Before the premiere of the new long-awaited film of the Star Wars universe, there is very little left. The film "The Force Awakens" will be released on world screens on December 14 (in Ukraine it will be on December 16, and in Russia on December 17). Everyone is waiting for her. I think you are too. The creation of JJ Abrams has already managed to acquire various secrets, assumptions about the plot and other fan stuff. Therefore, today I decided to prepare for you a small selection of 10 interesting facts about the movie " star Wars: The Force Awakens. Believe me, there are really interesting moments here.
Skeleton of Jar Jar Binks
Back in the July issue of the American magazine Vanity Fair appeared interesting information that in the new "Star Wars" there will be a lot of "Easter eggs" that true fans of the universe will appreciate. One of the biggest surprises is that for a moment the frame will show the skeleton of that same Jar Jar Binks in the desert.
"Millennium Falcon"
JJ Abrams is a serious person, so he can do whatever he wants. For example, why not recreate the Millennium Falcon spacecraft in full size? So he recreated it, on a scale of 1: 1. And not only recreated, but also fully equipped inside. It is clear that this was done for a reason, but for the filming of a new part of the film.
Used and used items
After the release of the first trailer, it became clear to everyone that JJ Abrams returned to the "dusty surroundings." That is, now we will again see used and worn starships and other old elements. That is, according to the picture, the film will resemble more the fourth part, and not oversaturated with computer graphics from the first to the third. It is also interesting that almost all air rifles in England were bought up, because the filmmakers really wanted to show recoil while firing Imperial stormtroopers from their weapons.
New droid BB-8
The image of the new droid BB-8 was invented back in the mid-1970s just for R2-D2, but then it was simply impossible to implement technically, so everything happened exactly as it happened. Now we have decided to return to this model.
A lot (a lot) of money
Star Wars: The Force Awakens was budgeted at $200 million. This is more than the amount available for filming any of the previous installments. But there is simply no doubt whether this money will pay off. The film is a success! By the way, the very first trailer on YouTube gained more than 20 million views in the first day alone (now there are already more than 75 million views).
Light side of the force
The Force Awakens is the first film in the familiar (classic) Star Wars universe to use the phrase "The Light Side of the Force". Although before that, in the extended series and in some computer games, the opposite part of the dark side of the force was considered to be associated with good.
The protagonist
Every film should have the protagonist, even in one where there are just a bunch of all sorts of storylines. In The Force Awakens, judging by the official poster, the main role is given to Han Solo.
First screening of the film
One of the longest-standing fans of the Star Wars series was the first to see the new film. Daniel Fleetwood, dying of cancer at the age of 32, had the opportunity to see an unedited version of the film. Right at home. Fleetwood died on November 10, 2015. I think this move by Disney deserves respect.
Luke Skywalker
Carefully! It is possible that this could be a spoiler. According to the plot of the film (according to rumors, of course), Luke Skywalker disappeared 20 years after the death of Darth Vader, spent all this time alone and ended up on the dark side of the force.
Movie Tickets
Also, another fact that speaks of the almost inevitable success of the film is that tickets for Star Wars: The Force Awakens began to be sold (and were sold out very quickly) 2 months before the premiere - October 19, 2015. In Ukraine and Russia, tickets also sold like hot cakes.
It is clear that we will learn much more about the film (not only in terms of the plot) after its release. We wait!
The importance of Star Wars in mass modern culture is difficult to overestimate. Movies, books, video games over the years have created a whole subculture dedicated to the "galaxy far, far away." In 2015, the seventh part of the cult saga will be released, but for now, you can recall the most interesting facts from the "biography" of all six episodes of Star Wars.
1. Master Yoda was almost played by a monkey
According to Jonathan Rinzler's book The Making of Star Wars, George originally planned to give the role of Yoda to a little monkey. They wanted to put a mask on her and hand her a cane.
2. The word "Ewok" is never spoken in the original trilogy.
It really is. Although in the final credits this word is still indicated.
3 Boba Fett's face can still be seen
What many don't know is that the actor who played Fett, Jeremy Bullock, also appears as the officer who captures Princess Leia in The Empire Strikes Back. And the face of this hero is not covered by a mask.
4. The phrase "I have a bad feeling about this" became a kind of franchise gag
It is pronounced in all six films of the star saga.
5. Return of the Jedi originally had a different ending.
Luke had to remove the helmet from the defeated Dark Lord, put it on himself and, saying "Now I am Vader", go to the Dark Side of the Force.
6. 'N Sync Cameo in 'Attack of the Clones'
Lucas's daughter, a fan of the group and Justin Timberlake in particular, really wanted this. The scene was filmed but cut during editing.
7. The name of Yoda's race is still unknown.
The mystery of the big universe it!
8. Yoda is not a muppet
Muppets are popular dolls created by Frank Oz. And although Oz voiced the Master in the film, the appearance of the hero was developed by the studio without his participation.
9. The number of Yoda's fingers varies depending on the movie.
In The Phantom Menace, he has three fingers. And in the tapes "The Empire Strikes Back", "Return of the Jedi" and "Revenge of the Sith" - four.
10 There Are No Women Piloting Starships In The Original Trilogy
Such shots were filmed, but they were cut out during editing.
11. Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey were made by almost the same crew.
George Lucas admired Stanley Kubrick, so when he started filming Star Wars, he hired a lot of people who were involved in the creation of Odyssey.
12. Legions of clone troopers in the new trilogy have been drawn
Not a single clone was played by a living person, they are all the creation of Lucasfilm animators.
13. Qui-Gon Jinn used a Gillette razor as a communicator.
In Episode One, the Jedi's personal communicator was actually made from the body of a Gillette women's razor.
14. The alien race from Steven Spielberg's 'ET' enters the Star Wars universe.
They make a brief appearance in "The Phantom Menace". The home planet of these creatures is Brodo Asogi.
15. Ewoks speak the language of Tibetan monks
Their language is a mixture of Tibetan and Nepali.
16 David Lynch Turned Down Return Of The Jedi
The iconic arthouse director was even in talks with Lucas, but didn't agree to work on the final film due to creative differences. Although he admitted that he deeply respects George.
17 Darth Vader Is Banned From Official Star Wars Themed Parties
Actor David Prowse, who wore the Vader costume throughout the original trilogy, has been banned from all Star Wars events. He is very annoying to George Lucas.
18. The sound of a flying TIE fighter is the roar of an elephant
Superimposed on the squeal of car tires on wet pavement.
Bears, walruses, lions, badgers and more.
20. The sound of a lightsaber is the hum of an old tube TV
Combined with the hum of an ordinary film projector.
21. Collectible Star Wars coins can be used as real currency
They are accepted in the tiny island country of Niue.
22 Liam Neeson Was Too Tall For Star Wars
Literally. Some of the sets in The Phantom Menace had to be redone because Neeson was so much taller than them. It cost an additional $150,000.
23. Enough fan videos to assemble A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back
The love of the fans is truly boundless.
24. Jabba the Hutt was supposed to be furry
And generally more pleasant in appearance.
25. George Lucas left the Directors Guild because of A New Hope
The members of the Guild wanted Lucas to recut the film and insert traditional credits at the beginning. He did not do this and voluntarily left the organization, paying a fine.
26. The legendary "creeping lines" at the beginning of the paintings were created by hand
The operators had to literally crawl with the camera along the inscriptions.
27. Harrison Ford might not have become Han Solo
Burt Reynolds, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson and Christopher Walken were considered for the role.
28. There is a lot of stop-motion animation in the episode "The Empire Strikes Back"
This movie has the most of it.
29. Cliff Clavin has a cameo in The Empire Strikes Back
Or rather, the actor who plays this character is John Ratzenberger.
30. At the end of Return of the Jedi, Han Solo could have died.
However, Lucas still changed the ending, because he was afraid that toys with this character would sell worse. So the Ewoks still won.
Via [ www.mashable.com]
Dmitry Petrenko
Now it is difficult to imagine that the saga would have been called differently, but it is. Initially, 20th Century Fox employees did not approve of the phrase "Star Wars", believing that it carried negative connotations. However, in the absence of the best options decided to keep the name.
The actors were allowed to choose their favorite color for their lightsabers. Most often in films you can see weapons in blue, green or red. At the same time, Mace Windu, played by Samuel L. Jackson, has an unusual purple sword.
George Lucas chose the names for his characters with particular care. Each of them has its own story. For example, Vader means "father" in Dutch. Thus, the director from the very beginning openly hinted at the special role of the villain.
The shaggy fellow smuggler Solo was given the traits of an Alaskan Malamute, George Lucas, nicknamed Indiana. And the name Chewbacca comes from the Russian word for "dog". However, the hero does not bark, but speaks in a language that contains sounds made by a polar bear, a badger, a walrus, and a camel.
While working on this character, the director considered different options. So, Luke Skywalker could become a lady, a gnome and a 60-year-old general.
In 1983, US President Ronald Reagan launched the Strategic Defense Initiative and called it "Star Wars". This fact angered the director, and he took out his anger by creating a character named Nun Gunray. The name of the greedy and cowardly viceroy of the Trade Federation contains an anagram of the surname Reagan.
The roar of the crowd during the kart race is a recording of the roar of the fans at an American football game. The voices of underwater monsters are a computer-processed cry of a three-year-old girl. The doors of Darth Vader's shuttle open with the same sound as the bars of the Alcatraz prison cell. The lingering howl of an Imperial TIE fighter was generated from the roar of a young elephant and the rustling of tires on a wet highway. The flapping of the wings of Anakin Skywalker's former master, Trader Watto, came from the sound of an umbrella opening and closing. And Vader's breathing is just noise from the scuba regulator.
The filmmakers brought in some humor while working on the scenes with asteroids. So, in the movie Star Wars-V: The Empire Strikes Back, a hovering boot and a potato can be seen among space objects. And in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones, one boulder has legs, another asteroid looks a lot like a cow's head.
Each race in the films speaks its own language, and professional linguists may notice similarities in their speech with the speech of the peoples of our planet. So, Ewoks speak Tagalog, which is common in the Philippines. The Javos have the Zulu language accelerated on a computer. Greedo from the Rodian race speaks the language of the Peruvian Indians, Quechua, played backwards. For the speech of Jabba the Hatta, the creators borrowed one of the Vietnamese dialects.
The planet Tatooine is named after the real city in Tunisia where the movie was filmed. The authorities of neighboring Libya were dissatisfied with the fact that a large number of strange equipment was located on the border. They were about to announce a general mobilization in response to the perceived threat, but at the request of the Tunisian government, Lucas's team moved inland.
Faktrum publishes a list of little fun and fascinating Star Wars facts. May the force be with you, dear readers! We are serious ;-)
1. What do R2-D2 and the Energizer Bunny have in common?
Grant Imahara, a robotic engineer and co-host of The MythBusters, created R2-D2 for the first and second episodes of Star Wars and the Energizer rabbit for the commercial.
All images in the post: Bigpicture.ru
2. Bravo Sir Alec
Alec Guinness, the actor who played Obi-Wan Kenobi, didn't have a very high opinion of Star Wars. He even called the film "fabulous bullshit". Nevertheless, Mr. Guinness was one of the few participants in the filming who believed that the film would be a hit, and negotiated for himself 2% of the royalties received by George Lucas. Thus he became a very rich man.
3. In space without panties
Carrie Fisher didn't wear underwear in Star Wars. George Lucas convinced her that "underwear is not worn in space."
4. About unobtrusiveness
Carrie Fisher made George Lucas give her a copy of Star Wars. Festive Edition. Now she plays the movie at the end of parties, when she is already tired and wants everyone to leave.
This creation is little known to our viewers, so let’s explain: The Holiday Special was filmed with the financial support of General Motors in 1978, when Episode IV had just come out and no one knew yet whether Star Wars would become a hit or not. The plot tells how Chewbacca tries to return home to celebrate a national holiday with his family. The family at this time watches various TV shows, musicals and suffers harassment from the Imperials (and it is not known which is worse). At the end of the film, Carrie Fisher sings.
In general, the space opera turned into a drama. George Lucas, in an effort to wash away the shameful stain from his reputation, repeatedly attempted to buy and destroy all available copies of the special issue, so Fisher's request was a separate test for him.
If you're still not completely clear on why Fisher's method of getting rid of guests works flawlessly, just check out the special masterpiece for yourself.
5. Smart
While filming the episode "The Empire Strikes Back", the actor who played Darth Vader was told to say "Obi-Wan killed your father" instead of "I am your father" so that even the actors would not know how it would end.
6. Damn brave
While working on the fourth episode of Star Wars, George Lucas paid a fine and resigned from the Directors Guild in order to circumvent the Guild's requirement for standard credits. The subtitle "Episode IV: A New Hope" did not appear until 1981, four years after the film's release. Yes, these are two facts in one.
7. Oh, Yuen!
During the filming of the action scenes in The Phantom Menace, Ewan McGregor constantly imitated the sound of laser swords cutting through the air. George Lucas explained to the actor many times that the special effects specialists would then add the sound. Yuen replied: "Sorry, got carried away again."
8. Comes in handy when the word "shotgun" sounds too boring
In the Star Wars universe, there are conventional firearms. It's called a slugthrower. These weapons are favored by bounty hunters for their superiority over blasters.
9. Topher, do me a montage
Topher Grace, star of That '70s Show, edited the first three episodes into one film that fans of the saga have recognized as better than the original.
10. Successful bet
George Lucas was confident that Close Encounters of the Third Kind would do more than Star Wars at the box office, so he offered Close Encounters director Steven Spielberg a 2.5% share of the box office profits. Spielberg gets his 2.5% to this day (watch him smile).
11. Fox definitely regrets it
The Fox film company transferred all rights to the original trilogy merchandise to George Lucas in order not to raise his salary, since the managers did not expect Star Wars to become such a popular phenomenon.
12. Star Wars can change a person's life
After watching Star Wars in 1977, James Cameron gave up his career as a truck driver and took over the film industry. Conquered: "Terminator", "Alien", "Terminator 2", "Titanic", "Avatar".
13. "Synchronous" cameo
George Lucas let the members of 'N Sync make cameo appearances in Attack of the Clones to please his daughters. The episode was cut from the final version of the film.
14. What's in a name
George Lucas proved himself to be a fan of the "speaking names" literary device. Vader means "father" in Dutch. The name Yoda is translated from Sanskrit as "fighter".
15. And it's true
In the Brazilian version of Star Wars, Count Dooku's name had to be changed to "Dukan" because in Portuguese the word dooku means "out of the ass" or even "butt kick".
16. In what order should I watch all the episodes at once?
Alright Machete, supposedly the best for watching the saga. The intrigue begins in episodes IV and V, then there are prequels as flashbacks (except for episode I, which can be skipped), and episode VI ties the story together. The order was suggested by Rod Hilton on his blog. Rod is a developer, programming in Ruby and Java, so it's hard to blame him for the lack of logic.
17. Altruist smuggler
Burt Reynolds, Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Jack Nicholson auditioned for the role of Han Solo, but Harrison Ford ended up playing the charismatic smuggler. For filming A New Hope, he received only $10,000. Solo was originally conceived as a swamp from the planet Dagoba, so this whole parade of stars might not have taken place.
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Almost 40 years have passed since the release of the first part of Star Wars. Not only did this franchise fit perfectly into our popular culture, it created its own. Movies, books, cartoons and comics still take fans and fans to a "galaxy far, far away".
Thanks to the huge number of documentaries and interviews with the creators of the franchise, it is quite difficult to learn anything new about the film today. But there are still 'tidbits' that can shine not only the average viewer, but also fans into previously unknown facts.
Everyone hated the Ewoks
Due to their too cute appearance for intergalactic battles, Ewoks did not appeal to many viewers and fans. Everyone was infuriated by the scenes in which small Ewoks defeated the best stormtroopers of the Imperial Army with amazing ease. Even some Star Wars creators didn't like Ewoks: Ralph McQuarrie, the Oscar-winning illustrator and film designer who created the characters of Darth Vader, Chewbacca, the robots R2-D2 and C-3PO, and more, refused to create anything related to Ewoks.
The emperor was a woman
In the special edition of The Empire Strikes Back, the Emperor was replaced by Ian McDiarmid. Originally, Lucas wanted the Emperor to remain a mystery until the last moment - he was portrayed by an indistinct female figure. Few believed this until a 2010 "behind the scenes" book revealed that the Emperor was "played" by Elaine Baker, the wife of legendary American special effects and makeup artist Rick Baker.
They wanted to make Yoda a monkey
In the 1980s, computer-generated special effects were used very little, and making a Yoda doll seemed very difficult. A 'wild' decision was made: to put a Yoda mask and costume on a live monkey. But later it became clear that the monkey would take off the costume, so the crew decided to go back to the doll version.
There was also a Star Wars radio show.
The franchise became popular not only because of the script and characters, but also because of the revolutionary, at the time, visual special effects. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to imagine Star Wars on the radio. But it was: in 1981, a 12-episode radio show was released, which, like a series of films, was well received by the public.
Star Wars by Brian De Palma
At that time, there were many young 'hungry' directors and screenwriters in Hollywood, some of whom Lucas knew well. Brian De Palma was one of them. He wrote the introductory text for Star Wars, but when it became clear that it was too wordy, the famous format of paragraphs floating into space was invented. But the influence of De Palma on the saga is recognized by the director Lucas himself.
Return of the Jedi could have been a psychedelic movie
Before choosing Richard Marquard to direct the new film, Lucas was in talks with ... David Lynch, whose films are, to put it mildly, 'a little weird'. In addition, Lynch openly hated Star Wars. After his Dune, you can imagine what a film about the Jedi could have turned out to be.
David Cronenberg was also considered for the director's chair, but after meeting with Lucasfilm, the filmmaker realized that he would not pull the picture.
Working titles
When Return of the Jedi was filmed in 1982 in Yuma, Arizona, the entire crew pretended to the locals that they were making a horror movie called Blue Harvest. Everywhere there were signs with the name of the film, the clothes of the staff were also with the Blue Harvest. One of the local guys managed to sneak onto the set and take some photos of Jabba's barge, but that only convinced him that a horror film was in progress.
Lucas often came up with other titles for his films, such as Episode I was "A Doll's House", Episode II was "Billiard Ball", and Episode III was "The Bridge".
Headhunters love recycling
In The Empire Strikes Back, there is a scene where the bounty hunters gather aboard a Star Destroyer, and a lot of "recycled waste" from other films appears in the frame. The droid IG-88 is made up of parts from other droids, and instead of a head, it has a dispenser from the first part. The look of Boba Fett is based on the original design of the stormtrooper type.
Sound effects are composed of very strange sounds
Working on movie sound effects is always fun, and Star Wars is no exception. For example, the sound of a TIE fighter is a combination of the roar of an elephant and the grinding of car wheels on wet pavement. Darth Vader's breathing is the sound of breathing through a scuba gear. The sound of a blaster is the sound of a hammer hitting a taut cable. And the famous lightsaber sound is a combination of the hum of an old TV and the noise of a clutch.
Mark Hamill injuries
Mark Hamill really suffered for the sake of art. In A New Hope, in the trash bin scene, Mark had to hold his breath for a long time, causing a blood vessel to burst in his face. As a result, after the incident, the entire film was filmed from only one side. But this was not the end of his misfortune. Between the filming of the two parts of the film, Mark was in a car accident and seriously injured his face, after which Lucas needed a scene with a wampa attack on Luke. Lucas said that if Hamill died these days, Luke would have to be killed in the film and a new character would be introduced in his place.
Some names are never mentioned in the movie.
Fans and just ordinary viewers have so memorized all the names of the characters and creatures of Star Wars that for a long time no one thinks that the names of famous characters are never mentioned on the screen.
For example, while readers of the book knew about "Emperor Palpatine", after the release of the prequels, it was difficult for many to associate Palpatine with the Emperor - his name was not mentioned. Wampas and Ewoks are also not mentioned. Even the name of Boba Fett, one of the most popular characters in the saga, is only mentioned in the credits!
Costume stories "Star Wars"
Many people know that Carrie Fisher had to wrap her breasts so as not to look too sexy as Leia. However, the features of the Star Wars costumes are not limited to this. Chewbacca was originally supposed to be clothed, not practically naked (other than hair). Wearing the C-3PO suit was incredibly painful and even traumatic.
Natalie Portman complained that wearing Padme's dresses was a real pain, and Hayden Christensen trained before trying on the "uniform" of Darth Vader.
C-3PO was supposed to be a car salesman
Even after filming began, some Star Wars characters gradually changed. The nerdy programmed robot C-3PO was supposed to have the voice and mannerisms of an American used car salesman, but when Daniels rehearsed in his normal voice, the image was corrected and he turned into a prim and nervous servant, proved his charm, and the character was drastically changed.
Liam Neeson's height increased the cost of the painting by $150,000
After the appearance of Liam Neeson in the first episode, the set was already assembled in every detail, from the interiors of spaceships to Anakin's house, while Neeson's height was not taken into account. For some interiors, it turned out to be too high. The constant stoop would not fit the image of a Jedi Master, so the design of the interiors had to be changed, due to which the film crew incurred an additional $150,000 in expenses.
Justin Timberlake almost starred in Star Wars
This was almost forgotten, but in 2001 the Internet exploded with the news that the then popular group NSYNC was to appear in the second episode as a cameo - as a group of Jedi. A sigh of relief was heard everywhere when it turned out that this was not so. There is an opinion that Lucas did not intend to do this, but his daughter, a fan of Timberlake, begged him for such an opportunity. If that had happened, Timberlake would have been on the big screen much sooner.
'Return of the Jedi' poster features George Lucas
To be precise, his hands. The film was going to be called "Revenge of the Jedi", but George Lucas thought that the Jedi should not be guided by such feelings as revenge, so the name "Return of the Jedi" ended up. The poster shows Luke Skywalker's hands holding a sword in the middle of outer space. But these are not the hands of Mark Hamill, the director himself acted as a model. Such an honor fell to the author and creator of the franchise.
All stormtroopers are left-handed
Blasters for imperial stormtroopers were developed on the basis of the Sterling L2A3 machine gun, a real submachine gun that was in service with the British Army from 1953 to 1988. But when the actors took their blasters to right hand, the store beat them on the chest. Due to the limited budget, it was decided to make the attack aircraft left-handed. No wonder they often missed!
Han Solo was giant green lizard
The first scripts for Star Wars didn't really match up with what we're used to seeing on screen. Everything was more like a Japanese movie: the Jedi armies, the protagonist Luke Skykiller, the much more princess-like Princess Leia, and the huge green lizard-like Han Solo smuggler. It could also be a hit, but we would have watched a completely different film. Would you like to see such an interpretation of the saga? Then read Star Wars by Dark Horse.
Yoda is a surname
From his very first appearance, Master Yoda has become one of the most iconic heroes of the saga. He's a classic example of the "don't judge by appearances" adage, and his role expands to that of a great warrior in the prequels. Lucas originally intended to make "Yoda" a surname; the master's name was supposed to be... "Minch." Luckily, Lucas figured out that a single Yoda would do better.
Obi-Wan could be Japanese
Obi-Wan could play Toshiro Mifune - the greatest star of Japanese cinema, an actor who starred in several films of Lucas' idol Akira Kurosawa. Nevertheless, it was decided to focus on the actor, better known to the Western audience - Alec Guinness. It’s even a little pity, because Obi-Wan could have turned out to be more ‘cool’ from Toshiro.
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