154 Star Wars (1977)
Description
This article is from the Movie Trivia, by Murray Chapman muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au with numerous contributions by others.
154 Star Wars (1977)
- 'George Lucas' (qv) consulted with world reknowned mythologist
'Joseph Campbell' (qv) to develop the script.
- Lucas had trouble getting funding for this movie, most studios thinking that
people wouldn't go to see it.
- The Director's Guild of America (DGA) didn't like the fact that there were
no specific credits at the beginning of the film. They ``ordered'' Lucas
to recut the film and put some credits at the beginning. Lucas refused,
claiming that this would destroy the opening of the film. The DGA fined
Lucas, who paid up, and promptly quit the DGA.
- The Millenium Falcon was originally modelled after a hambuger with an
olive next to it.
- Derived from (among other things) a Japanese movie called
"The Hidden Fortress (1958)" (qv). Obi Wan Kenobi was modeled after a
Samurai warrior, and C-3PO and R2-D2 are derived from a couple of petty
crooks he conscripted to help rescue a princess.
- The word ``Jedi'' is derived from the Japanese words ``Jidai Geki'' which
translate as ``period drama.'' A period drama is a Japanese TV soap opera
program set in the samurai days. Lucas mentioned in an interview that he
saw a ``Jidai Geki'' program on TV while in Japan a year or so before the
movie was made and liked the word.
- 'Sissy Spacek' (qv) originally cast as Leia, but when 'Carrie Fisher' (qv)
refused to do the nude scenes in "Carrie (1976)" (qv), they swapped roles.
- 'Jodie Foster' (qv) was Lucas' second option for Princess Leia,
'Christopher Walken' (qv) was second in line for Han Solo. Lucas also
considered 'Nick Nolte' (qv) for the role of Solo.
- 'Burt Reynolds' (qv) was originally cast as Han Solo, but he dropped out.
- A great deal of the film was shot by vintage 1950's VistaVision cameras,
because they were of higher quality than any others available. After the
film was released, the prices of these cameras skyrocketed.
- The episode number and subtitle ``A New Hope'' did not originally appear in
the film's opening crawl. These were added in a later re-release to be
consistent with those seen in "The Empire Strikes Back (1980)" (qv).
- There is a rumor that while Lucas and a co-worker were editing
"American Graffiti (1973)" (qv), the co-worker asked Lucas for ``Reel Two,
Dialog Two'', which abbreviated to ``R2-D2'', a name which stuck in Lucas'
mind.
- Scene of escape pod leaving Leia's ship was the first ever done by ILM.
- C-3PO originally scripted as a ``used car salesman'' type, and designed after
the robot from "Metropolis (1926)" (qv).
- The Tatooine scenes were filmed in Tunisia. There is a town in Tunisia
called ``Tatahouine''. Some of the interiors of Luke's house were filmed
in a hotel in Tunisia.
- The sounds of the lasers were made by striking one of the guy wires of a
power pylon.
- There is a rumor that 'Anthony Daniels' (qv) (C-3PO) was having trouble
timing his conversations with R2-D2, as R2-D2's dialog was to be dubbed in
later. Supposedly, Daniels asked Lucas to make some kind of noise to help
him, but when Lucas forgot, the matter was dropped.
- Chewbacca was modeled after Lucas' dog, Indiana. See also
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)" (qv).
- C-3PO loses an arm when attacked by the Sandpeople. Ben cuts off a
creature's hand in the Cantina. See also
"The Empire Strikes Back (1980)" (qv) and "Return of the Jedi (1983)" (qv).
- The following characters ``have a bad feeling about this'': Luke and Han. See
also "The Empire Strikes Back (1980)" (qv), and
"Return of the Jedi (1983)" (qv).
- A scene where Jabba the Hutt confronts Han Solo in front of the Millenium
Falcon was filmed with a human standin, but cut due to pacing problems.
- A small pair of metal dice can be seen hanging in the cockpit of the
Millenium Falcon as Chewbacca makes preparations to depart from Mos Eisley.
They don't appear in subsequent scenes.
- Han and Luke ``transfer'' Chewbacca from cell block 1138: Lucas directed a
film called "THX 1138 (1970)" (qv). ``THX-1138'' was going to be the serial
number of the guard with the faulty transmitter on the Death Star, but this
was changed.
- 'Harrison Ford' (qv) deliberately didn't learn his lines for the intercom
conversation in the cell block, so it would sound spontaneous.
- When the stormtroopers enter the room where C-3PO and R2-D2 are hiding, one
of them ``accidentally'' bumps his head on the door, complete with sound
effects.
- Scenes featuring Luke and his Tatooine friend ``Biggs'' were cut from the
film. Biggs was a young pilot who left the Imperial Academy to join the
Rebellion. Luke mentions him to his ``aunt'' and ``uncle'' during the
breakfast scene, and the character later shows up as a Rebel pilot who
accompanies Luke down the final run on the Death Star trench (and is killed
by Darth Vader).
- 'James Earl Jones' (qv) supplied the voice of Darth Vader, but specifically
requested that he not be credited, as he felt he had not done enough work to
get the billing. 'David Prowse' (qv) was supposedly extremely annoyed at
not being told that his voice would be dubbed.
- Cardboard cutouts are used for some of the background starfighters in the
Rebel hanger bay.
- 'Mark Hamill' (qv) held his breath for so long during the trash compactor
scene that he broke a blood vessel in his face. Subsequent shots are from
one side only.
- 'Denis Lawson' (qv), plays Wedge Antilles, despite his name being misspelt
in the credits as ``Dennis Lawson''. See also
"Return of the Jedi (1983)" (qv).
- The final battle has been described as borrowed from
"The Dam Busters (1954)" (qv), but much more closely resembles one in
"633 Squadron (1964)" (qv).
- Most of the crowd watching the heroes receive their medallions are cardboard
cutouts.
- It is rumoured that the shots of Owen and Beru's burning bodies were added
to avoid an MPAA rating of ``G'', which it was believed would hurt ticket
sales.
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