Showing posts with label grand moff tarkin.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grand moff tarkin.. Show all posts

Monday 13 April 2020

NOT THAT LONG AGO IN A GALAXY NOT THAT FAR AWAY : NOTHING IS ORIGINAL


IF YOU WRITE, BE IT FOR a blog, facebook page or even for your own amusement, do you ever feel like all the great ideas have already been taken by the ‘real’ writers out there?  Do you ever think that maybe you’re not capable of an original idea? Me? I fight with it daily! Pablo Picasso once said, 'Nothing is truly original; we all build on the work, knowledge, wisdom and accomplishments of others'. In the inspiring book, 'Steal Like an Artist, 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative - by Austin Kleon, he states, 'Nobody is born with a style or a voice. We don’t come out of the womb knowing who we are. In the beginning, we learn by pretending to be our heroes.  We learn by copying' and 'We’re talking about practice here, not plagiarism – plagiarism is trying to pass someone else’s work off as your own.  Copying is about reverse engineering.  It’s like a mechanic taking apart a car to see how it works!' With these gems of wisdom already in mind, I recently came across a quite startling feature, that has appeared at the tvandmovienews.com site. 


ABOVE : Even without the photograph of Peter Cushing provided on the right. I think most film buffs would identify the illustration on the left to have more than a shadow of a resemblance to Cushing's appearance as Grand Moff Tarkin in 'Star Wars' (1977)? When you find that the character is also of ranking and an Ambassador in the 1975 Valérian volume 'Ambassador of the Shadows', it clicks?


ABOVE : In the 1971's Empire of a Thousand Planets, the figure on the left appears as a member of a strange group known as the 'Enlightened'. When he is unmasked, he reveals a  face that is damaged, scarred and burned, similarly to Darth Vader's on the right in the 1983 'The Return of the Jedi'

THE FEATURE and writing appears uncredited and explores a story that seems to have been quite common knowledge in the 'Star Wars' community for quite sometime, but for me, not being a reader of comic sci fi fiction, it's all news! It's such a startling theory and reveal, that I had to go look it up further. As it's base is grounded on the idea of plagiarism and theft, I was somewhat taken aback to see WHOLE slabs of this feature, reproduced typo errors and all, on other websites and blogs! Ironic or what? So, in presenting and writing my own take on this story.. I have to tread carefully. 😉😀 All the comic frames, are indeed not mine, I have 'borrowed them' from www.core77.com and http://www.tvandmovienews.com. Here goes . . 


ABOVE : The Millennium Falcon maybe one of the most loved and respected space craft in sci fi cinema history. Can we say after all the work, the multiple design stages and planning that the Millennium Falcon went through, that this was also a lift from the 1971's The Empire of a Thousand Planets comic? I am not sure . .

IF YOU WERE one of the fortunates, who is old enough to remember when the FIRST 'Star Wars' movie was released back in May 25th 1977... just one day before Peter Cushing's 64th birthday, two days before Christopher Lee's and Vincent Price's birthdays... then undoubtedly you'll also remember leaving the cinema with total glee and wonder at the whole amazing package, you had just witnessed! For many, myself included I was stunned by the scale of the special effects, the sounds, the music, the 'other universe' creatures, the whole emotional ride and the fact my favourite actor, Peter Cushing who up until this film, had been taking a bit of a back-seat as far as 'amazing movies' were concerned was now also on that big screen and part of this mind blowing, fresh, new and exciting film! As far as movie experiences were concerned, as a teenager I seriously asked myself how could I ever be THIS excited over a new movie ever again!


ABOVE : The two outfits here do bear a striking similarity to each other, although Industrial Light & Magic costume designer Aggie Rodgers, cited the work of fantasy artist Frank Frazetta as her main inspiration. The Empire Strikes Back, Leia Organa is enslaved by a morbidly obese ruler (Jabba the Hutt), and forced to wear a revealing slave-girl outfit. Believe it or not, almost the exact same thing happens to Laureline in the 1972 Valérian volume World Without Stars; although, in this case, the overweight monarch is Emperor Alzafar, who rules the city of Valsennar and has pioneered a system where women are basically responsible for everything, including fighting in wars.


ABOVE : In the 1971 'Valérian and Laureline' compilation 'Empire of a Thousand Planets', Valérian is frozen is a substance that bears an uncanny resemblance to Carbonite, the substance Han Solo was frozen in nearly a decade later in 1980's 'The Empire Strikes Back'. As pointed out, by The Film Theorists, Valérian's memory loss while frozen matches up a known symptom of Carbonite sickness.

MY NEXT QUESTION WAS, who was responsible for all this? What super gifted writer, put together such a thrilling concept, impressive script and very likeable and fascinating characters? The answer was quickly discovered, by me on the TV news that evening, a quite shy, quietly spoken bearded guy, from the US called George Lucas, who had been nursing the whole concept for years. It was his baby, his creation that he had been touting around the studios for quite some time. Wow! What I would have given to have just a few grains of his imaginative brain cells back then!


ABOVE : The 'Moss Eisley Cantina' is one of the Star Wars universe's key locations, as well as one of its most popular. While its overall layout was most likely based on real-life cantinas, there's no denying the fact that an 'alien bar' with a certain semblance of sameness appears on the pages of Valérian.



NOW? I AM NOT SOOOO SURE 😲😗😃 This weekend, reaching my fifth week of self isolation, during this very weird and frightening time, as well as weighing up the pros and cons of IF I should start decorating the hall and  living room, I have been chewing over, the starling evidence of WHERE did George source those Star Wars characters, concepts and ideas? Taking into account of ol Pablo's point, I am not sure what I think or where Lucas lies in the whole scheme of things. Certainly, illustrator and artist, Jean-Claude Mezieres knows EXACTLY where his thoughts lie. It seems that George, for all three original Star Wars films had 'borrowed' quite liberally from the 'ideas and concepts' pantry of a French comic series called 'Valerian and Laureline' and had done so, without making reference or credit to its creators. This very popular sci fi comic was amazingly illustrated by one Jean- Claude Mezieres and written by Pierre Christin.




AT THE TIME, of the release of 'Star Wars' and the following two other movies, Mezieres was said to be, quite understandably, incensed. Now with both gentlemen in late seventies, they have simmered a little helped by their work finally getting some well deserved credit and influencing the 2017 film, 'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets', directed by a major fan, Luc Beeson! 


IF YOU WOULD LIKE to share your thoughts on this feature, it is also being posted and shared on the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE TODAY! Your comments and input would be most welcome! 

Wednesday 21 December 2016

CUSHING COPY: ROGUE ONE NOT THE FIRST


#ROGUEONE is not the first time that Peter Cushing has had a likiness of his face/ head appear on the big screen... Here is Peter with, his 'chopped noggin' on the set of 'The House That Dripped Blood' (1971)...granted this head didn't cost the earth in CGI effects, and maybe wasn't the most reliable of replica's...but back in the day, we gave it the 'nod'😉


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Saturday 17 December 2016

JOYCE BROUGHTON GIVES TARKIN CGI THUMBS UP!


VARIETY DECEMBER 16TH 2016

When audiences flock to multiplexes this weekend to see Gareth Edwards’ “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” they’re in for a blast from the past.

The film, which takes place just before the events of George Lucas’ 1977 original installment, brings actor Peter Cushing back to cinematic life through the use of state-of-the-art visual effects wizardry to reprise the role of Grand Moff Tarkin. A British actor — Guy Henry, star of BBC series “Holby City” — was employed to portray the character physically on set, while in post-production, his work was replaced with a rather impressive Cushing performance by the artists of Industrial Light & Magic.



Despite the flap from several quarters, it was pretty obvious that all the 'I's' and 'T's' had been dotted and crossed for the likeness of Peter Cushing as Tarkin to be used in #ROGUEONE, long before a pixel had been drawn. As for the coughing up the 'cash' for such use, you can bet your last Wupipi and Druggat, it went to the estate of Peter Cushing...and good for them, I say. Meanwhile, here's a great interview with Joyce Broughton talking about her time with Peter throughout his career..even until the very end.. enjoy 😉

It was so impressive, in fact, that Cushing’s former secretary — Joyce Broughton, who oversees his estate and attended the film’s London premiere with her grandchildren — was taken aback emotionally when she saw the creation on screen.

“When you’re with somebody for 35 years, what do you expect?” Broughton says. “I can’t say any more because I get very upset about it. He was the most beautiful man. He had his own private way of living.”

 Broughton, who was bequeathed Cushing’s estate when he died without an heir in 1994, was reticent to go into details about the situation due to a confidentiality agreement she signed with Disney and Lucasfilm. But despite the emotions, she said she was dazzled by the experience of the new film.

“I have to say, I’m not a ‘Star Wars’ fanatic, but I did think whoever put it together were absolutely fantastic,” she says. “It’s not just a silly sort of thing. It’s really good!”

Cushing’s digital resurrection was first reported in August of 2015. A Lucasfilm rep tells Variety that the filmmakers will not be discussing the nuts and bolts of what went into the actor’s reprise until January, in order for audiences to see the film and enjoy it without being spoiled by those details. But the implications raised by the bold achievement, and others like it, are another thing entirely — and they’ve been ringing throughout the industry for decades.


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Sunday 30 October 2016

HALLOWEEN AND OUR 60TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY COMPETITION TOMORROW!


HALLOWEEN TOMORROW! SO TOMORROW WILL BE A BUSY DAY. PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR CELEBRATORY COMPETITION!!

OPEN TO EVERYONE, NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE!


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