BEHIND THE SCENES: DUNE SEA DROID!

Wednesday 24th March, 1976. Part of a busy day of location principal photography linked to the Dune Sea sequences, filming begins in La Grande Dunes west of the film’s production base, at Nefta, in the eerie yet stunning desert area for the scene where Threepio shuffles by an extinct alien creature's remains - a fiberglass skeleton copy of a Sauropod creature that had originally been constructed for use in the ELSTREE STUDIOS filmed 1975 UK Walt Disney film One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing. A large prop, found deep in the Elstree warehouse by set decorator Roger Christian and colleagues, the remains would, ultimately, be abandoned to the desert due to transport practicality problems once filming in Tunisia is completed. Also shot that day is the harried droid's sighting of a far distant Jawa Sandcrawler (achieved via a small matte painting of the horizon obscure vehicle handled by ILM in late 1976).

Unfortunately, as location photography progresses, so too do the worsening weather conditions, as fierce sandstorms soon arrive to hit the area, and specially made goggles are supplied to shield everyone from the terrifying, strapping high velocity winds. Natural elements such as sand would also play a part in the chaos, clogging the film cameras and ruining other important equipment. A planned location site to have incorporated a matte painting, handled by the second unit, would ultimately be abandoned by 5.57 PM due to bad light.

This image is presented here in the original way it was shot, as Threepio waves and cries out to the possible transport atop a distant sand dune.

Norman Reynolds and colleague make adjustments to Threepio's suit as the weather worsens on location.

The original Dinosaur bones on the Elstree parking area, before transport to Tunisia.

The small matte of the Jawa Sandcrawler, we assume by Ralph McQuarrie.

'JEDI' AT 40: TRAVELLING BUDDIES!

Our droid heroes walk the road to Jabba's palace, of which a classic glass painting was supervised on the location filming by Richard Edlund.

On December 11th, 1982, the scene of the droids walking to Jabba's palace was shot at Walkwing Parkway - at a place in Death Valley, California called Twenty Mule Team Canyon, with Anthony Daniels as Threepio for his final filming on Return of the Jedi and the robot controlled Artoo prop. It was directed by George Lucas, and camera photographed by Hiro Narita (who would later go on to do impressive cinematography for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country). 

A wary Threepio walks with Artoo.

Working with Artoo, Daniels would recall to Star Wars Insider magazine: "Artoo doesn't do sand and they had earlier found he didn't do rocks. Years later they would find that he didn't do forest floors either. In each case they would carefully lay plywood sheets on the tricky terrain and paint them the appropriate colour; sandy-yellow, browny-grey or greeny-brown. Cunning! Well, you never noticed, did you?" 

At one point during the location filming rehearsal, Lucas bends over next to Threepio pretending to be Artoo and beeps his lines– something which brings great amusement to Daniels. 

Directing the long walk.

Clapperboard image. Though Richard Marquand is credited as director, the sequence was ultimately handled by George Lucas.

Michael Pangrazio's unused landscape painting for the journey to Jabba's palace.

The originally planned matte exterior for Jabba's palace, seen top image in the Marvel Comics adaptation that was replaced- when the new location filming for the revised scene was underway, the art for the adaptation was likely already commenced.

More on the original unused sequence of the droid's arrival at the palace:

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: CLASSIC ART: DESTINATION: JABBA THE HUTT!

'JEDI' AT 40: CAVE PREPARATIONS!

A relatively last-minute addition to the film - though it did also manage to find partial inclusion into James Khan's novelisation published May, 1983 - Return of the Jedi's opening in the post production editing phase included a moody scene where Vader reaches out from his meditation chamber (unused footage filmed for The Empire Strikes Back) on the Death Star II to a shrouded Luke Skywalker, now arrived on Tatooine and residing in a small cave, completing the build of his own unique lightsaber. His efforts are keenly watched by Artoo, whilst Threepio waits outside for order from his master. Though a fine sequence, it was ultimately cut. Instead, the filmmakers decided to make Luke look more mysterious and dangerous with his later cloaked arrival into Jabba's palace - ultimately a much better cinematic entrance for the character and more satisfying for the audience keenly awaiting his arrival at that point in the story.

More on the sequence, originally shot with an ILM crewman lookalike, which made its way onto 2011 Blu-ray, and which would have Mark Hamill's face likely (and cleverly) CGI doctored onto the footage:

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: LUKE AND THE LIGHTSABER: RESTORATION OF A JEDI!

November 22nd, 1982 storyboard for the additional scene filmed at ILM without Mark Hamill.

The cave sequence interior was filmed at ILM at the end of 1982, at a time way beyond the original completed principal photography in London, and supervised specifically by the US crew end of the movie with director Richard Marquand and Lucas. Once the studio material was completed, a small crew travelled to Death Valley, Arizona in December, 1982, to capture exterior location photography of Artoo and Threepio outside Luke's cave and then heading on to their unique journey to Jabba's Palace, replacing the original version of their arrival that was to have been done with an alternate matte painting exterior...

Artoo emerges from the cave (with special instructions from Luke) to meet Threepio as they now journey to Jabba's palace on Tatooine.

Lucas helps the small crew as they get ready to film the sequence.

Lucas and Anthony Daniels for the extra scene filming.

Filming the droids as they begin their journey to Jabba's palace.

Deleted scene of the droids looking down into the valley housing Luke's X-wing and the Millennium Falcon.

January 7th, 1983 storyboard for the extra scene, presumably by Joe Johnston.

Anthony Daniels poses with Death Valley park ranger Rick McIntyre in December, 1982.

'JEDI' AT 40: DEATH STAR HANGAR ARRIVAL!

Cleared through the security shield protecting the Death Star, the lone Imperial Shuttle carrying its ominous passenger heads into one of the station's busy hangar bays...

The sequence would be an opening tour de force for the matte department, whose talents were put to the fullest (and beyond!) with their work across the many environments seen in Return of the Jedi.

A foreground miniature placed in front of the matte painting.

Shot on the ILM blue screen stage, two Space Stormtroopers at work welding. A last-minute filming addition, they would be blended into the final matte painting approach but were ultimately barely visible on screen only in the film's 1983 theatrical version.

Hangar arrival- again Shuttle model, ILM extras and matte painting combined. Note the painted TIE Bomber bottom middle.

The full matte painting which the model would be inserted onto.

Another matte painting used- showing the suspended TIE Bomber and a space for the Elstree Studios filming of hangar-arriving Imperial delegation.

As seen in the filming

Matte painting genius Frank Ordaz working on the first version of the above painting, one without the TIE Bomber and overhanging droid.

Full length revised version.

'STAR WARS' AT 45: THE CHASM - PART ONE: THE SWING ACROSS!

Rushing to near disaster!

Separated from Han and Chewbacca by stormtroopers during their flight to the docking bay, Luke and Leia are soon cut off once more in a chasm area of the labyrinth Death Star. Holding back further stormtroopers, the pair ultimately make an improvised swing across the vast expanse to evade capture, in one of the film's, and the saga's, most memorable moments.

With thanks to Chris Baker for selected imagery.

Shot of the original studio set that would be enhanced with a later matte painting in post production by acclaimed artist Harrison Ellenshaw.

Matte painting areas for the sequence.

The wide shot scene where the pair of heroes realize that they “must’ve took a wrong turn” was enhanced in the studio by mirrored floors, so as to give the impression of their being a greater distance underneath them, and which needed to be kept constantly clean by studio technicians so as to avoid the trick being noticeable on screen. This sequence was ultimately enhanced further in 1977 post production with a matte painting created by Harrison Ellenshaw. The close-up over head foreground piping that Luke’s grappling hook would later attach to would be a combination of foreground specially built props, and budget-saving background photo card cut-outs.

As seen in the finished movie.

Assessing their environment.

A specially posed image later used in the film's 20th Century Fox marketing.

Rear attacking Stormtroopers (two played by resident stunt players Colin Skeaping and Reg Harding) are soon held back by a shield door - one of the four has already been felled by Luke's blaster in a deleted moment.

Luke blasts the door controls and unfortunately damages the shield bridge control operating between the two alcove points.

Note that Carrie Fisher is clutching her hand. A mild sprain on set or a deleted scene moment linked to Leia?

When Stormtroopers attack!

Surprise attack from above!

Luke fights back in these specially posed images, taken on April 28th, 1976.

Classic TOPPS card as Luke prepares to fire again.

On set action taken during filming. Image: The Ben Ageros Collection.

The action sequence with Leia and Luke holding off an opposite above level squad of Stormtroopers, was shot on platforms of varying levels across the specially built all-purpose set. Some shots of Hamill and Fisher were shot six foot off the floor, others, of them firing at the Stormtroopers, achieved on a level six to eight feet off the floor, and the final swing across shot on a level thirty feet off the floor.

Peter Diamond would be the first Stormtrooper shot by Luke to fall down the shaft. A tricky fall to accomplish safely, Diamond, wearing the heavy Stormtrooper costume (which also had a lack of flexibility), would have to fall straight, but, as he was doing so, also find a way of turning his body and shoulders just before hitting the box and mattress supports on the floor below, so that he could land un-injured. 

His death would be accompanied by a Post Production “Wilhelm” scream, taken from the 1953 movie Charge on Feathered River, humorously added in by sound designer Ben Burtt. This would go on to be a sound effects tradition that would accompany a specific death scene in each proceeding Star Wars film.

Peter Diamond takes a fall as a Stormtrooper, twisting his body as he does so, so as not to injure himself.

Landing on a mattress.

The stormtroopers are temporarily repelled by Luke as Leia takes up the fight.

Luke pulls out the grappling hook from his stormtrooper utility belt.

Leia returns covering fire, with behind the scenes adapted weapons firing loud blank rounds live on set for the action moments.

An iconic posed image of Leia.

Terrific action images.

The firefight continues. Image: Star Wars Archives.

An unused angle on the higher alcove of the set, also perfect for a great action image composition.

Getting ready to swing.

Another great posed image that wouldn't ultimately be published until 2007!

Preparing to swing.

A kiss for luck alternate scene.

Getting ready as the shield door continues to raise.

As originally shot, it takes a second attempt by Luke for his grappling hook to attach, whilst Leia continued providing cover fire.

Stunt Coordinator Peter Diamond's arranging of the the chasm swing, on Elstree Studios Stage 2, is designed to be straightforward and can be achieved by Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher without the need for doubles, swinging across whilst wearing concealed harnesses within their costumes. On the day of actual shooting, however, both actors are worried about the possibility of the stunt going wrong (especially as they would be swinging thirty feet above the studio floor). To allay their fears, Diamond, with fellow stuntman Reg Harding, would perform the stunt for them beforehand in a rehearsal. However, as they successfully achieve the sequence, and Harding and Diamond swiftly travel from one side to the other, there is a terrible ripping sound echoing through the set - Diamond’s harness had unclipped, with his having to hold onto Harding for the swing across. Hamill, hearing the harness rip, would nervously query the sound, to which Diamond, telling a little white lie, would respond with the news that it was his trousers that had actually ripped and not the harness, showing him an actual tear in them (resulting from earlier in the day, when Diamond had been supervising lightsaber rehearsals with Dave Prowse and Alec Guinness). Believing his story, Hamill, with Fisher, would agree to doing the exhilarating stunt a short time later (shot on Friday 30th April, 1976).

The classic scene begins, shot on April 30th, 1976 only a few days into Fisher's starting filming of her role as Leia.

Alternate angle from the opposite alcove of the swing, as the shield door with the Stormtroopers begins to ascend further on the other side.

Destination reached!

Uncoupling with their arrival.

Our heroes turn to see the opposite Stormtroopers about to attack them.

Of seeing the final sequence on film, Carrie recalled in 1978: “It was 30 feet, and what is so annoying is that ultimately you can’t see that it is me!” The swing, which was actually very brief, would be extended with the use of alternate angles, and made longer in the post production editing process.

Re-enforcement stormtroopers shoot at the opposite escaping heroes.

Note the two Stormtroopers in front now felled (presumably from Leia, still holding the blaster onscreen with the swing across), likely a deleted scene moment rather than a specifically posed image.

The classic sequence was the combined idea of the film's talented production designer John Barry (a lover of swashbuckling adventure movies of the past) and conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie, added to the script by the end of 1975/start of 1976, developed for filming at Elstree Studio in April, 1976. Being one of the first scenes shot by a nervous Carrie Fisher for Star Wars, and being a surely notable action sequence, the filming would garner a huge amount of photographic coverage by on-set photographer John Jay and producer/cameraman Gary Kurtz. Interestingly, the 1976 book adaptation of the film by Alan Dean Foster has the chasm scene and Luke and Leia's swing across but not the opposite attacking Stormtroopers aspect.

The swing sequence would be covered by three cameras (officially documented) angled at varying positions on set, though Mark Hamill would recall four ultimately being used in a 1980 UK BBC TV interview.

The famous 1975 Ralph McQuarrie conceptual painting of Luke Starkiller (with grappling hook) and sister Leia Starkiller trapped in the chasm.

The scaffold area built to cover all angles and levels of the filming in April 28th and 30th, 1976.

Filming "I think we took a wrong turn!"

During busy filming activity, the half circular set's reflective mirror floor is lined with cardboard so as to keep its surface as clean and shiny as possible.