Thursday 8 May 2014

LAUNCHING THE LEGEND. PIC ONE: 'STAR WARS' 1976


In the run up to commencement of EPISODE VII's PINEWOOD STUDIOS principal photography, apparently slated for May 14th 2014, STAR WARS AFICIONADO presents a key image from the first day's shootings of the previous six films of the saga.

March 22nd, 1976. The first day of filming for THE STAR WARS begins in the Tozeur salt flats at Nefta, Tunisia, for scenes of the Jawa droid sale outside the Lars Homestead moisture farm. John Barry's advance built sets and set dressings, plus the enormous bottom section of the Jawa Sandcrawler scaffold prop make an impression on cast, crew and local helpers, whilst the first proper unveiled appearance of Anthony Daniels within the golden See-Threepio suit proves painful for the actor. Luke Starkiller, cast late in the day with Mark Hamill, has now become Luke Skywalker, part of a main cast and Jawa extras (including producer Gary Kurtz's two children and Jack Purvis as their leader) that prove excellent, but the technical problems, especially the droids and other practical effects developed by John Stears- some of which are new and experimental- cause delays and headaches to an already tense writer/director George Lucas.

Right from this first day, on what will be a unique project, the filming is over-schedule, of which further tense times lay ahead...

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