BEHIND THE SCENES IMAGE: DAGOBAH DAYS!

Yoda operator Dave Barclay holds onto the Yoda puppet whilst Mark Hamill lifts himself up for some more Jedi training filming as Luke Skywalker, on the misty and murky Dagobah set towards the end of the main studio principal photography for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK at ELSTREE, circa August/September 1979.

MORE BLU-RAY STUFF...

In a nice and quiet alcove at Mos Eisley Cantina, Han and Jenny cuddle up and get ready to watch the STAR WARS Blu-rays!

Finally! A proper trailer for the Blu-ray Box set, with clips from deleted scenes and footage giving us a proper idea of the picture quality transfers (the above pic of the B/W alternate Cantina scene edit is greatly improved to what was seen all those years ago on CD-rom in 1997). From YAHOO, here: Star Wars: The Complete Saga - exclusive trailer | Movies Blog - Yahoo! Movies

Also, check out the Pod Race clip: Star Wars BLU-Ray Preview - The Phantom Menace Pod Doc - YouTube

And a recent feature on the Blu-ray blog: Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray preview with Holiday Special easter egg

A message from Darth Vader for AMAZON: Amazon.co.uk : Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) Ltd. Edition Film Cell

On the Prequels side of things, here's a taster of the Special Features Menus: STAR WARS - The Complete Saga auf Blu-ray: Sample Menü-Navigation (HD) - YouTube

Luke looks to the heavens waiting for his next Blu-ray post delivery!

CLASSIC IMAGE: FAMILY CONFLICT...

Now more experienced and better able to handle himself with a lightsaber, the last of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker, holds firm against the might of his father, Darth Vader, within the Emperor's Throne Room, in this terrific image from RETURN OF THE JEDI.

NEW BLU-RAY DELETED SCENE CLIP: CHASM CLASH!

Another welcome little deleted scene snippet from the upcoming Blu-rays has turned up online: this time its a slightly different version of the chasm battle from STAR WARS (Episode IV), incorporating the famous, for years debated, was it or wasn't it filmed moment in which Luke throws the grappling hook and misses the first time around.

Here it is:  STAR WARS Blu-Ray New Deleted Scene‬‏ - YouTube

We're sure there will be more hotly debated scenes like this to come on those shiny discs!!

UPDATE 2/8/2011: Turns out it was all just a clever hoax from the YOUTUBE poster. But, I'm sure you'll agree a nicely done one at that!

Also, here's an apparent Russian trailer for the Blu-rays. We don't think it's the real deal, though it's well put together: ‪Star Wars Blu Ray HD [Russian]‬‏ - YouTube

DELETED SCENES GALORE COMING ON BLU-RAY!

A Treadwell droid watches Luke as he looks to the heavens in a classic deleted scene from STAR WARS.

Finally, LUCASFILM opens the vaults and shows us some of the Classic Trilogy Deleted Scenes goodies coming up on Blu-ray, and they're all the ones we want to see, as witnessed in this trailer: StarWars.com | Comic-Con 2011 Star Wars Blu-ray Deleted Scenes Teaser

Artoo escapes a carnage wielding Wampa in the caverns of Echo Base in EMPIRE.

Luke looks at the space battle overhead in STAR WARS.

Lando helps an injured Chewbacca to the Falcon in JEDI's famous Sandstorm sequence.

A shot of the Millennium Falcon and Princess Leia's Y-wing on Tatooine.

Luke conceals the damage to his mechanical hand in JEDI...

Luke makes his way to his X-wing during the Sandstorm.

A Mon Calamari pilot joins the Death Star II battle in JEDI

General Solo and his team come under Imperial attack in JEDI

The Bunker battle continues...

HOMESTEAD GENERATIONS: BLU-RAY COVER ART

Artist Lucamara's front sleeve work for the upcoming STAR WARS six film Blu-ray box set has been met with a mixed reaction, but here's the full piece of art previously posted at the DEVIANTART site.

BEHIND THE SCENES: TUNISIAN BUDDIES!

Mark Hamill and Sir Alec Guinness have some behind the scenes fun with Anthony Daniels as See-Threepio and Artoo Detoo in this great shot from the near completion of Tunisian filming on the original STAR WARS in April 1976.

SCENES WE WANT ON BLU-RAY 3: THE SANDSTORM

This has to be the most famous and most desired deleted sequence shot for RETURN OF THE JEDI that fans worldwide want to see-in fact, this scene was the first sequence captured on film for the movie in January 1982 and one of the most difficult to realise at ELSTREE studio, as the STAR WARS actors, braving unfriendly conditions, were re-united for the first time in three years for their final Classic Trilogy movie.

For my thoughts on the famous sequence, head over to the main site: REQUIEM FOR A SANDSTORM

And don't forget, the exhaustive AFICIONADO back issue devoted to the making of the film is still available on PDF here: BACK ISSUE PDF CATALOG

CLASSIC IMAGE: HELP FROM AN OLD FRIEND...

Here's some great EMPIRE 1978/79 storyboards from artist unknown (possibly the UK's Ivor Beddoes?) showing Luke's capture by the Wampa and his first attempt to retrieve his fallen lightsaber. Click the pic to see a larger version. Note that, in the original sequence as stated on the board, Luke was to have heard Obi-Wan Kenobi's voice telling him to concentrate and use the Force.

With thanks to Ian Trussler for the image.

AFICIONADO REVIEW: FATE OF THE JEDI - CONVICTION

The FATE OF THE JEDI saga is rushing towards its conclusion, as father and son Skywalker's continue their pursuit of the powerful Abeloth creature.

Check out our review of Book Seven, CONVICTION, by Aaron Allston and published in the UK by CENTURY, here: FATE OF THE JEDI BOOK SEVEN: CONVICTION

SCENES WE WANT ON BLU-RAY: FIGHTER PILOT TALK

It'd be great if we could finally see on Blu-ray the complete version of the pre-Death Star battle talk between Luke, Biggs and Red Leader (as played by Drewe Henley), where the latter mentions having previously flown with Luke's father- a line of dialogue omitted by a sneaky Rebel trooper walk past edit in THE SPECIAL EDITION of STAR WARS in 1997 (but available to read in its entirety in the MARVEL comic of 1977) presumably so as not to contradict anything that might have been coming up concerning Anakin Skywalker in the then to be filmed Prequels. As we now know, the line didn't clash at all- Red Leader, who's in his early forties at least, could have been a young pilot fighting in the Clone Wars near the end of the conflict somewhere in the galaxy, so I say it should be re-instated in full!

Let's also hope that, with the newly revised (?) version of the original film they can at least bother to get Drewe Henley and Denis Lawson's names spelt correctly this time on the end credits-a mistake that has endured on the film since 1977!

JEDI'S LOST MOMENTS...

As a hopefully nice little taster for tomorrow's exciting LUCASFILM announcement on the complete STAR WARS SAGA on Blu-ray, I thought readers might enjoy this fun little visual feature looking at the lost scenes/moments from REVENGE OF THE JEDI, as first seen in early trailers from 1982/83. Some of this footage, like the infamous Sandstorm, will hopefully make it into the new set....

Here's the link: JEDI'S LOST MOMENTS

BEHIND THE SCENES: AN EVOLVING JEDI...

Here's an early in-the-works piece of costume design art by Nilo-Rodis Jamero for Luke Skywalker from RETURN OF THE JEDI. The dark cloak he wears would remain and become iconic, but the majority of the front layer of the costume, which is very Obi-Wan like, would be replaced with a much darker, deliberately more Darth Vader'ish ensemble, on the instructions of George Lucas, by the time of the movies filming in London in January 1982.

Check out our comprehensive AFICIONADO Behind the Scenes making of RETURN OF THE JEDI special issue here: STAR WARS AFICIONADO ISSUE 14 - THE MAKING OF "RETURN OF THE JEDI" and here: PDF SAMPLES OF "STAR WARS AFICIONADO" FEATURE PAGES

CLASSIC IMAGE: HIGH SPIRITED REBELS!

Overjoyed with their first gargantuan success against the Empire: the destruction of the fearsome Death Star, our trio of heroes-Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Prncess Leia, followed close behind by Chewbacca- depart the fighter bay hanger of the Massassi Temple on Yavin IV, and get ready to par-ty!

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: BALANCE TO THE FORCE!

Here's a few great effects reference storyboards (presumably from Joe Johnston, though David Carson and Nilo Rodis-Jamero also worked in that area for the film), circa December 1982, that we weren't able to incorporate for space reasons in our MAKING OF RETURN OF THE JEDI issue of a few years back, showing some of the previously filmed classic scenes of Luke's conflict against Darth Vader when he discovers the truth about his daughter and uses the knowledge against his son, plus the all-time classic emotional moment where Vader, back to the good side as Anakin Skywalker (of which we're all now cheering him on), throws the Emperor down the shaft (referred to in the boards as "The Pit of Death"!).

Classic material, and we look forward to seeing more storyboard goodies and incredibly rare and unseen pre and post production art of all kinds when J.W. Rinzler's MAKING OF book comes out in 2013.

Meanwhile, in the long two year wait for the official book, head over to our back issues area and find out how to get out pretty exhaustive, and reader acclaimed, MAKING OF RETURN OF THE JEDI issue: BACK ISSUE PDF CATALOG

CLASSIC IMAGE: CHASM CHALLENGED!

Here's a great shot from one of my favourite scenes of STAR WARS: the exciting, and classic, chasm swing with Luke and Leia. This image has an interesting composition, presumably taken during rehearsal, and, as you can see, it shows our heroes at the other end of the junction they've just swung to (or has photographer John Jay gone round the other side of the set so as to shoot from a differing angle?).

Though used for several pieces of pre-release promotion (including a lavish FOX colour brochure spread within their FILMS FOR 77 booklet (presumably, at the time the booklet was being formulated in mid to late 1976, this was one of the very first colour images released for the blockbuster that no one really saw coming), you don't really see this pic used much nowadays, and I'd like to see it appear in the future by way of an official magazine or book in a much higher res, and in a nice double page spread, too!

With thanks to Chris Baker for the image.

AFICIONADO REVIEW: FATE OF THE JEDI - VORTEX

The galaxy is once more in crisis, and Luke and Ben Skywalker may be the only hope at restoring peace within the New Republic. Check out our review of the recently published FATE OF THE JEDI series sixth book, VORTEX, by Troy Denning, published by CENTURY in the UK, here: FATE OF THE JEDI. BOOK SIX: VORTEX

CLASSIC IMAGE: FALCON DUDES!

Here's a scene from STAR WARS that I want to see included on the upcoming Blu-ray release no matter what-I don't care if it turns out good or badly realised, I just want to see it. It's the moment after the TIE fighter battle where Han and Luke congratulate themselves on their laser gun targeting skills. There's a real "Whoa, look what we did!" expression on Luke's face. Classic.

CLASSIC IMAGE: THREEPIO'S RESCUER!

A cloaked Luke Skywalker, last of the Jedi, enters Jabba's Palace on Tatooine to demand the immediate release of his captured friends, in this atmospheric, and very cool, shot from RETURN OF THE JEDI.

CLASSIC ART: TINY WISDOM!

Here's a fun b/w late 1978 or early 1979 storyboard, possibly by the respected UK artist Ivor Beddoes during the time he worked on storyboarding for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK at ELSTREE with the late director Irvin Kershner, showing a wide-eyed and innocent, dreaming of adventure and excitement Luke Skywalker conferring with an early version of Yoda within his hut home on Dagobah.

With thanks to Ian Trussler for the image.