Star Wars Saturday: Mark Hamill’s Family Photo Album from ROTJ

Earlier this week, StarWars.com featured a collection from the Hamill family archives–behind-the-scenes snapshots from when Mark Hamill’s wife and young child visited the set. They are simply precious. Imagine what it might have been like to, at the age of three, sit inside R2-D2 or meet actual Ewoks! Nathan Hamill was blessed.

But there are gems for all fans. Here are some highlights. The rest can be found here.

This is easily my favorite simply because it is so unexpected to see Emporer Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid, left) with such a broad, ingratiating smile. He’s such a cuddly fellow! I further love the very 1983 fall fashions sported by Ian, Mark, and Denis Lawson aka Wedge Antilles.

What if Luke had fallen to the Dark Side? This pose suits him well. He also appears to be channeling Mr. Burns.

Oh, Nathan Hamill, you are so adorable peeking out of R2-D2! “Can I live in here, Dada?”

The awesomeness in this one is all in the sidelong look and pinched chin that puppeteer Frank Oz is giving to Yoda. There is some sort of disapproving judgment implied. Perhaps Yoda senses a poopy diaper?

Look at the joy on that child’s face. Adult fans might malign the Ewoks for being glorified teddy bears to entice the kiddies, but, hey, it worked! He even got to meet a BABY Ewok. I am overwhelmed by the cute.

Star Wars Saturday: Behind the Scenes of a New Hope with BFI

The British Film Institute is hosting a Star Wars Day celebration that includes an exhibit of behind-the-scenes photos and script pages from script supervisor on A New Hope, Ann Skinner. It shows interesting edits to scenes, deleted scenes, pictures taken on set to show actor marks at ends of takes, and pictures of the cast relaxing between takes.

IGN has an exclusive look at this exhibit. Please check out all of the wonderful images and video tour of the exhibit with the curator they have available over there.

To whet your appetite, I include some of the standouts.

 

Biggs Darklighter, Tatooine Gentleman!

Koo Stark is the character’s name, seemingly connected to the deleted scene with Biggs. One of Luke’s friends perhaps?

Beneath the helmet! Sideburns!

Star Wars Saturday: Behind the Scenes Photos from the Opening Scenes

There’s plenty of excitement (and disgruntlement) over the new subtitle for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I myself feel pretty apathetic about it, so today’s Star Wars focus will not be in the evaluation or implications of that title. Nor will it be about Anthony Daniels’ boasting that The Force Awakens could, in fact, trump The Empire Strikes Back in greatness.

It will actually be about a set of photos made available through ikwiz.com dating back to 1976 and the making of the opening scenes of Star Wars: A New Hope. See them all here.

Here are a few of my favorites from the set.

Of course they shot it this way, pre-digital as it was, but it blows my mind a little to see it in action.

R2-D2’s schematics.

R2 being painted by the time-traveling love child of Mark Hamill and Ewan McGregor.

Ralph McQuarrie’s artistic design for the Jawas’ Sandcrawler and droid depot.

Kenny Baker and Anthony Daniels showing that the R2-3PO relationship was not bound by their costumes. You guys are adorbs!

Star Wars Saturday: Behind-the-Scenes Photos from ‘ROTJ’

There is no shame in this house over loving Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. We have a “family picture” of the rebels together on Endor in our kitchen. It was the one I first remember going to see in the theaters (and I remember seeing it at least three times that summer).

A little gift to ROTJ fans has hit the internet in the form of 50 behind-the-scenes shots from the film. There are your normal shots of actors hanging out on the sets looking cool and anachronistic, like this one.

There are wonderful shots showing the various ways they created creatures, managed scale models, or otherwise pulled off impressive non-digital special effects, like this one:

There are even shots that suggest the behind-the-camera relationships of cast and crew, like this one:

Please note, although Warwick Davis looks much younger, he is probably 13 at the time this picture is taken. I suspect the snuggle from bikini-clad Carrie Fisher is meant to be innocent, but I wonder what is going through pubescent Warwick’s head.

There’s even a variation of the shot we have in our kitchen.

Check out the whole set. They’re worth the time for sure.