Watching behind-the-scenes footage of your favourite childhood movies can go one of two ways. One: the magic is ruined forever and you can’t watch the movie again without thinking “A 50-year-old bald man is in that munchkin suit”. Or two: it somehow makes you love the film even more, for all its technical, imperfect, humanising glory.
Thank goodness Star Wars has always fallen in the second category. A while ago
Vanity Fair found some previously unseen photos of the making of
Empire Strikes Back, perhaps the most popular film in the original trilogy. Taken between 1979 and 1980, the photos reveal the construction of one of the most complex and absorbing worlds in cinema history, and also a lot of bored actors waiting for their take with Chewbacca.
Even if you’re not a Star Wars nut, you'll find these photos are adorable. Carrie Fischer always seems to be giggling around a stony faced and bored looking Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill pulls faces at the camera (he looks about 18, but he was actually 29 at the time) and George Lucas stands around looking beard-y.
And if you
are a fan, it’s the filming of the opening rolling credits! Obi Wan / Alec Guinness smiling down in a fatherly fashion at Luke Skywalker / Mark Hamill! The stop motion filming of tiny model walkers!
More at
vanityfair.com.