You Have Never Seen This Blooper From 'The Empire Strikes Back'
While the announcement of even more Star Wars stories, nine shows to be exact, arriving on Disney+ in the next few years, is exciting, sometimes some nostalgia for the original trilogy is what is needed. Star Wars fans can almost universally agree that while the newer prequels, sequels, and spin off movies may be good or have good parts to them, the originals will always hold a special place in fans' hearts. And let’s face it, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope revolutionized so much. It did so well bringing an amazing science fiction storyline the likes of which had never been seen before.
One of the top favorite Star Wars movies of all time is The Empire Strikes Back. Fans were especially excited by a debut on December 15 of some new never before seen footage from The Empire Strikes Back. Good Morning America premiered this footage, which features a plethora of extra stuff from some of the best scenes in The Empire Strikes Back. Some of this footage includes bloopers, outtakes, and, of course, footage that never made it into the final cut of the film. And until now, it had never been seen by the general public.
Some of the footage includes official The Empire Strikes Back branded snowmobiles, Mark Hamill imitating a Tauntaun, and an intense snowstorm that almost shut down production and forced the crew to film only 20 feet away from the hotel they were staying in because they needed to get the footage in a certain amount of time or they would not be able to get it. These are just a few highlights from what was revealed. And of course, it includes footage of the ever amazing Carrie Fisher, which you might need to grab tissues for because a good chunk of the footage talks about her role on set and in the film.
ABC correspondent Clayton Sandell tweeted the video on his Twitter page on December 15. It is also available on the Good Morning America website here.
Clayton Sandell posted the video with this statement attached. “EXCLUSIVE: I’m excited to share rare & never-seen footage outtakes and bloopers from #StarWars “The Empire Strikes Back"! Amazing moments with Harrison & Carrie, plus @HamillHimself’s “Tauntaun Dance”. A gift to you from my favorite Lucasfilm elves.”
EXCLUSIVE: I’m excited to share rare & never-seen footage, outtakes & bloopers from #StarWars “The Empire Strikes Back”! Amazing moments with Harrison & Carrie, plus @HamillHimself's "Tauntaun Dance". A gift to you from my favorite Lucasfilm elves. #ESB40 https://t.co/3Rfe1qyr2i
— Clayton Sandell (@Clayton_Sandell) December 15, 2020
The Empire Strikes Back is 40 years old this year, and this video was released in honor of that. It is endearing. It makes you laugh and cry even though it is such a short video. And it does the job of bringing you back to that nostalgia that comes with the original Star Wars trilogy.
Watching behind-the-scenes bloopers and such that were filmed but cut for various reasons is one of the best parts of watching a movie that you love. When it is a science fiction or fantasy movie, it is especially fun to see how they do special effects and how a certain scene was filmed.
In 2004, Lucasfilm released a DVD box set that included A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and an extra DVD with extras such as George Lucas’ journey through writing and filming Star Wars. That box set was a favorite with fans especially due to all the extras, even though it was a remastered edition of the originals.
With The Mandalorian currently streaming on Disney+, the announcement of the nine new shows, and the recent resurgence in the love for Rogue One, Star Wars fans were eager for anything new from the universe. Even though the footage is only 6 minutes and 53 seconds, it did not disappoint.
Currently, all the Star Wars films, originals, prequels, sequels, and spin-offs, are available to stream on Disney+, which is also the home of various spin-off shows in the Star Wars universe.
Sources: Polygon, GoodMorningAmerica