Ben Kenobi and a Letter to Star Wars in 1977

[dark_apprentice]

I just ran into this topic of the actor Oscar Isaac, who played Poe Dameron in the 7th movie "Star Wars The Force Awakens". He reads this letter from Sir Alec Guinness who wrote it back in the 1977, while filming "A New Hope".

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35800241

[Cerez]

An interesting glimpse into the hardships Alec had to face while preparing for his role under Lucas' direction (or lack thereof). A role that ended up being the role-model and the very definition of what the Jedi stood for, and the spark that ignited the magic of Star Wars -- thanks to the actor's independent efforts. It just goes to show that Lucas had little to do with the quality and success of the original trilogy films, and that one person's contribution can make a world of difference.

 

His reference to the then unestablished, young Harrison Ford is funny in retrospect.

[Noodle]

An interesting glimpse into the hardships Alec had to face while preparing for his role under Lucas' direction (or lack thereof). A role that ended up being the role-model and the very definition of what the Jedi stood for, and the spark that ignited the magic of Star Wars -- thanks to the actor's independent efforts. It just goes to show that Lucas had little to do with the quality and success of the original trilogy films, and that one person's contribution can make a world of difference.

 

His reference to the then unestablished, young Harrison Ford is funny in retrospect.

 

I disagree. What's been documented about the filming of A New Hope shows that everybody was having a really bad time filming in Tunisia and that nobody seemed to understand what the movie was about. The dialogue made little to no sense for most of the people involved since there was nothing they could use as a reference, everything was mostly new. Even after working on a set or Guatemala, most of the crew thought the film was going to fail because it looked so dull and non-sensical. Even though everybody thought this movie would at the best be a B-movie cult classic, George Lucas had a clear vision of what he wanted and assembled a crew of capable people that made it true. I think most of the crew changed their minds only after watching the finished product with John Williams great soundtrack and the amazing work the FX crew made. But to achieve that, you needed to have a director and artistic creator that had the vision to assemble all the pieces together. 

 

Also, a wife with production skills helps a lot too. 

[Darth Sion]

This should be re-titled "Sir Alec Guiness' letter to Star Wars in 1977".

[Cerez]

I disagree. What's been documented about the filming of A New Hope shows that everybody was having a really bad time filming in Tunisia and that nobody seemed to understand what the movie was about. The dialogue made little to no sense for most of the people involved since there was nothing they could use as a reference, everything was mostly new. Even after working on a set or Guatemala, most of the crew thought the film was going to fail because it looked so dull and non-sensical. Even though everybody thought this movie would at the best be a B-movie cult classic, George Lucas had a clear vision of what he wanted and assembled a crew of capable people that made it true. I think most of the crew changed their minds only after watching the finished product with John Williams great soundtrack and the amazing work the FX crew made. But to achieve that, you needed to have a director and artistic creator that had the vision to assemble all the pieces together. 

 

Also, a wife with production skills helps a lot too.

I see your point, and somehow they did make it through with the acting to a highly satisfactory level, so in the end it *was* managed well. Not sure how, if the director was not paying enough attention on the actors' preparation and understanding of their roles. Lucas must have had a brilliant crew at the time, and/or perhaps it's really thanks to his wife's extensive efforts that the movie was completed so successfully.

[Lord Krit]

Guiness was such an astounding actor, I am glad he managed to get through the production with his professionalism and become a inspirational figure. I still think his hatred for star wars was a bit too much but I guess that's what happens when you get typecast. 

[Cerez]

For Alec this was a step down from his previous roles, and a chaotic, modern style production to act in where he couldn't focus as much on his work as he would have liked. I can understand his point of view. As a seasoned actor, I think we're honoured to have him in ANH, and he certainly made his special mark on us even under such "rubbish" circumstances to work with.

 

Guinness was, and still is a legend.

[z3filus]

If you've seen the making of the original trilogy (and pretty much any documantary/intreview videos on youtube, about the OT) you'd not be surprised by Alec's letter, because at the time they were are frustrated and uncertain, it was all very strange and nobody seemed to care, not even the producers. But like many others, Alec told the media that he was still proud of being part of something so amazing. Could be fame talking but still.