Bonus Material (Disc 4)
Star Wars Trilogy DVD
20th Century Fox
Reviewed by Michael Sullenger
September 12, 2004
Running Time: 236 Minutes
SRP: $69.98 (4 Disc Boxed Set)
Film Rating: Not Rated
Availability: September 21, 2004
Contents
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (150:44)
The Birth of the Lightsaber (15:34)
The Characters of Star Wars
(18:57)
The Force is With Them: The Legacy of Star Wars (13:23)
Star Wars: Episode III Behind the Scenes Preview --- The Return of Darth
Vader (9:08)
Star Wars Battlefront Trailer (1:17)
Star Wars Battlefront Xbox Game Demo
Star Wars: Episode III --- Making the Game (6:09)
Trailers and T.V. Spots
Still Photo Gallery
Posters and Print Campaign
StarWars.com Exclusive DVD-ROM Content
It's pretty much a given that DVD's can sink or
swim based on the quality of their bonus features. For the Original Trilogy DVD,
Lucasfilm and Fox understand what the Star Wars legacy is all about. The
production history of the films can be a movie all its own, and in
this DVD release we get a fantastic documentary by Kevin Burns detailing the
hurdles getting Fox to buy into the films, Kenner taking a chance on
merchandising a new toy line, the overwhelming undertaking of the films themselves, the passion
of the fans, and the missed opportunity to have William Katt of The Greatest
American Hero land the role of Luke Skywalker. We kid on the last
point of course.
But wait, there's more! Featurettes include the evolution of that most iconic
of Star Wars weaponry, the lightsaber, and a closer study of the
development of the characters of Star Wars. Original trailers, photo galleries,
posters, and even a playable demo of the Lucas Arts game Battlefront (which
launches the same day as the DVD on September 21st) are all included for a scintillating
multimedia experience.
PACKAGING
The platinum foil embossed widescreen outer slip case (gold in the fullscreen
version) features the classic Hildebrandt image on one side and Darth
Vader on the other.
The cover art for the bonus disc is designed with brand new art showing Darth
Vader's helmet with eyes acting as a window to the wealth of material awaiting
you in the disc. The disc fittingly features conceptual art from the man
who helped give the Original Trilogy their fantastic look, Ralph McQuarrie.
A foldout featuring the same oil painted art from the other discs breaks
down each bonus material that can be found.
MENU
More of the same menu system is seen in the bonus disc, with the sections themed
around the interior of the various starships instead of planets this time around. The
Main Menu is set against a backdrop of the Millennium Falcon's cockpit, the Rebel
meeting chamber and Ackbar's bridge for the Documentaries, the Executor
bridge for the Trailers and T.V. spots, and the Falcon again (lightsaber
training sequence) for the Video Game and Still Galleries.
EMPIRE OF DREAMS
The ultimate documentary for the ultimate space opera, Empire of
Dreams is filmmaker Kevin Burns' comprehensive behind the scenes look at the
storied history and making of the Star Wars saga. Burns, whose
documentary of another blockbuster hit, Cleopatra, caught the attention
of Lucasfilm Vice President of Marketing and Distribution Jim Ward, was given
the gargantuan project with only 4 months to spare. Delving deeply into the
shaping of a modern day myth from the unwavering vision of one man, Burns
interviews over 40 cast members and people behind scenes and collects everything
he can muster from the Lucasfilm and Fox archives to piece together what is
essentially a film within the films.
The 2.5 hour 12 chapter documentary captures the very beginning, when
Lucas faced the challenges of bankrolling a film which he fully expected to
fail. The original documents and contracts are all here, including the initial $8.5 million
dollar green light and Lucas' measley $200,000 salary for writing and directing Star
Wars. The documentary then goes into the making of the first film and the
hurdles faced with the original script, as well as ILM's uncertainty that the
special effects would actually work. Some rare outtakes are shown along with the
original casting call readings featuring Kurt Russell trying out for the role of Han
Solo and Cindy Williams of Laverne and Shirley fame auditioning for Leia.
There are also some fantastic segments showing the marketing and
merchandising of Star Wars with nostalgic 70's era clips. Lucasfilm's
Charles Lipincott's efforts to market the film to the fanbase is chronicled,
including the initial deals struck with Marvel Comics and Del Rey, who published
a novelization a year before the film's release. Kenner, the first company to
sign on, originally didn't count on the film being a blockbuster success and was
caught unprepared. Thus, the legendary Kenner "empty box" campaign,
better known as the Early Bird package, launched the action figure line that
would change the landscape of toys forever. Burns was even able to unearth a
rare commercial clip of the grand daddy of "pre-orders" from the Fox
archives.
Dreams then goes into the making of Empire and Jedi.
Yoda's designer, Stuart Freeborn, relates how he looked at the mirror and used
his own face and Albert Einstein's wrinkles to create the wise Jedi Master's
visage. The difficulties of filming in subzero temperature in the hinterlands of
Norway is narrated by Irvin Kershner, who tells of crew members including Mark
Hamill almost facing near death by freezing. All the Jedi pre-production
smoke and mirrors are also detailed, from the Blue Harvest "Har (as
in har-har) beyond imagination" secrecy to the Return/Revenge
of the Jedi title switcharoo---which would resurface again years later to influence the naming of
Episode III.
The documentary wraps up with Lucas' technological innovations at ILM and THX
after the trilogy (as well as helping launch Pixar), which led to the rebirth of
Star Wars in the '97 Special Editions and eventually a new trilogy beginning with The Phantom
Menace.
FEATURETTES
The Characters of Star Wars segment narrates how old mythological
archetypes helped shape the heroes and villains of the saga. Conceptual sketches
and interviews with Lucas, Ralph McQuarrie, and even Lord of the Rings
director Peter Jackson outline how each major character was developed and the use
of recurring mythological themes. The evolution of each character is also
discussed. Some good Star Wars trivia questions can be collected here
such as how Han Solo was originally designed as a green gilled monster and
Chewbacca being inspired by Lucas' malamute Indiana.
In Birth of a Lightsaber, the design and development of the saga's
most recognizable weapon is discussed. The progression of the rotoscoping
effect, from fragile sticks wrapped with reflective tape to more advanced
technology, is depicted along with Ben Burtt's genius in finding that all
familiar humming sound. A Lucas lovefest is delivered in the Legacy of Star
Wars segment, where filmmakers of similar genre like James Cameron, Dean
Devlin, and Peter Jackson recall how Star Wars influenced their own
films. Cameron himself apparently quit his job as a truck driver because of Star
Wars, and director Roland Emmerich confessed to seeing the film once a
week when it was first released.
While not distinctly spectacular, the featurettes accomplish what they are supposed
to do, and that's to add more content fans will want to spend whole afternoons
watching several times over again.
RETURN OF DARTH VADER
The nine minute Episode III preview, which first debuted at Comic-Con this past summer, doesn't
reveal much more of what we already know and thus falling a little short of expectation for fans wanting more ROTS material. Hayden Christensen donning the armor and
helmet of Darth Vader and some clips of his lightsaber duel training with
Ewan McGregor are highlights of the short featurette.
TRAILERS AND T.V. SPOTS
All the trailers can be seen here including the original theatrical release
teaser and the never used "Revenge" of the Jedi teaser. There's
even the T.V. spot called "Forbidden Love" emphasizing the romance between Luke and Leia in A New Hope. Forbidden indeed!
VIDEO GAMES AND STILL GALLERIES
A playable XBox demo of Battlefront is included here as well
as a short trailer for the game. A whole game level set against Endor can be
tried out and played on your XBox console.
The making of the Episode III video game, which was also previewed at San Diego, narrates
the participation of avowed gamer Hayden Christensen and stunt coordinator Nick
Gillard to help develop the lightsaber moves for "THE DUEL" that is expected to
be the showcase of the game, not to mention ROTS.
Some spectacular never before seen production photos with the occasional
humorous caption can be viewed in the Still Photo Galleries, including a funny expanded interchange between
Vader and Captain Antilles. Other good stuff include some omitted Anchorhead
stills and awesome set photos and off camera shots from Empire and Jedi
that were dug out from the archives and seen here for the first time. You
can toggle the text caption on or off using the down arrow.
The poster gallery is also a neat extra featuring every Original Trilogy Star Wars
poster sheet from all over the world.
EASTER EGGS AND EXTRAS
You can access a Star Wars Trilogy gag reel by going to the
Video Games and Still Galleries section then pressing "10+",
"1" (or "11" ) and wait for the pause and the small box next
to R2 to light up. Then press "3", wait for a pause, then
"8". The extra set of bloopers and outtakes feature some hilarious
moments and last a little over four minutes.
FIN
The cornucopia of bonus material in this disc should satiate every fan's
desire for maximum Star Wars saturation. The Empire of Dreams
documentary goes above and beyond to tell the story of the triumphs and
struggles, the creativity and creative vision, and the elements --- both intended
and unintended --- that all fell in place to elevate the trilogy from a mere
popcorn serial to modern day myth. Kevin Burns acknowledges that the title for
his documentary parallels the rise of the Emperor and the Galactic Empire to
that of Lucas, who began as a vision driven independent film maker to ultimately
become what he loathed in the beginning--- a large profit driven corporation.
While the similarities can be argued, I'm sure we're all hoping that unlike the
Emperor, Lucas can find final redemption and bring the saga to a satisfying
conclusion in May 2005.
