'JEDI' AT 40: SUMMERTIME SPECIAL!

Remembering, but importantly celebrating, the very-much missed Carrie Fisher on the day of her sad passing back in 2016, these rarer images from the Rolling Stone magazine shoot taken at Stinson Beach. California in Summer, 1983 by Aaron Rapoport, show the talented actress/writer/singer and all-round gorgeous star in her lively, imaginative and exuberant, sexy prime alongside some old friends from the Original Trilogy, and Return of the Jedi... 

Rare photos of Carrie Fisher's 'Star Wars' beach photo shoot

More images here:

STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: CLASSIC IMAGE: SUMMER FUN!

'STAR WARS' AT 40: THE ORIGINAL 'HOPE'!

On an early Sunday morning in London: 1976, Mark Hamill, wearing his Yavin IV medal ceremony outfit, poses for a publicity photo shoot for the original STAR WARS, taken by respected Brit photographer Terry O'Neill, that will soon become classic and iconic. Using Princess Leia's pistol for the shoot, Hamill even gets to have fun posing for a few very James Bond-style takes.

'STAR WARS' AT 40: A SINGULAR PRINCESS!

She was truly a vision of beauty at the end of the original STAR WARS medal ceremony, certainly a fantasy Princess to quicken any hero's pace to receive a medal from, and yet Carrie Fisher still had inner demons about her acting ability, youthful physical looks and weight issues during this early May 1976 filming at Shepperton Studios, as well as her lovely posed publicity imagery linked to that scene, captured by top UK photographer David Steen. The shooting script described Leia as "staggeringly beautiful", and yet Fisher, ever the humorist, couldn't resist altering her filming copy to say "staggered beautifully", instead!

The classic ceremonial costume.

Lovely photo shoot used in magazine editorials worldwide. Images by David Steen.

https://starwarsaficionado.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/celebrating-carrie-fisher-and-leia_3.html

https://starwarsaficionado.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/celebrating-carrie-fisher-and-leia.html

AFICIONADO ARCHIVE: THE STARS OF '99!

It's back to the summer of 1999 now, as the world awaited the new Prequel STAR WARS films. The popular US film-magazine PREMIERE was one of the first titles to have access-all-areas material linked to the film, it's stars and its ground-breaking behind the scenes making. They also did four quite beautiful covers on the films key heroic characters, and one alongside the Saga's creator, George Lucas.

Great days they were, and it's going to be fun seeing all the new STAR WARS actors/characters gracing the various magazine covers in a few years time...

CLASSIC IMAGE: A PRINCESS AND HER WOOKIEE!

There's nothing nicer than discovering Classic STAR WARS Trilogy photos that you've never seen before suddenly appearing online, especially during normally scarce times between newly released pictures from mammoth LUCASFILM projects like J.W. Rinzler's Making of books and the now seemingly dry well that was OFFICIALPIX. These lovely studio session outtake images of Carrie Fisher and Peter Mayhew during the filming of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK in London in 1979 show the duo having a great time together in between posing seriously as Princess Leia and Chewbacca the Wookiee, something nice to see in the face of all the filming, budgetary difficulties and pressures of making that all-important first STAR WARS sequel.

Check out lots of other great images, rare and published at THE RETRO STAR WARS FACEBOOK page here: Retro Star Wars

CLASSIC IMAGE: ICON HEROES...

Pals through thick and thin, during Empire and Rebellion, Han Solo and Chewbacca the Wookiee are quite an enduring team still very much loved by STAR WARS fans and film fans worldwide.

This is a shot I found online that I'd never ever seen before. Photographed for RETURN OF THE JEDI in 1982 by photographer Brian Griffin, it's one of the few posed studio pixs of the pair taken for that film that I've seen (and believe me, I've seen very little so far). There must be more B/W and colour variations of this image out there in the LUCASFILM Archives waiting to be published or released by OFFICIALPIX...

Griffin also took posed studio background publicity images of Vader and Luke together for the film which have now become famous worldwide.

CLASSIC IMAGE: LOVER'S PARADISE!

Senator in hiding Padme Amidala gets to spend a little quality time in the Naboo countryside with her Jedi protector Anakin Skywalker, in a "love haiku" scene filmed in the romantic and beautiful climes of Italy. In this image, actors Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen get ready to be photographed for their 2002 published VANITY FAIR cover shoot taken by legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz.

For more detailed info on the EPISODE II location filming in Italy, Tunisia and Spain, check out our current AFICIONADO issue now available- THE BEST OF ISSUES 1-4.

To get it, head over here: BACK ISSUE PDF CATALOG

AFICIONADO STAR WARS MYSTERY: CAPTURING THE MAN IN BLACK!

Here's some intriguing pictures of a US (?) photo shot taken of Darth Vader, the true Dark Lord of the Sith. I think its from at least 1977/78 (presumably thats Kermit Eller in the costume) - note the huge size of the Vader mask: it has to be from A NEW HOPE time.

If anyone knows what the shoot was for, if there's any more images in the set, and where and when it first appeared, please get in touch...

CLASSIC IMAGE: STAR WARRIORS!

Taking place on Tuesday 1st June, 1976, one of British photographer David Steen's great four cast posed studio images of our classic, iconic heroes from the original STAR WARS, the movie that started it all, which showed yesterday afternoon on ITV 1 HD in the UK and looked great, even in pan and scan.

For more on the photographers and photography for the original film, head over to our exclusive feature: http://www.starwarsaficionado.com/photographersofstarwars.html

CLASSIC IMAGE: THE ADVENTURES OF LUKE SKYWALKER

Super 1977 image, taken long after STAR WARS had completed filming in England, of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, presumably shot for double use as both costume reference photos and for possible posters/publicity. Note how Mark has a new face after his January 1977 automobile accident. The images, of which other cast and characters were also photographed separately according to their schedules, were taken by legendary ROLLING STONE magazine and music industry photo journalist Bob Seidemann.