Filming Return of the Jedi

Blue Harvest: Filming Return of the Jedi

If you are married you know that weddings are expensive. One reason they are so expensive is that the word wedding comes with a price tag. If you are buying a wedding cake, it is going to cost more than a normal cake. If you are hiring a wedding photographer, expect to pay wedding prices.

Apparently the same thing happens with movies. Once someone knows you are making a Star Wars film everything, including the nuts and bolts that hold the set together,  is going to cost more. This is why Lucas picked a codename for Return of the Jedi. A film called “Blue Harvest” would be able to get cheaper parts and therefore Lucas could afford to film his movie. The film even had a fake tagline “Horror Beyond Imagination”.            

Six Puppeteers controlled Jabba

Filming started with Jabba’s palace where Lucas was adamant that a man-in-a-suit portray the rancor (like Godzilla). However after several attempts it wasn’t working, so they decided to use a puppet instead.

Jabba was also an issue. In the original Star Wars movie Jabba was filmed as a human-being, but the material was cut from the final film. Lucas wanted to make Jabba more alien for Jedi. Concept sketches included Jabba as a large ape and a snail-like creature. The final product was a mix between the two and it took six puppeteers to bring the character to life.

Teddy Bears? Really?

Next the production team headed to the California forests to film the Endor scenes. The original script called for the Empire to be in a battle with the Wookiees on their home planets, however Lucas felt Ewoks were more kid-friendly. The actors felt awkward interacting with the short teddy-bears and many fans still feel that the cuddly species would have been no match for stormtroopers. The language for the Ewoks was based on Tibetan and Kalmyk Oirat, (the native speech of the Kalmyk people who are native to Mongolia & Russia.)

Original Poster with "Revenge"

The last decision to make was the title of the film. Lucas had originally picked “Return of the Jedi” but director, Lawrence Kasdan, thought it was a weak title. Early posters & previews carried the title “Revenge of the Jedi” but Lucas decided to change it back to “Return” at the last moment. Luke’s lightsaber was also shown as being blue in these previews and posters, but it was changed to green late in production.

Fans today site “Jedi” as the weakest film of the original trilogy, most cite the Ewoks as being unnecessary and created exclusively for children.

Though let’s not forget that Jedi has the most action of the three. The Sarlacc scene is tense and ultimately awesome. The speeder bike chase is pure gold and the lightsaber battle may be the strongest of the entire saga.

In the past 2 months I have researched and reported on the first decade of Star Wars history. Now I must take a leave of absence from my blogs to have my own adventures. But stay tuned for more blogs in mid-January. Until then, May the Force be with you!

The Secret History of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi with Gary Kurtz.

Writing "Jedi"

Kurtz & Lucas had two different visions for Jedi

When you ask someone, "Who made Star Wars?", George Lucas will be the first person to spring to mind. But throughout my blogs I try to expose some of the other great minds behind the series. Star Wars would be nothing without the art of Ralph McQuarrie or the music of John Williams. The Empire Strikes Back was written by Lawrence Kasdan and directed by Irvin Kirshner. This blog is about another individual who made Star Wars what is was: Producer Gary Kurtz, the producer of 'Star Wars' & 'Empire', but not 'Return of the Jedi' because of the creative arguments he had with Lucas. Moreover, this blog is about what could have been if Gary Kurtz had gotten his way.

            Let me introduce an alternate universe where Gary Kurtz does get his way…. 'Return of the Jedi' Kurtz style. The first part of the movie is pretty similar. Han Solo is rescued from Jabba, but Han isn’t safe for long. In fact he is killed during a raid on an imperial base in the middle of the film. This is an alternate way to tackle the Luke-Han-Leia love triangle of the series, (Rather than having Leia & Luke be siblings)

            There is no second Death Star is Kurtz’ version (Kurtz didn’t like the idea of recycling things from the first film). The end of Return of the Jedi is actually quite dark. The rebellion is in tatters, Leia is struggling with her new duties as queen, and Luke walks off alone, like Clint Eastwood in a spaghetti western.

It is quite different than the film we know, but imagine the possibilities. 'Jedi' doesn’t end with a big Teddy Bear Luau, Vader doesn’t die, the series continues through the eighties and the nineties. Hell, we could be on Star Wars Episode XIX by now.

Ewoks Sell Toys

            This version of 'Jedi' seems strange, but it was the version both Lucas and Kurtz agreed on in early talks. So what happened? According to Gary, Lucas got greedy. It became less about making a good movie and became more about action figures. IE: If you kill off Han Solo, you’ll sell less action figures. Bittersweet endings don’t sell toys, Ewoks having a BBQ sells toys. Second Death Stars sell toys. Dare I say it? Jar Jar Binks and Darth Maul sell toys.

            This is another long line in articles about what Star Wars could have been, but in this case, we see Star Wars veering off on the wrong track. To some fans, Ewoks were the first sign that the ship was sinking. Next came the Ewok films, followed by the special editions, followed by the prequel trilogy, followed by things like that awful 'Clone Wars' cartoon film and a Star Wars animated sitcom.

            Gary Kurtz left Lucasfilm over the arguments and instead of producing 'Return of the Jedi', Gary Kurtz made 'The Dark Crystal'. Gary Kurtz and Lucas stopped making films together and, like the rest of us, Gary despised the prequels.

            So what would have happened if Lucas had listened to Gary? What if Lucas had never met “Yes-Man Rick McCallum" who would produce the prequels. Could we have had 30-years of quality Star Wars films instead of 30-years of waiting in line for junk? My feeling is yes.

            Next Time: "Filming Return of the Jedi" AKA “Ewoks Attack”

May 21st, 1980: Empire opens to luke-warm reviews

The Hobbit opens in a few weeks and reviews are already coming in. Some are really positive, while others are only luke warm. The thing with reviews is that you have to take them with a grain a salt. Even "The Empire Strikes Back", (what I consider the greatest film of all time) had some fairly bad reviews:

Fans line up for "Empire"

"The Empire Strikes Back" has no plot structure, no character studies let alone character development, no emotional or philosophical point to make. It has no original vision of the future… But the total effect is fast and attractive and occasionally amusing. Like a good hot dog, that's something of an achievement in a field where unpalatable junk is the rule.” ~Washington Post 

“This fan has one big objection to the film. There is a new character introduced called Yoda. It is a combination of Mickey Rooney and a gray fox but the voice is handled by Frank Oz . Oz is known for his work for Miss Piggy and Fozzie the Bear on the Muppet Show. The voice is too close to the other characters and loses some believability,” ~Kentucky New Era

“The characters are only slightly more developed than in the original. Han remains cocky and the princess is still ever aloof. Luke Skywalker, though, seems a bit more sensitive and C3PO is definitely headed for a severe case of paranoia” ~Observer Reporter

Other reviews were mixed:

“A new puppet, representing a great guru but looking like an elderly, Eastern rodent, is a success; an invented beast of burden that looks like the rear half of a cheap camel costume is not.” ~Washington Post

Ad for Dolby Stereo Sound

And of course there were some reviews that were a little more representative of my feelings towards the film.

"The Empire Strikes Back" is a worthy sequel to Star Wars, equal in both technical mastery and characterization, … Only box office question is how many earthly trucks it will take to carry the cash to the bank.” ~Variety Reviews

“And unlike other blockbuster movies, you don’t feel ripped off with the $1.50 children’s admission price” ~Montreal Gazette

“Lucas knows Once Upon a Time the way Hugh Heffner knows bachelor dreams.” ~The Victoria Advocate

“… one of the most significant surprises in The Empire Strikes Back comes with the opening titles, when the movie’s name is preceded by the tag ‘Chapter V’ ” ~St. Petersburg Times

"Episode V" may have surprised or confused fans

Just remember that reviews can be a great tool, but do not let them spoil the movie for you. Remember that one man’s opinion is just that. Classic films don’t always get good reviews, and some highly reviewed movies are easily forgotten about the next year.

Empire Strikes Back didn’t win many Oscars, but it is in the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress (only 575 films can say that). The film “Ordinary People” that won Best Picture the year Empire came out has been largely forgotten. Here are a few films from last decade that received rave reviews that have quickly been forgotten:

Crash

Million Dollar Baby

Shakespeare in Love

The Departed
American Beauty

I just can’t imagine my future children seeking out a copy of these films and appreciating them. Have you watched any of these since their release? My kids will probably grow up watching Harry Potter or the Matrix films (The Matrix sequels probably aren’t as bad as you remember them being).

Next Time: The Making of Jedi