In the 1970s George Lucas started work on a space fiction film trilogy that would become arguably Hollywood’s towering achievement of the modern era. This article will reveal behind-the-scenes photos with Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and the rest of the cast and crew as Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi went in front of the cameras.
Check them out for more information and start to see our world through photos!
Star Wars (1977)
Poster concept by celebrated French artist Philippe Druillet, co-founder with Moebius of Métal Hurlant magazine.
The Star Wars Archives: 1977–1983 is published by Taschen
Star Wars (1977)
Richard Edlund prepares the finished Millennium Falcon model to be shot by the Dykstraflex camera on the Industrial Light & Magic stage. Model builder Lorne Peterson: “At one time the cockpit was to be motorized, so that it could rotate 90 degrees. Lucas had the idea that the ship could fly like a sunfish, landing flat, but at takeoff the body would rotate and the cockpit would remain at the same configuration.”
Star Wars (1977)
Sand made the C- 3PO costume a challenge for effects operators – and for actor Anthony Daniels
Star Wars (1977)
An image of a rebel X-wing fighter under attack from an Imperial TIE fighter. George Lucas: “I always see images flash into my head, and I just have to make those scenes. I have an overwhelming drive to get that great shot of two spaceships, one firing at the other, as they drive through the space fortress. That image is in my head, and I won’t rest until I see it on the screen.”
Star Wars (1977)
Harrison Ford, Peter Mayhew, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher joking between takes. Harrison Ford said: “George cast the four of us — Mark Hamill, Alec Guinness, Carrie, and me — as an ensemble. If he hadn’t used me, say, he probably wouldn’t have used the other two or three. I think that that feeling of being at ease with one another shows up on the screen.”
Star Wars (1977)
The first drawing of the roll-up that opens the film, drawn by Alex Tavoularis. This was inspired by the roll-ups that opened the old Flash Gordon movie serials of the 1930s.
Star Wars (1977)
“Laser Duel” by Ralph McQuarrie (February 14–15, 1975) illustrates the confrontation between Deak Starkiller and Darth Vader recounted in the second draft of the script. McQuarrie’s set design was copied exactly for the Rebel Blockade Runner set built at the last minute.
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Animators Phil Tippett and Jon Berg create the battle of Hoth on tabletops
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Mark Hamill, George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford. George Lucas: “My films have a tendency to promote a personal self esteem, a you-can-do-it attitude. Their message is: ‘Don’t listen to everyone else. Discover your own feelings and follow them. Then you can overcome anything.’”