How the dialogue in Star Wars was saved

[Music] [Applause] we when we were making it I people asked me what did you think was going to be successful when yeah I I thought it I never really thought about I just thought gee this is great fun I mean they're giving us laser guns and I get to rescue a princess and you know looked like a can't be thing to make sure and it was so hard a lot of times it's a true story Harrison Ford who placed a space pirate in the film at one point threatened to tie George up and and make him say his own lines of gunpoint was a little bit difficult I remember there was one line that I just begged him to take out of the screen plane he finally did and in my life yes boy I'll never forget it as long as I live I sometimes dream about this line it was just coming upon the exploded planet of the princess spaulder on and it's all totally been blown away and Harrison says look I've done my part of the bargain when I get to an asteroid you the old man and the droids get dropped off and my line was but we can't turn back fear is their greatest defense I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on a kowai or so us and what there is is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault and I thought who talks like this your I mean this is really not fair because you know we're the ones that are gonna get vegetables thrown at us not you here's their greatest defense I doubt if the actual security there is much greater than on a coli or sulla so what there is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault it's not a game you know well how many more systems have to get blown away before you have no place to hide your force to fight don't you realize what's going on kid you take the glory and the good intentions I'll take the reward fear is their greatest weapon you beg George to fly but we can't turn back fears their greatest defense I doubt the actual security there is any greater than it was on aqua liars tell us and what there is is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault so it makes sense fear is their greatest defense because they're intimidating this gigantic contraption I doubt the actual security there is any greater than it was on Apple ourselves to made up planetoids forget that and what there is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault in other words were waiting for an armada we could slip in in this little tiny hamburger shape to the Millennium Falcon think so it made sense intellectually the trick was how can you make it sound like it's spontaneous dialogue that just rolling up this up your time not so easy say he was right it it was much a bit much although it's stuck in your brain he's that grain I've never been able to get rid of it it's but there was one of those lines up there with yeah it'll take a few moments with an advocate ordinance or you know I'm here to send you the message as the one carry does all the time which is thing but it was the one that actually said no I'm not gonna do that yeah it eventually went away we never even shot it for when we actually went I think I think the scene itself got cut out okay yeah that was my favor because I loved Aris and I said look what Arizona has to say it'll take a few moments for the navicomputer to calculate the coordinates you'll never do it we were making book on whether it be able to actually say it it'll take a few minutes to calculate the coordinates take a few minutes for the navicomputer to calculate the coordinates I said to George you can type this stuff but you can't say it move your mouth while you're talking while you're typing it and I couldn't say it it took me like 15 takes all right let's talk a little bit about star wars now when they first asked you to be in that film did you were you reluctant to participate in the film did you know anything about me I knew about American Graffiti sure admire very much Lucas I'm quiet about George Lucas and they I was in Hollywood and at the end of making up film what was the film Murder by Death it was calling her not as big as Star Wars well no no and there was the script on my dressing table and I saw George Lucas's name and that I knew had you know was potential there and then I opened it and I thought oh my god it's you know it's science fiction and it's not gonna be for me but I'll read a little bit and I started reading I didn't think the dialogue was very good but it held me from page to page and the next day I'm met with Lucas we had lunch together I liked him enormously you know shortly after that he said would I come and play that part now let's talk about the latest aspect of your career which is I mean quite extraordinary in all these years in movies now all of a sudden you've hit the jackpot with a thing called Star Wars which I saw I mean I think just look really super at least mom's escapism and Felina but I mean how did you come to to be involved with a piece of science fiction like that well I it arrived as a script I was just finishing a picture in Hollywood I'm back another day to go and a script arrived on my dressing table and I heard that it been delivered by George Lucas and I thought well that's rather impressive because he's an up-and-coming and very respect where the young directors so and then when I opened it and found it was science fiction I found I was just simply not for me and then I started reading and it seems to me the rut dialogue was pretty ropey but I had to go on turning the page and then I mean that's an essential yes in any script you've got to know what happens next or what's gonna be said next and I I went on reading I thought no I'm like this if only we can get some of the dialogue altered and then I met him we got on very well and I found myself doing it that's all and it's made more money than any other movie ever made so I'm tall and you've got yourself thought of the action ah well two and a half percent isn't it no no no no not quite surrounding cameras well as you won that story you tried to keep this dark I don't know where this all sprang from I think was Evening Standard of blame for this I had a contract I'm my agents that I've asked for 2% of whatever because we didn't think about making it you know I've never had I've had a percentage on a film before and they lose money like mad if I have a percentage and I so fine or I had two percent and the day before the film opened in San Francisco George Lucas phoned me and said he's very very again he's like Annabelle he's very difficult and very shy and quiet and he has a funny little boys and he said I think the movies kind of gonna be all arrived I said I'm bad children he said yeah I the press quite liked it that's a cool he said we're pleased with um you know very grateful the little alterations you suggested and so we'd like to offer you another half percent by making you two and a half high so it's you know that's marvelous thank you very much but a matter of a few weeks later in fact the day I saw the film I just seen it the ones the producer who again as a charming delightful chap I said about this little extra something you were kindly offering I wonder if we could have something in writing just so that you know my agent and so on believes this and he said old you about the quarter percent yes no food so it's two and a quarter percent yeah I couldn't believe some of the things they wrote about the prequels you know I mean but really beyond I didn't like it but they you ruined my childhood and I'm still angry about the way they treated Jake Lloyd he was only ten years old that boy and he did exactly what George wanted him to do believe me I understand clunky dialogue I don't like sand it's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere [Music] not like here here everything is soft and smooth [Music]

Channel: Cinema Sources

Views: 1,035,419

Keywords: Star Wars, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, George Lucas, Alec Guinness

Id: JzeCo36ZddQ

Length: 10min 16sec (616 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 12 2017

Reddit Comments

[u/mak10z]

Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy! Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?

he said it so well tho! it is a bit of a mouthful to get out in the 2 seconds it took him to say it :)

[u/n00bvin]

Apparently this lesson wasn't learned for prequels. I mean, I love the movies now, but the dialogue... sheesh.

[u/FreeDummy]

"Murder by Death" That's a movie I haven't thought about in a long time. If you enjoy "Clue!", you need to check out this movie as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKFWMFJsO8w