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Something’s not right because now the Behind the Scenes Pic can’t see.
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with today’s Behind the Scenes Pic!
Irvin Kershner seemed like a funny guy. There are tons and tons and tons of pictures from the making of The Empire Strikes Back where he’s goofing around… kissing Vader, riding a Taun-Taun, laughing it up with the cast… So, naturally when I first saw this picture that I’m using today I thought he was goofing off, replaying the famous scene from Hamlet with 3PO’s head, but then the Comic Book Guy side of my brain went, “Well, actually, he’s being very serious, showing Peter Mayhew, the actor in the Chewbacca suit, how to play the scene when he’s reconstructing C-3PO.” I was all like, “Shut up, I knew that!” and then it got really sad when I continued to argue with myself for 3 or 4 minutes.
And now we’re here, I’ve made peace with myself and all is right with the galaxy. Enjoy this shot, courtesy of Pat Barnett, and send look back fondly on one of the best sci-fi adventure films ever made. Click to enlargen.
If you have a behind the scenes shot you’d like to submit to this column, you can email me at quint@aintitcool.com.
Tomorrow’s pic is full of lime.
-Eric Vespe
”Quint”
quint@aintitcool.com
Follow Me On Twitter
Click here to visit the complete compilation of previous Behind the Scenes images, Page Two
Readers Talkback
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First!
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Long live Kirsh.
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July 3, 2012, 7:09 p.m. CST
by the way....'alas, poor yorick' I am SURE was the inspiration
by Logan_1973
Half of you uneducated moron-dicks will never catch on to it.
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July 3, 2012, 7:14 p.m. CST
logan_1973 - "I knew him, Horatio - a man of infinite jest..."
by irishraidersfan
Don't presume too much ;)
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what a great movie, not entirely flawless but a much better intro to the character then Rami's first film (which i still love) It had alot of silmilariteis to batman begins but i thought it worked also I found it easy to blend into Marvels film universe even though i know it's different producers
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July 3, 2012, 7:26 p.m. CST
I suppose we're never going to get any Prequel BTSPOTD entries...
by StarWarsRedux
...not that the most vocal talkbackers would put up with it. Meh. I'm just tired of all the redundant recycling of ANH and ESB stuff.
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July 3, 2012, 7:28 p.m. CST
The best STAR WARS film and a stand alone Sci-Fi classic......This film is so good it hurts
by SmokieGeezer
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July 3, 2012, 7:28 p.m. CST
"Stormtroopers....HERE? I must tell the others.....OH NO....I've been SHOT!"
by SmokieGeezer
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July 3, 2012, 7:33 p.m. CST
Hey QUINT, Any chance of tracking down a behind the scenes shot from the original Pelham 1,2,3? God I love that film
by SmokieGeezer
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Are there any BTS shots of the wookie screwing the mouth hole of C-3PO? I'd love to hear Anthony Daniels' muffled patter during that scene.
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Now I'll be rock hard for the next few hours
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I knew him, Chewbacca...
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The Empire Strikes Back is great but cannot stand alone as a film. You are required to have seen Star Wars to know who is who and what is going on. It also ends on a cliffhanger. Star Wars is a complete film that introduces characters and has a conclusive ending.
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that's how i felt watching DK for the first time. Like i hadn't seen anything like it since ESB. Took 28 years for Hollywood to come up with a near equivalent.
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I think Lucas is a talented and visionary movie maker. His movies entertain like no others. And I'm not being sarcastic. Just wanted to get in there before the yawn-fest of "fuck you Lucas" gets into full swing. Fuck YOU if you can't enjoy silly spectacle fun for what it is. Episode I was over ten years ago. Greedo shot first fifteen years ago. If you are still licking wounds now, you really are the people Shatner spoke vehnemently about in that SNL skit so long ago (yes I know, those were trekkies, but the context still applies). Okay. I'm done. God Bless Jar Jar, and good night. Wizard.
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July 3, 2012, 8:32 p.m. CST
If you want a Behind the scenes pic of The Prequels a simple, souless blue screen will suffice.....
by SmokieGeezer
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July 3, 2012, 8:52 p.m. CST
@rtambree agreed...but I still think that Promethius was pretty good
by DementedCaver
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Some people, including Kershner & Lucas, work better as a team. The original trilogy had that. I realize people want to discredit Lucas as much as possible. Hence where all the "it was all Kershner for Empire, Lucas had little to do with that movie!" bullshit reasoning. All the while the unsung hero Lawrence Kasdan continues to be last on the list. Fuckin fanboys...
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July 3, 2012, 8:59 p.m. CST
so it would appear as if Pat Barnett has domain over about 87% of the entire world's population of BTS movie stills? lol
by TheSeeker7
Seriously, it's like we see his name in the credits every other day here up in this mofo'
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July 3, 2012, 9:10 p.m. CST
It wasn't CG, but there was definitely a monkey with a personality in Raiders...
by Jay
On top of that, it was a bad guy. It actually points out Marians hiding place. It had a personalty! But alas, because we grew up with Raiders, all of it was acceptable in that movie...once again, fucking fanboys... If you can find a Rhino sticking his horn between Indy's leg and intimidating the boner position, which was done for purely comedic effect, you can accept 5 seconds of monkeys and gopher. Oh right, Crusade was made in the 80s. I forgot that decade gets a pass on everything... hypocrites.
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July 3, 2012, 9:39 p.m. CST
See what happens when a real director makes your movie
by David Duchovny
Imagine what A New Hope might have been if McFuckup hadn't been behind the camera. He barely got full coverage in most of the scenes. There is a reason the editors won the Oscar. They pulled off a miracle by making A New Hope even watchable.
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Great director, great pic just watched Building an Empire again, great meta-flick just great Obviously I love Animal House too
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July 3, 2012, 10:36 p.m. CST
And what does my wife say when I bring up Star Wars? "I like the one with the teddy bears."
by sweeneydave
I know, dear. That's why you're the wife.
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July 3, 2012, 10:57 p.m. CST
Can a director be great if he only ever directs one good movie?
by StarWarsRedux
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July 3, 2012, 11 p.m. CST
Re: smokiegeezer/Kershner Directing RETURN OF THE JEDI
by ArmageddonProductions
Interestingly enough, Kershner directing EMPIRE STRIKES BACK spelled the beginning of the end of the marriage between Lucas and quality. Lucas resented both Kershner and producer Gary Kurz because EMPIRE went so far over budget (it was Lucas's money and, as far as Lucas was concerned, it should have cost only a little more than the 8 million spent on the first movie, instead of the 14 million it wound up costing) and because Kershner was doing crazy shit like, you know, artistically lighting scenes and working with actors and stuff. I think dollies and cranes may have even been used. It's no accident that EMPIRE is the only STAR WARS movie out of the six that was actually shot well and had the most memorable visuals and character moments. Anyway, Kurz was unceremoniously fired after EMPIRE and Lucas has spent the intervening 31 years more or less behaving as if HE had directed EMPIRE. For RETURN OF THE JEDI, he hired Richard Marquand, who was about a half-step up from some dude who might have directed a few episodes of "Quincy" and (you can look this up), he had two cameras running on the set at all times: the "A" camera (Marquand's) and the "Lucas" camera.
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July 3, 2012, 11:24 p.m. CST
Face it, The Waddle would never think up a touch like that.
by justmyluck
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July 3, 2012, 11:25 p.m. CST
Armageddon-- Kershner's not responsible for the visual quality of ESB...
by StarWarsRedux
...Peter Suschitzky, the cinematographer, was. Out of everyone, he's the real unsung hero on that movie. <p> <p>To be honest, the dolly and crane stuff on ESB always gets on my nerves. It's so artificial, so old-Hollywood. Suschitzky's work overcomes that, though. There's a reason Cronenberg sought him out for "Dead Ringers" after that movie.
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July 3, 2012, 11:38 p.m. CST
Empire is the reason this websites like this one exists
by Annie The Pod Racer
Empire is the reason geek fandom exists. Empire is the reason people like JJ Abrams, Whedon, Vaughn, etc... do what they do. Empire is the reason you have the best bed sheets on the block. Empire is the reason latchkey kids don't mind being home alone for almost 3hours. Empire is the reason we knock down new movies of the same genre, despite having the newest CGI/special effects. Empire is the reason some of us are having a hard time growing up.
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July 3, 2012, 11:46 p.m. CST
You're ALL wrong.... the REAL unsung hero of ESB is...
by jazzdownunder
BRIAN COX ! Search you're feelings. You know it's true. At least I can console myself now with the knowledge that episodes I, II and III aren't actually prequels - now I can tell myself "It's OK - they just share some DNA ... ".
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But I like "Close Encounters..." better. Boy, 1977 was a good year to be in 3rd grade.
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Because it wasn't playing in St Pete at the time. One of the best movies ever. The high water mark of Star Wars.
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because I still can't see Quint's HOBBIT SET REPORTS
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Love it, love it, LOVE IT!
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....than the one that jizzed Captain Panaka's eye out.
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The difference in personality is obvious. Kershner, seen in many behind-the-scenes shots goofing around on set and having fun, ends up making the most emotional powerful movie of the series. Lucas, with his one-word directorial style and Asperger's Syndrome personality, ruins the whole series by making three more movies populated by unlikeable, unfunny cartoon aliens.
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July 4, 2012, 5:03 a.m. CST
"if Lucas had directed this then we would have suffered Han Solo saying "I love you" back
by buggerbugger
"...instead of the cool motherfucker words of "I know"" Yeah, thankfully Harrison Ford must have seen Jack Nicholson doing the "I love you/I know" scene in 'The King of Marvin Gardens' in the early '70s and decided to borrow it.
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& i watch the prequels more than the originals, yes more flawed but more dense too....& even mighty Empire has some ropey lightweight moments
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Screw that...the films great because he didn't direct hell it he didn't even write the fucking screen play that's was down to Kasdan and Leigh Brackett(a really great science fiction writer)
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July 4, 2012, 6:49 a.m. CST
"Once secure in office he declared himself Emperor, shutting himself away from the populace. Soon he was controlled by the very assistants and boot-lickers he had appointed to high office, and the cries of the people for justice did not reach his ears..."
by obijuanmartinez
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July 4, 2012, 6:49 a.m. CST
(Sound like anyone we know? Maybe a certain Neckless One?)
by obijuanmartinez
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July 4, 2012, 7:02 a.m. CST
But that said, "A New Hope" is still my fave (and the only standalone installment) of the film series...
by obijuanmartinez
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What kind of fucking movie is this about a goddamn space monkey building a fucking robot. You've got to be shitting me.
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My favourite movie of all time. Simply outstanding. Now cue the tards who think it's overrated.
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There are a LOT of cool shots, but when 3PO says the line.. "Stormtroopers....HERE? I must tell the others.....OH NO....I've been SHOT!" Watch closely.. Kersh does a slow dolly in to 3PO, and at the right time 3POs EYES light up and head goes back. Voila! With the shape of the droids mouth, and the head movement and eyes lighting up.. Kersh effectively gave 3PO a look of surprise, and thus, gave him emotion for a brief second. The man was a genius! End film lesson. lol
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July 4, 2012, 9:05 a.m. CST
If Sony had owned this property this would have been a reboot.
by FluffyUnbound
No ESB, just another take on Luke Skywalker's origin. With Luke played by Abe Vigoda.
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that irony is not exactly lost on Lucas, as he has brought the subject up many times.
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Is the most beautiful sci-fi film ever made, in every sense of the word.
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Lucas has no grudge against Kershner. He asked Kershner if he would like to direct a prequel and Kershner told him that, succeed or fail, Lucas should direct them because they were HIS movies. It was all in Starlog magazine leading up to TPM. He even asked Kasdan if he wanted to be involved. So blame your hero Kershner.
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are you sure? I never knew that. Kasdan was a massive contributing factor to TESB as far as I'm concerned, and the prequels would've been improved immeasurably with his involvement.
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Kershner's DVD commentary for ESB was great. Lucas' are dull as dirt. Growing up ESB was my least favorite of the trilogy & I loved Jedi. I still love parts of Jedi (others parts make me cringe) but I've come to appreciate ESB a lot more.
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You mean the one where Kershner screeches about getting R2 to stand on his "tippy toes"? Hell, that made me question whether or not the guy was really responsible for the film at all. <p> <p>I wish that Kasdan had signed on to help write the Prequels, too, but I don't expect they would have been terribly different. Kasdan himself often has said that the SW scripts he co-wrote were mostly Lucas' writing (whereas "Raiders" was mostly Kasdan, with Lucas, Spielberg and Phillip Kaufman behind the story). He was there to soften the edges in Lucas' dialogue, and tighten the pacing here and there, but he wasn't making any big contributions of what the worlds, characters and story should or shouldn't be. <p> <p>Long story short, the Prequels with Kasdan wouldn't have been very different, but they might've made somewhat of a difference with the naysaying fanboys who refuse to see any of the good stuff in those movies. To that end, it's unfortunate he didn't come aboard.
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...then the Prequels are definitely sci-fi, touching on politics, societies, and so on. Hell, even the nature of the Force is given a scientific dimension through the prism of midichlorians, which puts the mystical element on the same level as current day noetic sciences. One could even see the Jedi testing of Anakin's precognative abilities as the same kind of fringe science card tests that researchers use to gague ESP potential. Even the whole cloning subplot is a step far and beyond any of the speculative fiction of the original trilogy. <p> <p>The OT is space opera. The Prequels are sci-fi. Maybe that's the real split here.
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One of the best scenes in Empire.
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July 4, 2012, 2:33 p.m. CST
scratchmonkey - that is a wonderful piece of film trivia regarding Jack Nicholson in Marvin Gardens.....Thanks man, I love little facts like that
by SmokieGeezer
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July 4, 2012, 2:35 p.m. CST
That is cool chickenstu , The force will be with you both.....always
by SmokieGeezer
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July 4, 2012, 2:37 p.m. CST
starwarsredux nice piece of trvia too regarding Peter Suschitzky.....Cinematography is normally forgotten by the fanboys (myself included) thanks for pointing it out man....
by SmokieGeezer
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Just kidding
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July 4, 2012, 5:27 p.m. CST
Smokiegeezer-- Suschitzky's one of my personal favorite DP's...
by StarWarsRedux
...granted, mostly for the work he's done with Cronenberg, but his use of color and lighting on ESB is astounding. I will admit that I think Kersh let him off the leash a little bit in some places and that the movie loses some of that SW docu-verite realism at times for old-Hollywood prettiness. But at least it's immaculately crafted prettiness (that still has some verite spirit in places like Dagobah and the Bespin duel, which Lucas was onset for I think). It's one of the most beautiful sci-fi movies out there, and I think Suschitzky's to thank for that. <p> <p>Another interesting bit of trivia-- Lucas originally wanted Suschitzky to be the DP on ANH, but he wasn't available. When ESB was made, Suschitzky was among the first hires for the crew, even before Kershner was approached to direct. Shame he wasn't available for ROTJ. David Tattersall's work on the Prequels are a close second to the peerless work done here, but Suschitzky is still the man.
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All the actors in the movie adored him and he adored them back. What was it, someone said to him something along the lines of "Do you like the lighting?" and he replied with "I like Mark!" That is so cool. He was the one who made that film what it was. All the close-ups on the faces and stuff - it was fucking marvelous. "The Empire Strikes Back" to me is just the greatest fucking film ever behind "E.T The Extra Terrestrial". I cannot get enough of it.
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Before you go crediting her for ESB, do a little research.
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And the B&W makes it classssssssssy!
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Next you will say "Water is wet". Of course you have to see ANH before ESB. And no ESB isn't able to stand on its own... why would you want that anyway? Yes, you could technically watch "Aliens" without having seen "Alien", or The God Father Part 2, etc etc... but why would you want to do that? ESB made star wars what it was. I look at ANH as the film that got our imagination started, and ESB as the movie that made it go somewhere important. ROTJ is in many ways a victory lap. There are some amazingly powerful scenes in that film as well, but none of them depend on ANH, but they do depend on ESB.
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My kids fave..... Horrid fucking Henry ... Wtf Still, I have given my son the box set of Indy & Back tithe future to watch, which he seems to enjoy ........,
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EMPIRE is a great film, I agree, but it's hardly a 'stand alone sci fi classic' - because it is most definitely the middle part of a trilogy, with a non-ending that requires you to wait for JEDI. STAR WARS, however, is a stand alone sci fi classic.
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I still think STAR WARS is the best movie. I like EMPIRE a lot, but STAR WARS is the more complete film.
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Considering the man NEVER made another good movie ever again... I was sad to know he was offered JEDI and turned it down, he said he regretted that too... I was also heartened by his comments on the prequels, he was very enthusastic for them and wished he could have done one...
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She only wrote one draft... then she got sick and died. Lucas gave her credit because he liked her and thought highly of her, but what she wrote was not where Lucas wanted to go. I've read bits of it and its hard to decipher a SW film from it. SO he wrote three more drafts himself and then gave it to Lawrence Kasdan for polish and tweaking. This myth about Brackett needs to end- research before you spout off, people!
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Makes no sense unless you stop reading books to the end.
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Let's be honest, did Kersh ever really do any good movies before ESB, either? Are there really any die hard fans of "Stakeout on Dope Street", "Return of a Man Called Horse", or "Eyes of Laura Mars"? That last one is particularly painful to sit through, because it's such a mediocre American giallo rip-off, and any number of other directors could've done the script much better. De Palma would've eaten it whole, for instance. And God, imagine how cool it could've been if they let the original screenwriter, John Carpenter, do it himself. It's so close to being a good movie, but close ain't close enough. <p> <p>Anyway. I think Lucas mainly gave Brackett credit because it meant money for her kids. And that speaks very highly of him.
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but yes, lucky once and made a terrible Bond and Robocop flick... not just bad, but awful. Again, it just amazes me how in the element he was with ESB, yet before and after it blew donkeys. Still would have been cool to see what he would have done with a prequel or two but then again, he could have done far worse.
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He was amazed that she took the job sick with cancer and not telling anyone that she was terminal.
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Take the story of Star Wars and transplant it to medeval times, the old west, adjust properly and it's still the same story... Unlike 2001, the technology is not needed to tell the story. The space ships could be horses, Chewbacca could be just a big dog and the Death Star could be a Fort on the western frontier. The Force isn't even sci-fi based, it could mean a character's faith in God... STAR WARS SPACE OPERA/FANTASY....
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July 5, 2012, 12:37 p.m. CST
The Empire Screenplay was written by Lucas and Kasdan, NOT Brackett
by Turd_Is_Floating_Underneath_The_Gravy
She wrote only a first draft of Empire, one which barely resembled the finished article at all, before succumbing to cancer. She was credited only out of respect, even though Lucas wrote about three or four drafts of Empire, shaping the whole tone and structure of the piece, before Kasdan came in to polish up the dialogue and characterization. This appropriation of unearned writing credit actually shows hat Lucas, despite being travestied by fanboys as an ego-driven asshole, is actually a very humble and nice guy. Fanboys want to downplay Lucas' role in Empire (hell, they even try to downplay Lucas' role in the original Star Wars now) but the fact remains, he was hugely involved with it, and it would not be half as good without his involvement.
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Sarcasm mode engaged... it's cool to hate on Lucas, but I never will.... fanboys have proven they have no integrity of any kind and are easily swayed...
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is Director- in the sense he wasn't on set every single working day... the rest- his money, his party, he was calling the shots... so to think he had little to NO involvement is retarded.
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We have lots to discuss... danturp72@gmail.com
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Space Opera is still a type of science fiction.
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As I said, SW is not dependent on its sci-fi trappings to tell the same story... Plus, nearly every fantasy story begins in the past... Harry Potter would be an exception along with a few more I'm sure. Lord of the Rings Conan Instead of Once upon a time...we have... A long time ago... I would say SW just merged them together. Using the sci-fi stuff as costumes and not inherently needed to tell the story.
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When I watch this film.... Even when I listen to the soundtrack.... Even when I think about the soundtrack... Losing a Hand.... The Asteroid Feild... Etc.... The whole first trilogy..... It's beyond words that can be typed into a computer.... The beauty of it.... There never has been everything like it and there never will be. I don't give a fuck how over stated it is. My god the glory. The fucking sheer glory of what that fat necked bastard created.
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We're about to show ANH and another movie to 7 and 10 year old kids of friends on our home theater. (We had to convince the parents, the kids have seen few movies.) I am a little worried ESB is too grown up and will bore or terrify them. Should I do a double feature of ANH and ESB or should I go with ANH and Raiders/ET/some other non SW film? I refuse to show them TPM so don't even suggest it.
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Yes - I'm aware that Star Wars isn't dependent on its sci-fi trappings, just as Flash Gordon isn't. But it is STILL a science fiction movie.
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How about showing them STAR WARS (I refuse to refer to it as ANH) and FANTASTIC VOYAGE?
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