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The Lost Film That Accompanied Empire Strikes Back
An anonymous reader writes "'Alien' and 'Star Wars' art director Roger Christian was given £25,000 by George Lucas in 1979 to make a 25-minute medieval B-feature called 'Black Angel.' This spiritual tale of a knight on a strange quest was inspired by Christian's near-fatal fever when he fell ill in Mexico making 'Lucky Lady.' 'Black Angel' made a huge impression, not least because it shared the dark tone of 'Empire Strikes Back.' John Boorman showed it to the crew of 'Excalibur' as a template for how he wanted his film to look, and 'Black Angel' went on to influence films such as 'Dragonslayer' and 'Legend' throughout the 1980s and beyond. But it has not been seen by anyone since 'Empire' finished its theatrical run. Two weeks ago Roger Christian unearthed a print of a film that was thought lost forever, and in this interview he talks about 'Black Angel,' and provides the only picture from the film that has ever hit the Internet."
This spiritual tale of a knight on a strange quest was inspired by Christian's near-fatal fever when he fell ill in Mexico ...
That is oddly similar to the car crash that Lucas experienced shortly before graduating high school in his Autobianchi Bianchina on June 12, 1962. It was a bad wreck that I guess was highly improbable for him to survive. He was going to be a mechanic and race cars until that accident. He is also said to have conceived the idea for "the Force" as it would grow (by assimilation of aspects of some Eastern spiritual philosophies) into the "hokey religions and ancient weapons" of Star Wars. Proof that near death experiences have a very profound effect on people.
I'd provide a citation but I remember reading that off the back of a Topps Galaxy Star Wars card when I was a kid.
My work here is dung.
Did you really skim that fast? This is about a completely different movie that just happens to have been made by the same art director. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that they put out copies of this it looks really interesting.
But do your other plans for the Black Angel story make you think twice about releasing it?
Do you know something? I'm wrestling with this. I was talking about it yesterday. I still get letters, still get emails, there are threads on the IMDB going on and on about it - people guessing the story and how much it affected their mindsbut I just wonder if I brought it out now, thirty years later
I haven't seen it in thirty years myself, but I wonder if its imitators have devalued it a little, the way seven years of The X-Files made Silence Of The Lambs look dated
Exactly.
It might look like a copy of the films and TV that it inspired, which have been in circulation ever since.
I assure you that I am quite capable of appreciating Kurosawa's Yojimbo and Sanjuro despite the fact that I had already seen Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy which massively borrows from them. I'm certain you were able to appreciate The Hidden Fortress after making the Star Wars Trilogy as well. So why do you doubt my ability to appreciate Black Angel?
... even if it's just a reason for people to brag that they've seen one of the original fantasy films ... even if it's just a chance for me to one up another person in conversation and promote my anti-social tendencies ... why wouldn't you release it in someway for the general public to digest in their homes?
I mean, if you choose not to release it then you have no intent to capitalize off of it and you should release it online via Veoh or YouTube or some video hosting site. Wouldn't the popularity and enjoyment from the film reward you in some way -- with it being your first film that you labored over?
I mean, even if it's just film snobs to appreciate it
My work here is dung.
What's the interest in Star Wars movies anyway?
Secondly, with regards to:
It would be interesting to see a James Bond like movie in space setting
Finally, you can turn in your geek card at the door on your way out. Thanks for playing.
Motorcycles, Robots, Space Gossip and More!
I once had a fever dream that I would be up-ranked to +5 Insightful after making a meaningless self-referential post as an AC on Slashdot.
In those days history was lost because of issues with physically duplicating things. Nowadays, it is being lost because we don't own the keys to the digital locks. Perhaps in twenty years we'll come to our senses and retroactively permit the breaking of today's encryption then - for what survived.
Shh.
Joss Whedon's new urban spin-off of Angel with Samuel L. Jackson as the vampire cursed with a soul... "Welcome to the Hellmouth," mother-fucker.
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
Okay, checking on IMDB it seems like this was only released in the UK and Canada. So my memory of, Christ, 30-year-old movie experiences, is not yet faulty.
Holy Roman Empire? You think that there were arenas in Germany during the middle ages? Remember the mnemonic: 'The Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.'
I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit
At this point? Nostalgia, mostly. Keep in mind that when it came out, there was literally nothing else like it.
In many ways, there's still nothing else like it. It is a whole universe, created from scratch. Not just an extrapolation of our own, and not just the pieces you need to see for the story. Humans are common, but not special in any particular way. They mix with aliens and robots completely, and deal with each other as equals. There are lots of places where a race is shown once, in a background character, and never seen again. Most movies wouldn't bother: It's just extra expense.
There's a feeling of history and depth to the movies (especially the original trilogy), that's nearly unique. You can write thousands of books about what else is happening in the universe, because it is a universe, and not just a setting for the story.
'Sensible' is a curse word.
"First, this is slashdot, a website for nerds. Posting a question like: "What's the interest in Star Wars movies anyway?" ...is likely to get you flogged and/or hung. "
:-O
/. when an anti-star wars post is moderated insightful
I hope you're right, but it appears the mods have gone to lunch, because as of right now it's moderated: "(Score:1, Insightful)"
today is a sad day for
Why doesn't he just finish off the rest of us and post how stupid star trek is
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
In many ways, there's still nothing else like it. It is a whole universe, created from scratch. Not just an extrapolation of our own, and not just the pieces you need to see for the story. Humans are common, but not special in any particular way. .... There are lots of places where a race is shown once, in a background character, and never seen again.
Lord of the Rings did it first, and better. Also, Ringworld, to some extent.
Note, about 95% of the population does not realize the LOTR series was a book for some decades before the recent movies. I've actually heard people refer to the LOTR books as being "novelizations of the movies". Um, no.
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
....Why doesn't he just finish off the rest of us and post how stupid star trek is
That has to be posted?
Don't forget that George McFly had no dreams of becoming a successful writer until he had a near-death experience with Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan!
Those fuckin' hobbit movies were boring as hell. All it was, was a bunch of people walking. Three movies of people walking to a fucking volcano.
THL phish sticks
Sad that the editors of Slashdot had to claim it was a film that accompanied Empire Strikes Back when it was nothing even close to that. Crazy what they'll do for a few extra bucks in advertising views huh?
Que?
FTFA
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. indymedia
Don't forget Doc Brown had no dreams of time travel and becoming a successful scieceman until he had a near-death experience with a toilet and discovered the benzene ring structure.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff