CLASSIC RAIDERS: BAR FIGHT!

Within the fiery interior of Marion Ravenwood's bar in frosty Nepal, Indiana Jones life is under threat once more -this time from one of Toht's "Mean Mongolians" (as played by Indy Classic Trilogy action veteran, the late Pat Roach), in another classic scene from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, celebrating it's Thirtieth Anniversary this year (with the Blu-rays arriving in late 2012).

CLASSIC RAIDERS: COMES A HORSEMAN!

Telling Marion and Sallah, "I'm making it up as I go!", nothing, not even overwhelming Nazi forces and firepower, can stop Indiana Jones from commandeering a horse and going in pursuit of the truck carrying the Ark of the Covenant.

Ballsy, and then some!

INDY TURNS 30! THE "SHORTLIST' CELEBRATION...

Indy goes Warhol on the cover of the UK SHORTLIST magazine!

The latest edition of the free UK men's lifestyle magazine SHORTLIST has a great cover and special, picture packed feature celebrating the birth of Indiana Jones and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK's Thirtieth Anniversary.

Check it out on their online site here: Indy turns 30 / Films / ShortList Magazine

CLASSIC RAIDERS: DISCUSSING THE LOST ARK

Back in his regular job as University Professor, Indiana Jones and his loyal friend and boss, Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot), consult with two members of US Military intelligence- Colonel Musgrove (Don Fellows) and Major Eaton (STAR WARS William Hootkins)- about the Nazi's involvement with their old friend Abner Ravenwood, and his mysterious Staff of Ra...

CLASSIC RAIDERS: SPIELBERG'S ACTING CLASS!

At ELSTREE STUDIOS, Steven Spielberg has a fun time with Harrison Ford emoting the look he wants from Indiana Jones's discovery of the speared cadaver of rival archeologist Forrestal, in one of the classic early scenes of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

CLASSIC RAIDERS: INDY'S YOUNG FLAME!

The delightful Karen Allen poses for a lovely promotional picture as spunky Marion Ravenwood in the dress given to her by Captain Kananga from the finale of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Allen as an actress, and Marion as a character, would show great on-screen charisma opposite Ford's Indy and she remains the series ultimate female companion/partner/adventurer. After years of waiting, her later return in THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL was demanded and much appreciated by fans worldwide...

CLASSIC RAIDERS: A MAN AND HIS MONKEY!

Actor Vic Tablian was the eye patched Nazi conspirator in Egypt simply known as Monkey Man, with his partner in crime, the brilliant, Nazi saluting Capuchin Monkey who almost steals the film. Tablian would end up having two roles in RAIDERS. He would also play the villainous Barranca who tried to kill Indy at the beginning of the film, before the discovery of the entrance to the Hovitos warrior tomb/temple.

CLASSIC RAIDERS: TROUBLE IN CAIRO!

Indy (Harrison Ford) and Marion (Karen Allen) get into trouble once again-this time on the market streets of Cairo (actually shot in Tunisia)- when they are unexpectedly attacked by Nazi sympathisers in this classic scene of memorable comedy and action from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

CLASSIC RAIDERS: INDY'S CELEBRATION!

Time goes so fast when you're having fun! Hard to believe, but it's INDIANA JONES birthday this year-celebrating 30 years of the superb RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. In celebration, every week or so we'll be putting up a classic image from the pioneering action adventure film-its cast, characters and breathtaking stunts.... so enjoy!

First up is the classic poster art in the UK by famous film poster illustrator Amsel, who brilliantly captures Harrison Ford at his best as Indy! The image was also used on the cover of the original UK paperback adaptation, too.

American RAIDERS fans look out for the special screening of a new digitally restored print by OSCARS.ORG on Friday June 17th at 7.30pm with a guest talk from Frank Marshall, Ben Burtt and others...  Here's the link:"Raiders of the Lost Ark" 30th Anniversary Screening | Events Presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

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

MARK HAMILL TALKS!

Our good friends at the STAR WARS COLLECTORS CLUB site have kindly sent us their YOUTUBE posting (with thanks to the original recording source: a fan named "IG-88") of a rare Mark Hamill interview done sometime between 1981 and 1983 for a breakfast TV programme in New York, where he briefly chats about the upcoming JEDI (where he looks forward to a life beyond playing Luke Skywalker), his work on the Broadway stage and his life/career.

It's worth a look. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhvdAk3q0c4

And check out some of the other SW rarities on their channel page.

BACK ON UK TV: "RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK"

"Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?" Indy descends into trouble in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

On BBC 1 and HD today at 9pm, and then the other two to follow each week. I'll be intrigued to see which version of RAIDERS is shown: the original as has been seen on the UK's SKY MOVIES over the last year, or two years ago BBC HD copy, which had a new cgi overlay background sequence during one scene in the truck chase (image below):

Old version 1981

New version for the so far unreleased INDY Blu-rays? With thanks to ORIGINALTRILOGY.COM

I'll never forget seeing RAIDERS for the first time in 1981. I was eleven years old, and I knew nothing about the film apart from seeing some stills in STARBURST magazine (I didn't even know it was set in the 1930's). Me, mum, my brother and his wife (my dad didn't want to come-he regretted it afterwards!) went to the weekend sneak preview midnight screening, the week before its proper release in UK cinemas, at the lovable flea-pit cinema the Streatham ABC, in the days when you didn't book online or phone for tickets, you just went and hoped you got in there! We did, the cinema was jam packed, and we were all blown away by how exciting the film was- and as the opening scene unfolded we were all impressed by Harrison Ford, superb in a role that was meant for him! My love of STAR WARS got me in trouble, though: when I saw William Hootkins in the film, I remember turning round to my mum and saying, "It's Porkins!", to which I got an aggressive "sshhh" from the angry adult above me!

Great days and happy memories!

UPDATE 6/1/2011: The new version of RAIDERS was shown.

LOOKING BACK: RICHARD MARQUAND'S "EYE OF THE NEEDLE"



The excellent film-noir'ish poster for the 1981 made, but January 1982 released, adaptation of Ken Follett's novel: THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE, directed by RETURN OF THE JEDI's Richard Marquand. Image: MGM/UNITED ARTISTS.



With his sad passing, at the tragically young age of 49, in 1987, the chance for STAR WARS fans to meet, share and celebrate the making of RETURN OF THE JEDI with its director, Richard Marquand, would be denied us-in some ways since his departure his important contributions to the finale of the Saga have now become quite mysterious and criticized by fans. Despite the fan hypothesis and speculations regarding his work on JEDI, the loss of such an iconic contributor to the series (one of only two directors of the film series outside of its creator, George Lucas) is bad enough, but also the fact that he would never direct any more films of which previously, outside of STAR WARS, his material had been varied and interesting, and, bar the odd exception (the tragic horror movie THE LEGACY), showed a continuing and improving collective directorial body of work in the making, would prove equally tragic. With the exception of JEDI, and his last true box office success post the STAR WARS films 1983 release: the classic 1985 US thriller JAGGED EDGE (starring Jeff Bridges and a pre-DAMAGES Glenn Close), there have been very few opportunities to see Marquand’s pre-JEDI directorial work on television (and his early documentaries, to my knowledge, even in this age of multi-channel TV devouring archive programmes, have never been repeated). I had seen his 1981 movie EYE OF THE NEEDLE many years ago and had been aware of it prior to JEDI’s original release (I even remember seeing a FILM 82 programme behind the scenes look at it), and had enjoyed it, but the opportunity to see it again after so long (nearly ten years) was something I decided not to pass up when it was repeated recently on the UK FILM FOUR film channel this year (June 2009) and now on this Wednesday in the UK on Channel 4 on Wednesday PM, if only so as to re-discover just what made the film special enough for George Lucas to take the risk of hiring Marquand in the first place-then a total outsider for the job-for the all-important directorial realms of his universe.

Stars Donald Sutherland and Kate Nelligan pose for the camera.

Based on the highly popular novel of the same name by British thriller writer and award winning novelist Ken Follett (responsible recently for the smash historical book THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH), the story concerns the deadly German spy/killer, codenamed The Needle, working undercover in London during the war’s height, who quickly obtains vital information that, if his German masters get hold of it, could alter the Normandy invasion plans already underway by the Allied Forces. Under constant pursuit by the desperate British security forces, The Needle, awaiting submarine rescue, takes necessary refuge on the isolated Scottish island evocatively named Storm Island and has an affair with an English woman looking after her child and crippled husband. As their love affair of need intensifies, it isn’t long before the German spy’s identity is revealed…

His cover blown, The Needle attacks!

Portrayed by Donald Sutherland, The Needle is a dedicated, manipulative, driven and intense spy on his most dangerous mission for his German high command superiors, masterly using his charm to survive, but actually letting his guard down at times when he falls in love, albeit briefly, with the Englishwoman Rose on Storm Island. Making the most of a quality film, Sutherland is very good at a time when he was able to appear in films of a good caliber (let’s not mention more recent material like DEATH SHIP or FOOL’S GOLD). During the eighties he made several quirky English thriller type movies and seems very at home in them.

The lovely Kate Nelligan as Rose during the films suspenseful finale.

Though more subtle, the part of Rose, the wife of a tragically crippled ex-RAF fighter pilot, is equally important and played by Kate Nelligan with controlled subtly. Nelligan is in her eighties prime here as a British actress, after the success of her role in the 1979 DRACULA re-make alongside Frank Langella in the title role. Her “English Rose” looks betrays beauty and warmth with a simmering sexiness which proves essential to the film, and she proves well cast-vulnerable but with a hardened edge, lonely after years of isolation on the island, and looking after her crippled ex-RAF officer. The affair and subsequent love scene between her and Sutherland happens a bit too quickly in the film but, due to the nature of the plot, it has to, so as to send it towards its final act and her later discovery of Sutherland being a Nazi spy, which then leads to her gaining a toughness within herself that she’ll certainly need to make the most of during the film’s finale.

We must also have a special mention for the late actor Christopher Cazenove who, though not in the movie very much, brings more to the part than was probably scripted, with some notable heroism, to his disabled character of Peter. Sadly, Cazenove, despite some mild success in the US (on TV series like DYNASTY) never quite made it in the movies, and I was surprised that someone of his acting credentials and physical appearance didn’t play an Imperial in a STAR WARS film. Alas, as an actor, and as his character, he may have been the victim of the editing room here...

In some ways the dramatic conflict between the woman, her husband and her new lover could at times be considered similar to the Han, Luke and Leia relationship triangle as it was during THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (prior, of course, to Luke becoming Leia’s brother in JEDI!). Perhaps that was another element on the character side that Lucas thought Marquand handled well in the picture, and which helped make the Producer sway towards him in the final decision making process.

As well as it’s distinguished main cast, the movie is also a veritable who’s who of experienced and upcoming stars in the making from the British and TV film industries-look out for one of the first screen appearances of Bill Nighy and Rik Mayall, as well as old British acting stalwarts like Ian Bannen (always great in anything he’s in. If you’ve never seen him opposite Sean Connery in the Seventies British drama SUSPECT, then do so) and Hugh Fraser.

Sadly, Scottish character actor Alex McCrindle (General Jan Dodonna to you and me!!) scenes as the lighthouse keeper, Tom, on Storm Island, are all too brief, and it seems to me, like Cazenove, that his character was probably an early victim of the cutting room floor (I suspect that the version being shown currently on FILMFOUR and CHANNEL FOUR is the UNITED ARTISTS released version of the film rather than Marquand’s own preferred DIRECTORS CUT. It would be intriguing to have known what advice Lucas gave Marquand whilst he was cutting the film when the pair met up whilst Lucas was looking for a replacement for Irvin Kershner on RETURN OF THE JEDI). It’s nice that we get a chance to hear old Angus without the dubbed American voice he was given for STAR WARS in 1977.

Despite the film being edited down for its eventual release, which clearly shows at times- parts of the story seem to happen too conveniently and quickly- EYE OF THE NEEDLE is directed with confident flair and style by Marquand, and has the flavour of early UK made Hitchcock thriller films like SUSPICION. His prior work as a documentarian and a commercials director (like his contemporaries Ridley Scott and Alan Parker) is also clearly evident (another reason why he was probably chosen for JEDI by Lucas), especially in the opening scenes of war time London and the blitz. Though some of it is not shown on screen, or discreetly not shown to camera, the film is also intriguingly quite violent at times and Donald Sutherland’s character uses a deadly hand knife, that pops out of his hand (a bit like Palpatine’s lightsaber from EPISODE III, in fact!!), to chilling and lethal effect (with a very nasty and distinctive sound effect to boot) in efficiently directed action and suspense moments.

Rose is unaware of the new arrival's true identity as a lethal German spy. Image: CINEMASTRIKESBACK.COM

The old time look and period feel of the movie is effective and kudos to the strong atmospheric cinematography from fellow Brit Alan Hume, who, away from the Blitz damaged London streets, also shows us in the films second half the beautiful but harsh wilderness of the Scottish highlands. The movie, despite what was obviously studio interference, is also tightly edited by Sean Barton (who, like Hume, also worked on JEDI), with no wastage and very little exposition. Again, another notable factor for Lucas in getting Marquand, and his friends, to work on JEDI.

Capping things off, the legendary Miklos Rozas provides a familiar, nostalgic, but audience welcome mixture of danger, love and violence in his movie score-the kind that he has done so well in the past for films, and is an acclaimed composer for this type of genre and its emotionally complex subject matter.

Though it had not been a success during its original release, EYE OF THE NEEDLE has since become a charming little oddity- not just in its style and the way it was made, but also within the film industry of that time period, counter clashing with the type of big scale movies being made for audiences in 1981/82. Its does not, by any means, rank up there with the greatest noir drama thrillers, and I don’t think it was ever supposed to, but the film is an enjoyable, sometimes tense, well made relationship thriller, and an underrated little British movie gem which has some evocative moments, beautiful cinematography and a keen sense of capturing the period, especially in the movie’s first half, that certainly make it worth a look for it’s one hour and forty five minute duration (and especially if it’s being shown in it’s proper theatrical aspect ratio).

STAR WARS AFICIONADO RATING: 3 out of 5

EYE OF THE NEEDLE is being shown on the UK's CHANNEL 4 and HD on Wednesday 17th November 2010.

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: CALAMARI BUDDIES!

ILM technician/creature shop maker Kirk Thatcher (later to be well known to STAR TREK fans as the punk rocker nerve pinched by Spock in STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME) poses with some well-known friends at the US workshop in late 1981/early 1982 prior to the upcoming filming of REVENGE OF THE JEDI.

CLASSIC IMAGE: LITTLE FURBALL!

One of Stuart Freeborn's created Ewoks takes part in a late 1981 costume reference film/photo test, videotaped by Producer Howard Kazanjian and Robert Watts, at ELSTREE prior to the commencement of REVENGE (later RETURN) OF THE JEDI's principal photography in January 1982.

INDIANA JONES: AN ANNIVERSARY OF ADVENTURE!



Fans who want to keep up with the Jones's will no doubt enjoy today's all day showing of Indy's feature film adventures on SKY MOVIES ACTION/ADVENTURE in the UK. We can't confirm this but it looks like the screenings, which will be shown in HD, will not be the same HD prints as the ones recently shown on the BBC (of which RAIDERS had a new cgi background effects shot added) - the latter were apparently the versions to have been released on Blu-ray before Spielberg apparently changed his mind and asked for more extensive cleaning up be done to them.

With the thirtieth anniversary of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and Indiana Jones next year, lets hope that there are some major league celebrations upcoming planned by LUCASFILM and PARAMOUNT. How about a limited theatrical run of all four films in plush digital screenings at the cinema, or at least RAIDERS, and not just in the US but worldwide, and then release the Blu-rays? How about some kind of cast and crew signings. And OFFICIALPIX, open up your INDY shop again for a limited time to celebrate (with some new images, too!). Perhaps a revised and updated release of the Rinzler making of book with some more publicity on it may be nice to see.

With the recent news that the main cast have been told the apparently "crazy and exciting" story, what's going on with INDY 5? And, with the success of THE CLONE WARS, how about an Indy animated series?

Want more on Indy? Then why not join our YAHOO GROUP:

http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/indianajonesfortuneandglory/

CLASSIC IMAGE: SUPERVISING A PRUNE FACE!

An intriguing JEDI shot of one of the Prune Face aliens, said by many to be deliberately familiar in facial design to Spielberg's E.T. (then underway in filming and in effects post production at ILM), getting some wardrobe supervision by an unknown lady (we presume a member of ILM's creature shop before the completed alien costumes/masks were shipped off to England for January to April 1982's principal photography. At least three of the aliens are present in black/grey Jedi-like hooded robes in the Rebel Cruiser briefing room scene, and at least one, in a dark hood, carry's a rifle and goes up the ramp of the stolen Rebel shuttle before take-off, and then appears dancing and mingling at the finale celebrations in the Endor Ewok village- perhaps we can speculate that the filming plan was to have one of the Prune Face aliens appear as an advance scout in the later filmed location shoot with Han and the others, but, for unknown reasons, it never happened?  If anyone can help with additional info, please get in touch.