BEHIND THE SCENES: EVOLVING 'WARS'!

More compelling than ever, the genesis of the original Star Wars resonates in all areas, especially with regards to official cast and crew apparel and logo related materials used for day-to-day business during its 1975-1977 origins, and that intriguing time when our hero Skywalker was a Starkiller.

A lovely piece of collected photo nostalgia from the original MovieBits website of eight or nine years ago.

CLASSIC McQUARRIE: BEYOND THE SUNS...

Out on one of the the mountainscapes of Utapau (later Tatooine) a female version of Luke Starkiller uses her binoculars to look at an early version of Mos Eisley, whilst her droids wait nearby with the canopy Landspeeder. Classic Spring 1975 art conceived for The Star Wars by Ralph McQuarrie, presented in an acclaimed and very special 'evolution' limited edition poster, one of several examples previously sold at one of the Star Wars Celebration events of a few years back.

It's been on the internet a while now, but AFICIONADO loves the brilliant live-action creation of the many early Ralph McQuarrie paintings that would be prove so evocative and help sell the idea of George Lucas's film to 20th Century Fox's mostly puzzled and money frustrated executives back in the day.

The Star Wars - Concept Trailer: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AWgzNfzRCk&feature=youtu.be

'STAR WARS' AT 40: FINDING LUKE STARKILLER...

Feb 1976 - Tuesday tongue-twisters! Hamill goes through the six pages of script of his audition piece to George Lucas.

He was one of the last people to be casting-considered in November 1975 (his first call-in merely a talk with writer/director George Lucas and Brian DePalma (also testing for young leads for his movie, Carrie) about his life and family), and he was tested several times further by Lucas, especially alongside the in-the-running-for-Han-Solo Harrison Ford, but actor Mark Hamill, whom despite his youth was already a veteran of American seventies TV series guest star roles from Night Gallery to Petrocelli, would deservedly win the coveted star role of Luke Starkiller (later 'Skywalker') for Star Wars with his enthusiasm and sincerity, along the way going on to vividly remember one of the all-time biggest tongue twisting pieces of dialogue ever during one of his recorded auditions!

According to Hamill in a 1977 US press interview, Lucas was originally eighty per cent going to cast another actor and friend of Hamill's (Will Selzer) and changed his mind at the last minute, seeing Hamill for a (second) screen test literally hours before he was to fly off and live in England for nearly six months for the film's production at Elstree Studios. Hamill's latest test was ultimately, positively encouraged by the intuitive Marcia Lucas towards her husband.

The rest, as they say, is history...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSjP2GBTr9U

'STAR WARS' AT 40: DESIGNING A FUTURE FRANCHISE...

As well as his conceptual and matte painting work for the original STAR WARS, Ralph McQuarrie also brought his striking and exquisite artistry to development ideas for the film's logos (as seen above, featuring 'Luke Starkiller') and posters, which went through many iterations before things were locked down via outside advertising sources by late 1976.

'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.

BEHIND THE SCENES: HUMAN/CYBORG RELATIONS!

Image: Ann Skinner, via the BFI.

In the garage set of the Lars Homestead at Elstree, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker get ready to film the important scene where Artoo slyly reveals to Luke Skywalker a small portion of Princess Leia's vital message to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Early continuity notes for the three characters, made by Script Supervisor Ann Skinner in early 1976, linked to an early script (presumably the fourth revised draft dated 15th March of that year): 


LUKE STARKILLER

22 years old. His father (Sc.42) was a great man and a clever warrior. One of the last if the JEDI KNIGHTS- Guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic (before the Empire)

Sc. 3-82: Requires on his utility belt on his own costume: Electrobinoculars (lost Sc.38), control box (Zapper)

In his speeder: Sc.32-38: Laser rifle. In Sc.38 it is broken up by Tusken Raider. Goggles.

Sc.42: BEN gives him his LIGHTSABER

Sc.82 - 128: Stormtrooper outfit, with LIGHTSABER. On his stormtrooper belt- he has pistol, cable to string across the gap, lights in gunbelt to turn on in dark corridor*, comlink transmitter to speak to Threepio and zapper. Sc. 92 about: he loses his helmet. IDENTIFICATION CARD.*

* Denotes element/s not seen in the final movie.


SEE THREEPIO (C3PO) 

Tall, slender of human proportions. Gleaming bronze-like metallic surface of "Art Deco" design.

Speaks "Bocce" - Sc.26

Human cyborg relations.

Sc.27; says he's only an interpreter

Sc.20-40: wearing his restraining bolt (disc)

Sc.27: has his oil bath. More shiney afterwards.

Sc.38: falls down cliff and loses an arm.

Sc.42: Arm put back on.

Sc.42 on(wards): DENTED.


ARTOO-DETOO (R2-D2)

Short, claw-armed tri-pod. face is a mass of computer lights surrounding a radar eye.

Sc.27: Cleaned up. (by LUKE)

Sc.18: JAWAS weld the restraining bolt (disc) onto him.

Sc.27: LUKE removes the restraining bolt. NOT PUT BACK.

Sc.37: Luke puts the restraining bolt back. This scene deleted and crossed through in reference notes.

Sc.42: Restraining bolt gone- removed for the message. This scene deleted and crossed through in reference notes.

More rare imagery and behind the scenes info here: STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: ANN SKINNER

CLASSIC IMAGE: A 'STARKILLER' AT YOUR SERVICE!

Our committed to heroism figure of Luke Skywalker, disguised as a Stormtrooper, blasts the lock to Princess Leia's cell, though not seen in the finished film, climbs down its short stairs and introduces himself as... Luke Starkiller!

Yes, apparently Mark Hamill uttered his original surname for his character once, not fully aware of his name change to Skywalker during that day's filming at Elstree Studios around early May 1976. Behind the scenes history, however, has always stated that George Lucas changed the surname either just before the production team travelled to Tunisia, or as they were starting filming there. Continuity Supervisor Ann Skinner's 14th April 1976 Revised Fourth Draft script also refers to Luke's surname as being Skywalker.

A bearded EPISODE VII related Hamill talks about all this, around the sixteen minute mark, in conversation at Disneyland during Summer 2014: ▶ CLIFFLIX - A Conversation with Mark Hamill - June 7, 2014 - YouTube

Let's hope that this filmed footage appears online one day!

CLASSIC ART: THE 'STARKILLER' THAT WAS...

Showing its roots as a deliberate homage celebration to the classic fantasy comic/book adventures of FLASH GORDON and JOHN CARTER, this is the cover to a very special, and very rare, auction collection piece (belonging to early STAR WARS spacecraft designer Colin Cantwell), of George Lucas's original epic, altogether very different screenplay draft for the film from the early seventies, when it was evocatively known as Adventures of the Starkiller! 

The cover art by Esteban Maroto was actually lifted from an earlier 1972 tribute piece that the artist did for Flash Gordon (titled "Even legends May Die"), the iconic sci-fi hero who inspired The Star Wars and its main character of Luke Skywalker. As we all know, Lucas had prior tried and failed to buy the rights to the classic space hero and had to create his own superior universe. 

More on Colin Cantwell's rare auction pieces (including other work on 2001 and the BUCK ROGERS TV series) can be found here: 

Unseen Star Wars artwork and designs come up for auction, in pictures - Telegraph

EXCLUSIVE: Video Interview with Colin Cantwell on ’74/’75 Star Wars Prototypes & Never Publicly Shown Concept Art, The Apollo XI Moon Landing with NASA & CBS, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, WarGames and More : The Original Prop Blog – Jason DeBord's TV and Movie Prop Collecting, News, & Authentication Memorabilia Resource

With thanks to Chris Baker for the heads-up on this.

CLASSIC IMAGE: COMING TO BLIGHTY!

A lovely image of the original Summer 1977 press screening invite, bearing the iconic Ralph McQuarrie logo, by FOX UK for the first full London press screening of the original STAR WARS at the huge screen DOMINION THEATRE in the West End-soon given an electric and overwhelmingly positive reception by the 1,000 plus attendees, and quite a venue to enjoy the visual spectacle of the movie, of which all press attendees and many of the films cast and crew, including Garrick Hagon (already pre-warned by Anthony Daniels that his early scenes had been cut), were literally gobsmacked by it-many of those who previously predicted that it was going to be a disaster actually getting out of their seats to clap at the incredible opening Star Destroyer scene! Quickly, from this response and the box office records being broken States-side, the UK newspapers were making demands to cover the film in the lead-up to its eventual smash-hit Xmas release.

A second no less enthusiastic screening, for trade, press and publicity, would be held in late October, again at the DOMINION, (guests would include TV presenter Michael Aspel, DOCTOR WHO star Tom Baker, with his producer Graham Williams and script editor Anthony Read, actor Richard Griffith, and upcoming new BBC sci-fi TV series BLAKE'S 7 producer David Maloney and its creator Terry Nation- all of whom would be envious of its big budget effects and blown away by the overall film). There was also at least one further advance screening in November at the Leicester Square Theater, again located in London's West End heart.

Attending a London crew screening in 1977, former Doctor Who series producer Philip Hinchcliffe (as a guest with his friend, director Douglas Camfield) are blown away by the film at the Dominion screening and shake hands with a very young man who is then unrecognised by them: George Lucas!

'THE STAR WARS' RETURNS...

Some early 1975-ish concepts by Ralph McQuarrie for the early incarnations of our galactic heroes, from when it was originally THE STAR WARS. Looking forward to J.W. Rinzler and Dark Horse Comics comic strip adaptation of that early Lucas script (a true and intriguing early hybrid of A New Hope and The Phantom Menace, coming this September...

EXCLUSIVE: J.W. Rinzler Explores Lucas' Original Concept In "The Star Wars" - Comic Book Resources

Get Thee to the Geek: The Very Different 'Star Wars' of George Lucas' First Draft | Movie News | Hollywood.com

TEN YEARS OF 'STAR WARS AFICIONADO'!

Inspired by the work of Ralph McQuarrie, the 2007 onwards logo for STAR WARS AFICIONADO. With thanks to Chris Baker.

It started off as a small idea in my mind towards the end of Summer 2002, as the worldwide excitement grew for the then upcoming EPISODE III. But little acorns can grow into big trees, and I never guessed that STAR WARS AFICIONADO would still be here ten years on, thriving in the world of the web. It was very rough, and very early days back in the Spring of 2003 when that Padme/Vader first issue cover of the originally printed publication made its small but vital start into existence within fandom, of which its tiny but dedicated reader base always made sure that it was quickly out of stock alongside their generating the kind of positive feedback that helped to spur me on to hopefully bigger and better things (with the additional help of several key contributors and friends over time: most notably the hard work and dedication of Chris Baker (who's kindly providing some nifty web banners for this special 2013!) and autograph and toy collector enthusiast Ian Trussler). Lack of finances for this expensive, non-profit making venture ultimately killed off the magazine in its printed life, though most of the back issues are still available in PDF form and help to keep the first AFICIONADO website from disappearing. Meanwhile, this blog, originally launched in 2010, remains a consistent and welcome presence helping to represent both STAR WARS past, present and future beyond the official sites, and AFICIONADO in general.

In our past and present, AFICIONADO has revealed previously unknown behind the scenes filming information from cast and crew that hasn't yet appeared in official sources, published three exhaustive behind the scenes specials on the Original Trilogy movies before publication of any official LUCASFILM books covering them, and posted thousands of rare images from across all six (so far) films that have since gone on to appear on websites across the world. AFICIONADO has also inspired successive sites and fan projects covering the saga's behind the scenes legacy, ether in website or on FACEBOOK pages.

And there's lots more to come from us online in this Tenth Anniversary year for STAR WARS AFICIONADO, and its unique niche place in fandom. As well as continued blogs, both new and revised, covering all aspects of the STAR WARS movies, there's also our celebration of Thirty Years of RETURN OF THE JEDI, and our keeping track on the pre-production gears for the hopefully incredible new worlds and characters that will be seen in EPISODE VII in 2015.

To all those have supported the magazine from the start, plus the subsequent website, blogsite and FACEBOOK pages along the way of these last ten years, a big and hearty Wookiee growl of salute goes out into the cyberspace skies: THANK YOU! for your support and kind words. But, most important of all, a big THANK YOU! to George Lucas and his empire of dreams for creating such an outstanding legacy of cinematic wonder and fantasy. The future looks brighter than ever, and STAR WARS truly is forever!