'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!

ILM BEHIND THE SCENES: PAINTING THE COLD CLIMES OF HOTH!

An ILM technician feels the cold in this humorous image.

Bringing to life at ILM the many establishing scenes set during the opening stages of battle and drama on the ice planet of Hoth would take all kinds of skillsets and techniques from a variety of in-house talents, most notably by the superb use of background paintings and matte work achieved by the likes of veteran artist Ralph McQuarrie and newcomers like Michael Pangrazio, whose impressive work was notably showcased in enhancing the model filming/ stop motion work then underway for The Empire Strikes Back.

Here's a showcase look at the behind the scenes work involved...

Harrison Ellenshaw pulls out a matte painting used at the start of the snow battle.

As seen in the film from the Walker cockpit. Image: Star Wars Screen Caps.

Another backdrop piece for the snow battle.

Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett with the Tauntaun snowscape, with Mike Pangrazio's painted backdrop.

Two shots of Michael Pangrazio at work.

Backdrop used for the Snowspeeder search for the missing Luke and Han on Hoth.

Ralph McQuarrie at work on a Rebel base ice cave exterior.

Work continues on the painting.

It looks like a revised or alternate/similar matte painting design was used in the final film for the Rebel base entrance, placed over establishing footage at the Norway-filmed glacier trench. Image: Star Wars Screen Caps.

And on an overall Hoth location backdrop.

'RAIDERS' AT 40: "WHERE IS THE ARK?"

Now returned to the US, Indy's dream to acquire the Ark have been quashed by the American military, as the artifact, with all of its mysteries and untapped power, is now transferred to an unknown facility, secretly hidden amongst a vast array of other potential secret weapons that must never be revealed, heralding the memorable finale to Raiders of the Lost Ark, courtesy of a terrific live action/matte painting fusion handled by ILM veteran Michael Pangrazio. 

Michael Pangrazio at work on the classic image.

An angry Indy is reunited with Marion as the two go on to share a commiseratory drink- a pre-final scene scripted but filmed after the original period of principal photography had been completed.

Harrison Ford and Karen Allen film their additional wrap-up scene with a small crew in San Francisco.

We hope you've enjoyed STAR WARS AFICIONADO's year-long celebration of Raiders of the Lost Ark in its Fortieth Anniversary.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: ON FINAL APPROACH...

Having pushed the craft's speed to the limit, Luke Skywalker's X-wing fighter approaches Cloud City on Bespin. The skies around him seem eerily clear of traffic, but what hidden dangers lurk for Luke and a nervy Artoo at the mining colony?

Michael Pangrazio with the Bespin mattes- foreground cloud and background showing Cloud City.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: DEPARTING DAGOBAH!

Luke's X-wing fighter swiftly departs the murky realms of Dagobah as seen in this great composite image (merging background and foreground matte paintings of the low orbit view) that was also conceived as an image for movie publicity purposes by ILM. Interestingly, though the two-stage matte painting was used on film, prior to that the originally planned departure sequence was intended to show more detail on the surface of Dagobah, via a collection of highly detailed painted plates that were assembled and photographed.

The assembled surface view plates at ILM.

Dagobah low orbit matte painting by Joe Johnston.

https://www.starwars.com/news/empire-at-40-5-amazing-matte-paintings-from-star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: BRINGING POWER TO THE REBELLION!

The king of matte paintings when it came to depicting the natural environs of the ice planet Hoth, 'Wunderkid' artist Michael Pangrazio brings to life a shot of the Rebel base power generators for a view ultimately not used in The Empire Strikes Back. (Note the curved tracks towards the generators, from some kind of vehicle we ultimately never saw, or perhaps linked to the location filmed Rebel Tank.) Presumably created to make the generators objective stand out for audiences during the film's major battle sequence, a model (shown below) would instead act as a replacement shot via the telescopic sighting made by General Veers in his AT-AT Walker. Other shots of the generator were achieved by further matte paintings (superimposed onto previously shot second unit location footage) from both Pangrazio and Harrison Ellenshaw.

More on the behind the scenes location and effects filming for the Hoth scenes:
https://www.starwars.com/news/hoth-behind-the-scenes

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: THE ICE GODS OF ILM!

At ILM's new facility in San Francisco, Denis Muren, Phil Tippett and matte/background artist supremo Michael Pangrazio pose with a certain stop motion puppet combo atop a Hoth plateau range, in this great image from 1979/80 for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: FIGHTER ASSEMBLAGE

Utilizing more matte paintings than the previous films in the Classic Trilogy series, RETURN OF THE JEDI had many standout pieces, but this is one of the finest, courtesy of the ever-talented Michael Pangrazio, showing the interior of the main Mon Calamari Rebel Cruiser berthing numerous fighters (including X and A-Wings, soon to return for THE FORCE AWAKENS) and the Millennium Falcon, blending into bottom corner live-action material previously filmed at Elstree Studios on one of its smaller stages, circa April 1982.

To make the top background of the painting more busy, some additional holes were put in the image incorporating some technicians and pilots at work, whose footage was shot at ILM during post production.

Filming extra material at ILM. 

ROTJ AT 30: UP ABOVE THE WORLD SO HIGH...

The Teddy Bears Picnic had nothing on this! A charming and cuddly conceptual painting of the high-up Ewok Village and its inhabitants on Endor, from Michael Pangrazio (a rare piece beyond his matte painting duties), for RETURN OF THE JEDI.

Don't forget, the new STAR WARS ART: Concept book is out now in the UK from ABRAMS, featuring the stunning artworks of Ralph McQuarrie, Joe Johnston, Doug Chiang and other esteemed visionaries from across the first six movies.

ROTJ AT 30: TATOOINE SKYLINE

A rare shot of an unused daytime matte painting by ILM artist Michael Pangrazio for Jabba's Palace on Tatooine, replaced with a dawn shot used in the film (and accompanying burping alien!)

GOODBYE, RALPH McQUARRIE...

Master of dreams made artistic reality: the late Ralph McQuarrie.

There's an old idiom that you can tell what a race of people are like through their art. I believe that's also true for the actual individual talents who create that art, too. And, in the case of the supreme STAR WARS conceptual talent that was Ralph McQuarrie, who sadly left us yesterday at the age of 82, his evocative, beautiful, colourful and nuanced work will live forever, and continue to inspire, uplift and resonate in the hearts and minds of all of his fans, film-buffs and lovers of art.

I never had the pleasure or privilege to meet Ralph, but through his generous and helpful artistic agents (most notably John Scoleri and Paul Bateman) he could never have had more enthusiastic and passionate representatives, and very good friends, to help him preserve and showcase his talents for generations now and to come.

My first proper introduction to Ralph McQuarrie: THE STAR WARS PORTFOLIO.

On a more personal note/tribute regarding Ralph's work, I'll never forget in the summer of 1978 receiving that original STAR WARS ART PORTFOLIO-published in the US by BALLANTINE, and a gift from my brother who had come back from attending a science fiction convention at Brighton Beach. With that stunning cover shot of an overwhelming Darth Vader fighting Deak Starkiller with laser swords, it comprised 22 pages of McQuarrie's stunning conceptual pieces for the first STAR WARS movie from 1975 and 1976 pre-production-the images that had helped creator George Lucas sell his vision for the movie to the suits and executives at 20th CENTURY FOX (interestingly, Lucas, with no support from FOX at that time, only had the money to pay McQuarrie for the first five concept paintings, the rest came later). I had prior seen some of this marvellous artwork printed in magazines post the films release but they had always appeared in varying crops and printed quality that never truly showcased it as well as it should have. Now, to see this art properly printed and giving us the full canvas of McQuarrie's imagination...well, it took my breath away. It made me want to draw STAR WARS environments, characters, key scenes and action, and beyond. And draw I did (though badly). But, I admiringly thought, if he could do such incredible work, there was a chance that I could do something like that and follow in his footsteps, too. Such dreams were soon impossible for me as an individual, and never to ultimately materialise, but I can at least help celebrate Ralph's indomitable talents with all of you out there. A talent in the case of McQuarrie so rare that it should never be underestimated, and will always be savoured and enjoyed.

A 1975 (?) image of Lucas with the Ralph McQuarrie conceptual art for THE STAR WARS, which helped sell the film to nervous 20th CENTURY FOX execs.

An unused but lovely poster art concept by McQuarrie for STAR WARS.

The now very rare first STAR WARS paperback from late 1976, with powerful art from McQuarrie.  It quickly sold out at the time, and with a cover like this, I'm not surprised.

Ralph at work in 1979/80 at ILM on a matte painting of the Millennium Falcon at Bespin for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

Ralph made the visually impossible possible in his incredible and expressive body of work for film, TV and books, and showed us a rich, exciting and atmospheric future in STAR WARS that we always, primordially in our collective hearts and minds, wanted to see and love with the revolutionary space saga now sprung into being from George Lucas' imaginative gestalt.

At a US 501st event in 2008, Ralph has fun with his visual conception made real, the mighty Darth Vader. Image: STARWARS.COM

On behalf of the millions of fans out there, thank you, Ralph McQuarrie, for all your incredible work and your iconic contributions to the original STAR WARS saga, which also delightfully continue to impact into THE CLONE WARS animated series and beyond. Our condolences go out to his wife Joan and his friends across the world. Ralph, you will be greatly missed...

Tributes: THE ART OF RALPH McQUARRIE Home - News


George Lucas pays tribute: StarWars.com | Ralph McQuarrie Remembered


BBC News: BBC News - Star Wars artist Ralph McQuarrie dies aged 82

Here's AFICIONADO's visual tribute to Mister McQuarrie, presenting some of our favourite pieces of his work related to STAR WARS, plus other rarities...

Early work on Luke Skywalker, aka Luke Starkiller, when he was a boy and a girl!

An early older version of Han Solo with Chewbacca the Wookiee.

An early Darth Vader/Stormtrooper/Dark Lord hybrid.

An insect-like, but no less dangerous, early version of Darth Vader.

A work in progress for Artoo and Threepio, as seen in THE ART OF RALPH McQUARRIE.

The evolving form of the Millennium Falcon starship, as seen in THE ART OF RALPH McQUARRIE.

The evolving X-wing fighter, as seen in THE ART OF RALPH McQUARRIE.

Early poster art and other ideas for STAR WARS.

A wonderful poster art idea later given 30th Anniversary life in 2007 by artist/adaptor Lawrence Noble.

Superb art from Ralph of the Death Star trench run, specially commissioned by the STAR WARS FAN CLUB.

Dark times for Luke and Leia on Mimban in 1978's SPLINTER OF THE MIND'S EYE. The first STAR WARS Expanded Universe book, by Alan Dean Foster, with superb cover art from McQuarrie.

More of McQuarrie's distinctive art- VADER IN FLAMES- for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

Ralph at London's Elstree Studios, working on various conceptual/production art for EMPIRE in 1978/79.

Early art showing a Rebel scout (or Luke?) on a Tauntaun escaping Imperial Walker fire on Hoth

Luke and Tauntaun buddy on patrol in a world famous piece of art from McQuarrie.

Rebel X-wings depart their base on Hoth in this McQuarrie thumbnail sketch.

Ralph would make a cameo in EMPIRE as General McQuarrie, alongside fellow matte painter Rebels Harrison Ellenshaw (left) and Michael Pangrazio (right).

On the very cool blue ice world of Hoth, a Rebel Ion Cannon weapon blasts upwards at the Imperials.

An angle I wish had been in the actual film, as a Rebel Snowspeeder makes its bold bid to snare an Imperial Walker.

Rare pencil art of Luke's confronting Vader on Bespin.

Our heroes make a break for the Falcon in an exciting 1978 conceptual painting.

Bounty Hunters assemble on Bespin in another wonderful STAR WARS FAN CLUB art commission.

Santa Yoda makes an appearance on one of Ralph's STAR WARS Xmas cards for LUCASFILM.

Not one but two Death Star's would make an appearance in an early version of REVENGE OF THE JEDI.

Through the gates of hell, Artoo and Threepio meet Bib Fortuna in RETURN OF THE JEDI.

One of several lovely conceptual art ideas by Ralph for Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine.

On the brink of death above the Sarlaac Pit, Luke Skywalker soon makes his escape bid.

Han wrestles with an alien warrior, as the rest of his friends continue their skiff fight.

Check out our other Ralph McQuarrie related features here: STAR WARS AFICIONADO MAGAZINE: RALPH McQUARRIE

Recently found poster icon art for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

Video footage linked to Ralph and STAR WARS: Star Wars: The Art Of Ralph McQuarrie - YouTube
Ralph McQuarrie induction into the 501st Legion - YouTube

Ralph McQuarrie: June 13th, 1929 - March 3rd, 2012.