ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: IN THE LAND OF THE EWOK!

Here's a great ILM matte painting of a part of the Ewok village on Endor. Can anyone confirm if this was done for JEDI (as some magazines have said over the years-if so, a deleted scene?) or for a scene I don't recall in the Ewok TV movies? I think its probably the latter (perhaps CARAVAN OF COURAGE?), but if anyone can help please get in touch.

MARK HAMILL TALKS!

Our good friends at the STAR WARS COLLECTORS CLUB site have kindly sent us their YOUTUBE posting (with thanks to the original recording source: a fan named "IG-88") of a rare Mark Hamill interview done sometime between 1981 and 1983 for a breakfast TV programme in New York, where he briefly chats about the upcoming JEDI (where he looks forward to a life beyond playing Luke Skywalker), his work on the Broadway stage and his life/career.

It's worth a look. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhvdAk3q0c4

And check out some of the other SW rarities on their channel page.

THE "MENACE" RETURNS...

"At last we will have revenge..."

"Always two there are. A master and an apprentice."

The premiere film of the Prequel Trilogy, released in 1999, which gave the world Darth Maul and his double lightsaber, Pod racing, the noble Qui-Gon Jinn, young Anakin Skywalker, the heroic Queen Amidala and, whether you like it or not, comedy star Jar Jar Binks, returns to the UK TV screens in HD on ITV 1 this today pm (hopefully seeing in one film each weekend, presumably being shown before their viewing rights expire with the upcoming Blu-rays). Sadly, TPM probably won't be presented by them in full widescreen, instead pan and scan (being a commercial channel ITV are afraid to lose their general audience with black bars at the top and bottom of the screen!), but what ratio we do eventually see will surely look pretty darned good!

How about a look back at this classic trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dWA9DwDQpM

COMMENT: BLU-RAY "CH-CH-CH-CHANGES..."?

So, the next Blu-ray announcement is here, and I applaud LUCASFILM/FOX for releasing three variations (one entire box set and one each for the Classic and Prequel Trilogies). However, despite my foolish hopes, it looks totally unlikely that LUCASFILM will capitulate and put any of the original theatrical release versions of the Classic Trilogy onto the Blu-ray format (whether they are enhanced or not, and even if they were originally used for VHS tapes). Also, despite the welcome three disc of extras, will 30 hours of material covering all six films (five hours for each movie) really be enough?

Interestingly, the trailer for the releases on STARWARS.COM today has allegedly not been sourced from Blu-ray elements, instead put together from the prints/copies used for the last DVD set (2004). However, it looks to me as if at least one scene from the Blu-rays has slipped (?) through the net.

Here it is from JEDI's space battle. Is it me, or is this shot from the trailer been newly done?

If you look at the trailer, the angle the Rebel ships come in from heading towards the Imperial Fleet looks and feels slightly different. I might be wrong but if anyone can confirm this, please get in touch...

If it has been changed, I think we can definitely expect lots more revisions on all the films to come. The optimist in me hopes that the majority of these additions will be subtle and effective more than anything negative, though please bring back Jason Wingreen's Boba Fett voice for EMPIRE! Continuity doesn't matter in this case!

The Blu-ray trailer: http://www.starwars.com/video/view/001175.html

The announcement: http://www.starwars.com/themovies/saga/preorder_bluray/index.html

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: GOING IN FOR THE KILL!

Above the Death Star planetoids surface, two deadly TIE fighters move speedily to intercept a Rebel X-wing fighter (possibly Luke's, from looking at the Fourth Draft script) in a lovely ILM 1976/77 storyboarded image by artist unknown (presumably Joe Johnston).

After the originally scripted and shot first failed attempt by Luke to shoot the torpedo (using his targeting computer) into the Death Star trench, he and his wingmen shoot out from the trench at high speed, as Vader gives the order for his two TIE wingmen to pursue Luke's craft. Luke ultimately shakes them off to re-group with his buddies for the second ultimately successful trench run.

With thanks to Chris Baker for the image.

BACK ON UK TV: "RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK"

"Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?" Indy descends into trouble in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

On BBC 1 and HD today at 9pm, and then the other two to follow each week. I'll be intrigued to see which version of RAIDERS is shown: the original as has been seen on the UK's SKY MOVIES over the last year, or two years ago BBC HD copy, which had a new cgi overlay background sequence during one scene in the truck chase (image below):

Old version 1981.

New version-shown on BBC 1 HD during 2010- July 2012- for the so far unreleased INDY Blu-rays? With thanks to ORIGINALTRILOGY.COM

I'll never forget seeing RAIDERS for the first time in 1981. I was eleven years old, and I knew nothing about the film apart from seeing some stills in STARBURST magazine (I didn't even know it was set in the 1930's). Me, mum, my brother and his wife (my dad didn't want to come-he regretted it afterwards!) went to the weekend sneak preview midnight screening, the week before its proper release in UK cinemas, at the lovable flea-pit cinema the Streatham ABC, in the days when you didn't book online or phone for tickets, you just went and hoped you got in there! We did, the cinema was jam packed, and we were all blown away by how exciting the film was- and as the opening scene unfolded we were all impressed by Harrison Ford, superb in a role that was meant for him! My love of STAR WARS got me in trouble, though: when I saw William Hootkins in the film, I remember turning round to my mum and saying, "It's Porkins!", to which I got an aggressive "sshhh" from the angry adult above me!

Great days and happy memories!

UPDATE 6/1/2011: The new version of RAIDERS was shown.

CLASSIC IMAGE: TO SLAY A JEDI!

Poor Jedi Master Shaak Ti, as played by the rather gorgeous actress/model Orli Shoshan, had a bit of a bad time of things in EPISODE III, actaully dying by foul, murderous means twice, and both times cut from the film-fortunately for fans, or unfortunately for Ti, one of her death scenes-the first from the cowardly General Grievous, shot in Australia in 2003- would eventually see the light of darkness on the EPISODE III DVD released at the end of 2005.

For more on Orli Shoshan, head here: STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: ORLI SHOSHAN

CLASSIC IMAGE: "COMING IN HOT!"

From EPISODE III, a tense time for our Republic Heroes as they try to regain flight control of the surviving section of General Grievous's warship The Invivible Hand for a safe (ish) landing on Coruscant.

"AFICIONADO" BACK ISSUE NEWS

Just to let any interested readers know that the STAR WARS AFICIONADO issues devoted to the making of RETURN OF THE JEDI (2008) and the Thirtieth Anniversary Special (2007) have finally been added to the main sites back catalogue area. That makes every issue of the magazine from number seven onwards now available in PDF form. 

Here's the link for more information:  http://www.starwarsaficionado.com/backissuepdfcatalog.html

As for issues before seven, there are no plans to re-release AFICIONADO double issue five and six, as it was revised as THE MAKING OF STAR WARS special issue in 2007, but there will be an exciting special announcement about issues one to four in the very near future, so keep checking both the sites out...

CLASSIC ART: ESCAPING IMPERIAL ENTANGLEMENTS!

Getting the New Year off to a bang, here's a wonderful space battle image from the finale of 1995's Steve Perry written STAR WARS adventure SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE, where our Rebel heroes in the Millennium Falcon, accompanied by Dash Rendar, try to escape Coruscant and the clutches of Prince Xizor and Darth Vader in this amazing art from the esteemed Hildebrandt brothers- commissioned for the TOPPS card series released that same year.

Click the pic to see the image in its full widescreen glory.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!