic for THE HISTORY PRESS. Don't expect too much in the way of anecdotes about working with the film stars, though. Instead, see how the incredible films they're a collective part of actually got made- through hard persistent work, long hours, spirited enthusiasm, and often genuine inspiration.

AFICIONADO RATING: 3.5 out of 5

Get hold of Stars and Wars here: Stars and Wars | 9780750956178

With thanks to THE HISTORY PRESS

Previous AFICIONADO blogs on Alan Tomkins: STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: ALAN TOMKINS

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 35: THE LONG WAIT...

On the ice planet of Hoth, brave Rebel Soldiers remain entrenched in their trench pits waiting for the call to arms, in this intriguing shot likely framed specifically in homage to war-weary images taken in the tenches of World War One.

Ralph McQuarrie's production painting linked to the photo.

As equally challenging as the Battle of Hoth was the battle by dedicated filmmakers to get the sequence filmed in the worst weather conditions of Norway in early 1979. Find out more about how this was achieved in Alan Tomkins new photo biography: Stars and Wars: The Film Memoirs and Photographs of Alan Tomkins, published by THE HISTORY PRESS.

Out now, get the book here: Stars and Wars | 9780750956178

COMING SOON: ALAN TOMKINS' 'STARS AND WARS'

As a skilled and talented art director, he's helped directors like Christopher Nolan, Sir Richard Attenborough and Steven Spielberg bring their epic movie-making visions to life- from the gritty realism of A BRIDGE TOO FAR, to the comic book heroism of that Darkest of Knights, Batman, in BATMAN BEGINS, and even the quirky fun of DISNEY's spirited live-action version of 101 DALMATIANS. But Alan Tomkins is best remembered by STAR WARS fans for his behind the scenes work at the UK's Elstree studios and on location for the original two groundbreaking movies of the Classic Trilogy: A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.

Tomkins will be sharing his photo collection and anecdotes on the STAR WARS films, as well as his expansive movie career in general, for a new book coming this June- Stars and Wars, published by THE HISTORY PRESS. Just from looking at the cover alone, with its two rare main images, this will surely be eagerly awaited...

More info and preorder details from THE HISTORY PRESS: Stars and Wars | 9780750956178

BEHIND THE SCENES: ALAN TOMKINS TALKS 'EMPIRE'

Out in the cold at Norway: March/April 1979 for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Image: Alan Tomkins.

AFICIONADO contributor Ian Trussler met ESB’s veteran Art Directing talent Alan Tomkins at a Birmingham Memorabillia signing last month, who revealed the following behind the scenes information:

Alan Tomkins in 2012. Picture by Ian Trussler.

He did about 3 days as a Rebel on location in Finse, simply because they were short of men. He worked directly under Norman Reynolds and oversaw the building of sets and large props. He did the technical drawings for the Snowspeeder prop and also for AT-ATs and other vehicles, etc. He said he was asked by a production executive how much it would cost to actually make the Snowspeeders really fly, something that was genuinely being considered, and explained that they were designed for visual aesthetics rather than actual aerodynamics, but that with unlimited time and money anything could be made to fly. He said he took pics in Finse of the Snowspeeder prop being airlifted by helicopter up to the glacier for shooting, although he didn’t have them with him to show at the event. This was his first ever signing and he was really enjoying it. A really nice old guy and perhaps he will do Empire Day next year, or other shows in the future.

Tomkins on the right, playing a Rebel Snowtrooper on location at Finse. Image: Alan Tomkins.

With thanks to Chris Baker for his image remastering skills.

Alan Tomkins career photo biography, STARS and WARS, is reviewed: STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: AFICIONADO REVIEW: 'STARS AND WARS: THE FILM MEMOIRS AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF ALAN TOMKINS'

Get the book here: Stars and Wars | 9780750956178