Showing posts with label BFI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BFI. Show all posts

Wednesday, 11 June 2025

CLASSIC ART: 'STAR WARS' BEGINS...

The classic Hildebrandt Brothers poster that debuted in the UK at the end of 1977/early 1978.

As a rare and pristine condition British release print of the original 1977 version of Star Wars makes for a special screening (originally housed by Rank back in 1979, and later donated), for the first time in decades in the UK, launching this year's BFI Film on Film festival in London (12th to 15th June, 2025), here's a look back to that time when George Lucas's (at first one-off) film launched across the world in 1977 and 1978, promoted via these gorgeous adventure-fuelled posters that soon captured our hearts, minds and imaginations like never before...



Early US teaser poster with the original SW logo before the 'W' was changed.

US teaser poster.

American release poster.

Tom Jung's early poster, at first primarily used for the US, then appearing in various merchandising.

Tom Jung's version of the Hildebrandt original.

Some international posters mixed the Tom Jung art with the Hildebrandts.

Three Japanese posters from 1977/78.


Photo montage mixed with the Hildebrandt art.

Other Japanese rarities.



Italian art my Michelangelo Papuzza.

The 'Dirty Dozen' poster art for the UK and US from 1978, by Tom Chantrell.

Australian 'Daybill' poster. 

Hong Kong release poster - 1978.


Thursday, 12 January 2017

'STAR WARS' AT 40: DROID FELLOWSHIP!


They had their earlier spat and went separate ways, but now Threepio and Artoo are clearly happy to be reunited, despite being trapped inside a Jawa Sandcrawler and surrounded by various other droids of all shapes and sizes- on their way to destinations unknown, in this classic scene from the original STAR WARS.

In a sequence shot towards the end of principal photography at Elstree, many of the droids both Astro or of humanoid shape, previously used on location or in studio, would appear here. So far unpublished, and within the BFI's Special Collection, are two colour continuity Polaroids taken during 1976 filming by Script Supervisor Ann Skinner, similar to the images presented here but one is taken from a further distance showing tubing and wiring at the front of the set, in front of the cannibilized white droid half of CZ-3. Scene 26 was also to have included an R2 with a brown head amongst the droid pool (though she may have meant/been referencing R5-D4, for the continuity in Tunisia). The other protocol droid Threepio in this scene (looking like they've been lobotomised!), was played by a British background extra named Julie Sharp. The Jawas in this UK filmed interior scene included Stunt Coordinator Peter Diamond's two young children, Rusty Goffe, and Jack Purvis, who was the Chief Jawa.


In Skinner's script of January 1st 1976, there is a red ILM underlined marking for the outside Scene 21, of the Sandcrawler moving in the canyon at sunset.

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI.

Friday, 6 January 2017

'STAR WARS' AT 40: ESCAPING HIS CHORES!


The introduction to Luke Starkiller (later Luke Skywalker) that we never saw, as the excitable farmboy, distracted from his repair attempts on a vaporator (alongside a soon broken down Treadmill Droid), rushes to his Landspeeder after seeing a ship-to-ship battle taking place far above the heavens.

Filmed out in Tunisia, Script Supervisor Ann Skinner took an intriguing, so far not yet publicly seen, colour Polaroid of Mark Hamill as Luke from this moment- a vertical full-length image showing him wearing the hat and goggles, alongside the wheeled floor version of the Landspeeder, unlike the one seen in the above photo, which was attached to the merry-go-round. In the Polaroid, Hamill has his trusty macrobinoculars in hand. Skinner's continuity notes also list Luke having a small welding torch for the scene, with his long rifle (seen briefly in the Tusken Raider attack) being fixed to the side of the speeder.

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI Special Collection.

Saturday, 26 November 2016

BEHIND THE SCENES: STREET PATROL!


A patrol of six Imperial Stormtroopers on the streets of Mos Eisley spaceport are soon quickly surprised by the sight of the unauthorised Millennium Falcon blasting out of Docking Bay 94, in a sequence filmed on location in the small Tunisian town of Adjim (Ajim), Djerba, for the original STAR WARS, circa 2nd April, 1976.

Shot of the troopers as they turn to see the Falcon (ILM added in post) blast away.

Behind the scenes, the film's original Script Supervisor Ann Skinner took a so far not seen by the public continuity colour Polaroid of this filming- a wide shot similar to the above top image, with a costume technician attending to one of the near middle left troopers. The Stormtroopers were played by Tunisian locals, whom the late Stunt Coordinator Peter Diamond recalled were difficult to liaise with, as they didn't speak a word of English.

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI.

Monday, 14 November 2016

BEHIND THE SCENES: GOLDEN BUDDY!


Working in and around the immense scaffold that is the Jawa Sandcrawler, Anthony Daniels (believed to be the first actor cast for the film in 1975) makes for an impressive and surreal sight on the salt flats of Nefta, as location filming begins on THE STAR WARS from Monday 22nd March, 1976. Having a tough time on his first day of filming, inside a totally uncomfortable costume only briefly inspected/tested and worn fully in England before flying out to Tunisia, Daniels asks Script Supervisor Ann Skinner to specifically take a full-length polaroid at the location, so as to help him acclimatise to the look of the full costume and work out where to go with the character.

Ann Skinner goes through her continuity script with Daniels on the first day of filming.

Skinner's continuity Polaroid picture is very interesting, not just showing Threepio in his gleaming splendour, but also for who is behind him - an unknown crew member or local Tunisian helper wearing a back-up of the golden chest plate of the droid. Why he is wearing it is unknown, though he may perhaps have been a filming standby for Daniels - what with the first day having been difficult and uncomfortable for the actor. This unknown person (possibly location stand-in for Daniels (and Mark Hamill), Eric Duchaux?) may even have been the same one on location who later doubled Threepio (Daniels) for the scene where he fell off the cliff during the Sandpeople attack.

If anyone out there has any more info, please get in touch.

More of Daniels as Threepio at the Homestead and Sandcrawler location site.




With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI.




Tuesday, 1 November 2016

BEHIND THE SCENES: INSIDE THE DEATH STAR HANGAR CONTROL ROOM

Peter Sumner and Malcolm Weaver on set. Image: Ann Skinner/BFI

Before getting his head bashed in from a mighty Wookiee paw, and his colleague receiving a deadly laser blasting (later cut for the SPECIAL EDITION re-release), Peter Sumner's Imperial officer Pol Treidum, alongside moustached stuntman/background artist Malcolm Weaver, take a break in filming on the Death Star hangar bay control room set at Elstree, during May/June 1976, in continuity Polaroid images taken by Script Supervisor Ann Skinner that were displayed at the BFI in 2014.


Behind the scenes Polaroid image showing Malcolm Weaver's floor positioning for filming continuity. Image: Ann Skinner/BFI. With thanks to Ian Trussler.


Console and weapons rack. Image: Ann Skinner/BFI.
Set reference image featuring the console dressing work of noted UK art director Harry Lange.

These weren't the only colour Polaroids that Miss Skinner took from the filming on that set. So far unseen within the BFI's Special Collections are a shot of Artoo emerging from the supply cupboard door (with Threepio on far left moving out of shot,) an obscured and very dark image of a Stormtrooper by a massive storage container/set dressing prop near the rising door entrance, and a wide shot looking towards the Docking Bay Falcon cockpit, with three Stormtroopers at the far left of the shot- not too dissimilar to the outtake image below.

An unused angle of the Falcon in the Death Star hangar, from an early cut of STAR WARS.

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI.

"TK-421, why aren't you at your post?"

UPDATE (24/11/16): AFICIONADO was sorry to hear the sad news of Australian actor Peter Sumner's passing:

Peter Sumner dead: Star Wars actor dies at 74 | EW.com

Interview: Star Wars 100 Interviews: Peter Sumner - Imperial Whacked by a Wookiee - YouTube

Sunday, 21 August 2016

BEHIND THE SCENES: READY TO LEAVE!

Departure time for Han and Chewie on Yavin IV.

They've been as well paid as they can be for helping to rescue Princess Leia Organa and bring her to the Rebel base on Yavin IV, but now its time for Han Solo and his Wookiee first mate Chewbacca to depart before the Death Star and the Empire can come looking for them- a move that upsets their new friend in Luke Skywalker, ready to do his bit in the fight against the enemy, during this classic moment filmed at the UK's Shepperton Studios, on their then largest soundstage, during early Summer 1976.

The famous scene where Han says, "May the Force be with you" to Luke was originally cut from the movie by George Lucas in post production, under advice from his filmmaking friend and colleague Brian De Palma that the concept of the Force was to the detriment of the film and should be removed or curtailed where possible. Thankfully, Marcia Lucas, a fan of the Force's place in the saga, recognises the moment's importance for the character of Solo, and, to her great credit, reinstates it back into the film during its final lockdown edit by early 1977.
 

Filming a tense moment between friends.
"May the Force be with you."
Loading the containers.
Continuity Polaroid between takes. Image: Ann Skinner/BFI.

Numerous reference images of the massive hangar bay set were taken by Script Supervisor Ann Skinner for continuity during filming- two B/W Polaroids so far unpublished reveal the full size built X-wing and partial Y-wing prop re-arranged into different positions to make the set look even bigger and more varied in fighter compliment, as well as two other colour Polaroids- one showing the main hangar bay with its craft facing right to left, the other featuring the Y-wing and and a full-size X-wing fighter cut-out facing right to left in shot. One last unpublished colour Polaroid is a close-in shot of all the containers being loaded onto the transport.

Luke is stunned that they're actually leaving.
Another frame from that scene.
A moment of amusement for Ford, Hamill and Lucas.

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI.

Sunday, 31 July 2016

BEHIND THE SCENES: OUT OF HIDING!


Our heroes spend the day having fun in and out of the Millennium Falcon smuggling deck plates at Elstree during Summer 1976, in which hair stylist Patricia McDermott is assisting Sir Alec Guinness between takes. Note the floor sweeper at work for continuity, a helmetless Stormtrooper almost out of shot, and Luke with his lightsaber attached to his belt (not seen on his person during the Death Star interior scenes).

So far unseen, several Polaroid images from the filming also exist, taken by UK Script Supervisor Ann Skinner: two fuzzy colour shots showing a rare angle inside the Falcon, looking towards the unfinished far wall of the hold, another colour image of Han (with pistol in hand), Luke and Ben emerging from the smuggling plates, followed by a further similar colour shot to the above image, with Alec Guinness being tended to by a blue-attired  McDermott.

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI.

Tuesday, 12 July 2016

EPISODE VII: BACK IN THE TRENCHES!


Han Solo and Chewbacca's explosives seem to have done the trick at Starkiller Base, as Poe Dameron, supported by his X-wing team in Black Squadron, heads through a massive trench, ready to unleash his torpedo payload and take out the enemy's primary weapon, in a fun moment backed up with a rousing John Williams score, from THE FORCE AWAKENS.

In the UK, fans can catch the film and the Classic Trilogy (presumably 1997 or 2011 Special Editions) on the big screen outdoors, as part of a very special Summer sci-fi season- EPISODEs IV- VI for the first time assembled in this format- via the BFI. Details here: sci-fi - The Luna Cinema - UK outdoor cinema, Pop up cinema


Saturday, 9 July 2016

BEHIND THE SCENES: ANCHORHEAD AND TOSCHE STATION

Location production recce images of the eventual Tosche Station site, taken by John Barry and his team in 1975.

Here's some great images of/linked to the Djerba fishing village site in Tunisia used for the original STAR WARS, involving scenes of Luke and his young friends at Tosche Station, filmed during early April 1976, and at the end of main location photography.

Drawing of the site. Not sure if this is from the time, or a later created reference image.
Reference image of the redressed location. This angle would be used for a separate establishing shot for Mos Eisley.
Similar colour image.
Angle of the Djerba mosque from the other side, not showing the shoreline.
The classic deleted scene where Luke and Biggs say goodbye.

Also filmed for the Anchorhead scene was the earlier moment where an angry old woman screams at Luke in his Landspeeder (presumably the craft was to have been superimposed going past her by ILM).

More on the filming in Tunisia and London here: STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: TOSCHE STATION


Angry local woman. Love the background Jawas slouched about!

It is unknown if the woman was played by a Tunisian extra or someone linked to the UK crew (I think it may be the latter). The short scene released on the 2011 Blu-ray was soundless. According to the film's UK Script Supervisor Ann Skinner's handwritten notes, the woman's line was adjusted from "I told you kids to slow down" to "I've told you kids not to go so fast."

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI.