30 pieces of trivia about Star Wars

[JODO 2]

Last Updated: Wednesday, 23 May 2007, 07:36 GMT 08:36 UK

30 pieces of trivia about Star Wars

The original Star Wars film was released on 25 May 1977. Much to the surprise of many involved in the project, including the studio which backed it, it became a runaway success.

The celebrate the movie's 30th anniversary here are 30 facts and figures related to the film which influenced a new generation of film-makers.

THE MAKING OF STAR WARS

1. The first trailer for the film hit cinemas six months before it was to open - with tag lines such as "the story of a boy, a girl and a universe" and "a billion years in the making" - as executives hoped to drum up some interest in a film they had little faith in.

2. Made on a budget of $11m (£5.5m) it made $215m (£108m) in the US during its original release, and $337m (£170m) overseas. The final film in the franchise - Revenge of the Sith - cost about $113m (£57m) to make.

3. It was originally called The Star Wars, but "the" was dropped fairly early on in the creative process.

4. The full title Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope first appeared when the film was re-released in 1981.

5. Director George Lucas originally had a contract with Fox for $150,000 (£75,941) for writing and directing Star Wars. But he cannily insisted on total control and 40% of merchandising - something the studio agreed to because they had no idea of what a phenomenon Star Wars would become.

6. The famous - and often imitated - opening crawl for Star Wars was co-written by Brian De Palma, the director of Scarface. It begins "It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire."

7. Sir Alec Guinness made a ton of money from the film having recognised its potential success and negotiating a deal for two per cent of box office takings. He also refused to do any promotional work for the film.

8. Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2, are the only actors credited with being in all six Star Wars films.

9. Harrison Ford was far from George Lucas' first choice to play Han Solo as the director had wanted completely new faces for Star Wars. Ford had already starred in Lucas' American Graffiti.

10. The original release date was set for Christmas 1976 but major delays in filming saw it pushed back. The Fox studio had threatened to close down production when filming over-ran by more than two weeks.

INSPIRATION

11. Ralph McQuarrie created the paintings which were used to illustrate how the Star Wars universe could look. He started out as a technical illustrator for Boeing.

12. The Wookiee Chewbacca was inspired by George Lucas' beloved dog Indiana - an Alaskan malamute.

13. Lucas once said that the shape of the Millennium Falcon was based on a hamburger.

14. George Lucas based the character of Han Solo on his friend Francis Ford Coppola.

15. The droids R2-D2 and C-3PO are said to be based on the 1958 Akira Kourosawa film Kakushi toride no san akunin (The Hidden Fortress). Other characters in Star Wars were also drawn from the film including Han Solo and Ben Kenobi.

MARKETING AND MERCHANDISING

16. Cinemas in the US were press-ganged into buying the film after few took up the option, with the threat that they wouldn't get The Other Side of Midnight - a widely-anticipated adaptation of a Sidney Sheldon novel. The Other Side of Midnight, starring Susan Sarandon, was a box office flop.

17. Publicity supervisor George Lippincott was aware of the power of the sci-fi fan, going along to conventions to talk about Star Wars and what audiences could expect. He was largely credited with bringing in huge opening day audiences.

18. The merchandise for the film was not in place to accommodate the demand for the first Christmas rush after the film's release. Lucas and merchandise company Kenner Toys hit upon a novel idea with the introduction of early bird certificate boxes. These were basically empty boxes that promised the receiver they would get the figures once they had been made. They sold for $16 at the time and the actual figures arrived two months later. Limited edition packs were re-released in 2005.

19. More than 250 million small action figures were shipped in the eight years after the first film, going to countries across the world. In the first year alone 42m were sold.

AWARDS

20. Composer John Williams won an Oscar for his score for Star Wars. The music was later named by the American Film Institute as the greatest film score of all time.

21. A New Hope was the only one of the six films in the franchise to be nominated in the Academy Awards best picture category. It lost out to Woody Allen's Annie Hall.

MISHAPS AND MISCELLANEOUS

22. Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, was involved in a car accident following primary shooting. His face was damaged making reshoots impossible. Hamill later said he only broke his nose and reports that his face was reconstructed were wide of the mark.

23. Anthony Daniels was injured during his first outing as C-3PO when a leg piece fell off his gold-coloured costume and shattered - stabbing him in the foot.

24 . On the first day of filming in the deserts of Tunisia, the country experienced its first major rainstorm in 50 years and a rest day had to be called.

25. When filming moved to Elstree it was hoped the earlier problems encountered in the desert would be finished. But a new problem arose in the shape of the strict British working conditions adhered to on set. Lucas says that filming had to close at 5.30pm on the dot, unless he was in the middle of a shot - when he could ask workers to stay for an extra 15 minutes.

Remaining five at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6679425.stm

Edited May 23, 2007 by JODO

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

the 30th anniversary of star wars makes me feel old and depressed

[JODO 2]

the 30th anniversary of star wars makes me feel old and depressed

Well I'm sure you are still young at .