Thursday 12 January 2017

'STAR WARS' AT 40: DROID FELLOWSHIP!


They had their earlier spat and went separate ways, but now Threepio and Artoo are clearly happy to be reunited, despite being trapped inside a Jawa Sandcrawler and surrounded by various other droids of all shapes and sizes- on their way to destinations unknown, in this classic scene from the original STAR WARS.

In a sequence shot towards the end of principal photography at Elstree, many of the droids both Astro or of humanoid shape, previously used on location or in studio, would appear here. So far unpublished, and within the BFI's Special Collection, are two colour continuity Polaroids taken during 1976 filming by Script Supervisor Ann Skinner, similar to the images presented here but one is taken from a further distance showing tubing and wiring at the front of the set, in front of the cannibilized white droid half of CZ-3. Scene 26 was also to have included an R2 with a brown head amongst the droid pool (though she may have meant/been referencing R5-D4, for the continuity in Tunisia). The other protocol droid Threepio in this scene (looking like they've been lobotomised!), was played by a British background extra named Julie Sharp. The Jawas in this UK filmed interior scene included Stunt Coordinator Peter Diamond's two young children, Rusty Goffe, and Jack Purvis, who was the Chief Jawa.


In Skinner's script of January 1st 1976, there is a red ILM underlined marking for the outside Scene 21, of the Sandcrawler moving in the canyon at sunset.

With thanks to Ann Skinner and the BFI.

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