I immediately navigated to the material on Episode IV, for me the definitive film and the only one I would take with me to a desert island. What we’ve heard about the original cut, and how most of Lucas’ friends thought he was crazy and the film a complete mess, seems to be readily believable. All it takes is a look at the rough cuts of the Cantina and the excised Tosche Station scene. Absent of sound effects, score, and the extended bunch of aliens provided after an initial shoot in England, the Cantina is a perfect example of what the film must have felt like to that group of Lucas confidants, including Brian De Palma and Francis Ford Coppola. Only Steven Spielberg saw through the rough exterior to what would become a great film, but it was the relentless editing of the second tier of editors on the film that would bring the picture up to the pace it is known for today. All filmmakers should be required to see this scene in its rough cut state to learn a lesson about being brutal with your cutting. And it is a testimony to the sound work of Ben Burtt and John Williams that this film made it to a theatrical release. Without the editing, sound, and score, we would not be talking about this film today.

The Tosche station sequence is very interesting: having seen stills of it as a kid, I often thought it would be mysterious and full of details about the universe, but it is really a simple character development bit. However the location that they used is a really spectacularly cool but simple building that really should have informed the design of Tattooine in the re-releases. It’s just a neat and exotic building but very understated (and almost abandoned-feeling, which gives the place a neater, apocalyptic feeling).

In another bit, Lucas states that “editing is what filmmaking is about,” likening the process of shooting to buying lumber and the process of editing to actually building the house. He also said that most VFX action scenes consisted of shots that were 15, 25, and 35 frames long, making the preparatory process that much more important. This was unlike the way FX films were made prior to Star Wars, and it marks a turning point in FX-driven cinema.

Another key reason to look at the Bonus disc is a glance into the “Archives,” where mostly the model makers like Lorne Petersen and Paul Huston, and FX photographers like Dennis Muren discuss individual ships, creatures, and sequences. Being able to hear about the design of the Falcon, X-Wings, and landspeeders from the craftspeople behind it is exciting, but many of these are merely cursory descriptions we’ve seen before or read about in more detail in other sources. At no more than a couple of minutes apiece, these left me frustratedly wanting more. Compounded with the load times on my player, I would say I did more navigating than watching.

The Archives feature 360 degree rotations of ships and costumes, as well as some nice detail shots that you can’t get in print. Likewise, the costumes are shown in extreme closeup, many of which reveal their simple and even shoddy construction. Highlights include:

• Loving details of the Ralph McQuarrie paintings, that show how truly impressionistic these matte paintings were
• Phil Tippett on the stop-motion photography for the films, who says that stop motion is “sculpting in time and space…”
• The model makers admitting the influence of Jean “Moebius” Girard on designs for ships like the Rebel cruiser and Cloud City cars, and the use (apparently sanctioned) of Syd Mead’s work for the AT-AT walkers.
• Dennis Muren discusses how Hoth VFX were caught almost entirely “in camera” with a minimum of the unreliable optical work that plagued other pictures of the day
• Phil Tippett operating the Rancor hand puppet — in action!
• Dennis Muren on the preproduction aspects of the asteroid and Endor-speeder bike sequence (both of which were primarily designed by Muren and Joe Johnston).

The other Bonus Disc makes short work of the archival making-of features from a wide variety of sources, which I am off to watch now. If this kind of thing is interesting to you, then it appears as if this box set is worth the money. Now let’s see if I can get through the films themselves.

1 Can, Fire Roasted diced tomatoes
Chipotle Peppers, canned in adobo sauce
1 Bulb, Garlic
About a quarter of a Medium White Onion
Handful of fresh Cilantro

Put onion, garlic, and cilantro in a food processor and zap it for a moment until they’re broken up nicely. Add 1-2 peppers (one is “zowie,” two is “owie”) and the entire can of tomatoes. Don’t bother draining the liquid. Zap it until everything is just mixed and you’ll have a nice chunky salsa. A moment more and the pieces are smaller but still has a nice presentation. Freeze the remaining chipotle peppers like I do and you’ll get about six batches from one can. Lasts in the fridge for two weeks, if you can keep it that long.