Star Wars Day brings the 1999 film back to theaters.
Today, May 4, is the Star Wars Day. A very popular date among fans of the saga that became so viral that the company ended up admitting it to its calendar. All due to the ingenious play on words born from the most famous phrase of the franchise. «“May the Force be with you” (May the Force be with you). Thus phonetically resembling “May the Fourth”, a phrase that can be literally translated as ““May 4th”). Yes, from a huge joke/nonsense, what is perhaps the most popular date for Lucasfilm and company, make important announcements about intellectual property or, for example, that The Phantom Menace return to theaters. The first of the prequels with which George Lucas returned to his galaxy far, far away, 16 years after the premiere of Return of the Jedi. Reviled at the time by the hard core of the fans, over time this title has gained a certain nostalgic affection for everyone. Thus, taking advantage of his return to the rooms, we review Some curiosities that perhaps you didn’t know about its filming and pre-production:
Noises and fake swords
If you are a lover of the saga and when you wield a lightsaber, you don’t imitate the noises of this with your mouth, you are surely a Sith. This is precisely what they did Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn) and Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) when they first wielded the iconic weapon. Lucas shouted action and automatically, both of them began to make the sound which can be seen in the first tapes. The director stopped the shot and had to point out that the noises would be added in post-production.
Midichlorians: seen and unseen
One of the most controversial decisions that fans were least excited about was the introduction of the midichlorians. The creator of the franchise wanted to give it meaning «almost scientific to the origin of the force and its connection with the people in The Phantom Menace. A narrative invention that served as an excuse for the character of Qui-Gon Jinn to find a good amount of this new nomenclature in the blood of young Anakin, effectively demonstrating that the Force was intense in him. These were a species of microscopic organisms that sand were housed in the cellss of those sensitive to being trained in the codes and powers of the order. So the higher the concentration of these, the more likely you are to become a Jedi. However, this would end up being a fatal mistake for that almost religious mystique that these spiritual warriors had had about their aura. In fact, in the later installments it would be mentioned again in passing, while in the last trilogy and subsequent series, the idea was abandoned of midichlorians.
Natalie Portman and Keira Knightley
Natalie Portman is the real queen Amidala of the film, but for a protection issue, the role was exchanged with his assistant, whom Keira Knightley brought him to life. The resemblance between the two was such that even the second’s mother had trouble distinguishing her when she came to the filming. We cannot judge her, most viewers do not even remember that the British actress has been present in the film series. Another great icon that appears in the film is the director Sofia Coppolawhich plays Saché, one of the queen of Naboo’s handmaidens.
‘The Phantom Menace’: a blockbuster
Today, it seems easy to point out that any film in the saga will be profitable at the box office. However, at that time the idea that the return to the franchise was going to be a fiasco on the world billboard was not ruled out. It was known that the brand had a wide legion of fans, but until The Phantom Menace It was not an economic hit, it was not insured the execution of a new trilogy. Going back in time to begin telling the preludes to an original saga is now a trend that most intellectual properties resort to, but in reality Lucas was the first to opt for that model. With all its re-releases, the film has accumulated more than 1 billion dollars at the global box office.
Liam Neeson’s height came out expensive
The decorations of The Phantom Menace were built at the height of the characters to save project costs. Liam Neeson’s almost two meters tall meant an increase in the initial cost in $150,000. A set that, on the other hand, disappeared in a sandstorm that would later be rebuilt with the help of the Tunisian army. Far from getting angry, Lucas interpreted it as a good omen, since the same thing happened in the 70s when he filmed the first film.
