Luke Return Of The Jedi Lightsaber

thd9791 · Feb 3, 2012

Sym-Cha said:
So if this is a photo of the shared stunt during practise on ESB :

then this must be a more elaborate close-up of the same :

notice the same pants and part of Dave Prowse belt and also the lack of a graflex clamp on the midsection. Thus the shared stunt was used in practise sessions during production of ESB and is the same as seen here in Alec Guinness' hands on ANH with the graflex clamp still attached :

So is this the same now as used by Mark Hamill seen here during ROTJ then?

-Chaim

Chaim,

Good call on the black and white closeup/esb practice being the same, you may be right. Although I'm 90% sure the one in the close up is the V2. As is the one with luke/vader at the end. Unless the shared stunt was painted black as well, I see no indication of the shared stunt here...never thought i'd say that. (I do believe it was used for the Death Star duel)

unless the first color photo is the shared stunt (it's emitter isn't all that black) and different from the close up.

lonepigeon · Feb 3, 2012

BAlinger15 said:
Again, IMO the "shared stunt" is not seen in Star Wars or during ESB practice, unless someone has a photo to show otherwise.

Best,
Brandon

I agree with this, but one thing to consider is that the shared stunt seems to have been "cleaned up" for the first LFL archive exhibit in Japan (1995).
I don't know if we can trust it's current look for identifying the prop in vintage photos. It may have looked more like the V2 at the time.
I was surprised at how much other props were cleaned up (the Tantive IV was repainted back to it's ANH state). The archives today seems to have a much more strict "preserve as is" attitude.

Sym-Cha · Feb 4, 2012

As you can see here the neck and part of the emitter has clearly been repainted with copper paint . . .
and the rest of the emitter used to be all black underneath that piece of chrome tape :

So could the V2 now have been replicated after this same shared stunt with it's original black paint scheme?

-Chaim

thd9791 · Feb 4, 2012

lonepigeon said:
I don't know if we can trust it's current look for identifying the prop in vintage photos. It may have looked more like the V2 at the time.
I was surprised at how much other props were cleaned up (the Tantive IV was repainted back to it's ANH state). The archives today seems to have a much more strict "preserve as is" attitude.

Good point as well. Maybe we'll have to look at distinct details, like the shape of the emitter, or certain physical aspects (like does this major scuffing match that scuffing) to distinguish the shared stunt from V2 in vintage photographs. it would make sense they were painted alike, they were both back up props for the same thing after all. Although there are many shots of Alec using something with a grey/silver emitter...either this was the shared stunt early in filming, painted black to match the V2 for later filming (does anyone know when scenes were shot?) and it was re-painted to look like Luke's for publicity....or there's some other explanation (another stunt, or the V2 has some more explaining to do :lol)

EDIT: Sym-Cha my thoughts exactly. The only thing holding me back is what I said above, of there being a silver looking prop in A New Hope

Sym-Cha · Feb 4, 2012

You do realize that this shared stunt is a metal casting of another ... don't you?

Here you can see the ridge (bottom left) on the rings section leftover from the casting proces :

so perhaps the late Alec Guinness wielded another stunt saber which could have been casted
several times as back-ups in case his stunt would break?

-Chaim

thd9791 · Feb 4, 2012

Of course, that thought did occur to me but no one else seemed to think there were more. Thank you!

I don't quite see what you're talking about in the photo, but i do agree with everything, it makes sense

then at least 2 were painted black in some way

Sym-Cha · Feb 4, 2012

Here's what I'm talking about :

Just to make myself absolutely clear I assume there may have been more then one casting of the original stunt during ROTJ since by then the budget would allow it. Does that mean there was more then one casting during ANH . . . I don't know for certain, however there could have been more, right?

-Chaim

thd9791 · Feb 4, 2012

Chaim, right, i Understand.

And yes, now I see it, is that sort of like a seam mark that you would get in casting?

EDIT: Also, what pictures do we have of the shared stunt and V2 from A New Hope now? That close up above of Alec holding it seems to be shaped like the shared stunt

thd9791 · Feb 4, 2012

Another shot ESB, Shared stunt or V2?

Sym-Cha · Feb 5, 2012

thd9791 said:
And yes, now I see it, is that sort of like a seam mark that you would get in casting?

Indeed and I believe Anakin Starkiller is working on an exact lightsaber replica, seam and all but we haven't seen any progress yet :confused

-Chaim

Sym-Cha · Feb 5, 2012

So if Bob Anderson is practising with a V2 seen here :

as well as Mark Hamill seen together with Bob here :

Then what version is Mark holding in his hands . . . V3? Or is Mark holding the ANH/ROTJ
shared stunt? :wacko

-Chaim

lonepigeon · Feb 5, 2012

Sym-Cha said:
Then what version is Mark holding in his hands . . . V3? Or is Mark holding the ANH/ROTJ
shared stunt? :wacko

Since Bob doesn't seem to be holding anything it could still be the V2.
(edit- I see what looks like the top of a saber in Bob's hand, but there's not enough to really tell which prop).

As was pointed out earlier, this saber doesn't have a Graflex clamp...

I wonder if this is the Shared Stunt?
The V2 clamp has the odd long lever (seen in the ANH closeup as well as ROTJ) and I don't think that clamp is easily removed.

thd9791 · Feb 5, 2012

Chris, I think you may be right. Sticking with the idea that the V2 was gutted and used for static purposes (luke catching it, emperor's chair) why would they stick a blade in to fight, take it out, etc. back and forth? From the movie itself, I stopped a few frames on you tube and Luke's prop's emitter looks pretty shiny when he's fighting. So i take it they cleaned up the Shared Stunt a little before that scene. Before though? I think we're looking at it.

Sym-Cha · Feb 5, 2012

It seems to me that Bob's lightsaber still has the clamp on it. You can
spot the highlights coming from clamp holes ... so that would suggest
this must be the ANH/ROTJ shared stunt . . . with the long lever :

which would leave Mark Hamill with another stunt in ESB possibly the V2
before it was later cut down for ROTJ purposes :

As you said you can see the disc of the emitter near Bob's gloved right hand. And logic would
dictate that it must the same lightsaber he's holding in the above picture ... or would it now?

-Chaim

thd9791 · Feb 5, 2012

Whatever Bob is holding it has a short stick, (from our perspective only travels to his nipple/top of the chest box) it's foreshortened slightly. Same saber? I wouldn't think so, the foreshortened one doesn't look like a disc. it almost looks like the end of a flash gun or other handle directly pointed at the camera. His other hand is lightly holding the blade. There would be more surface area reflected had it been a disc.

Also, it looks like the contraption for holding these blades on is interesting. the blade goes over the nipple and is tapered, unlike the Yuma stunt which was a rod bolted into the nipple.

Sym-Cha · Feb 5, 2012

As a photographer I can tell you that light can play many tricks too ... it seems that the emitter disc is not fully visible due to shadows from the rod, slightly Bob's body and perhaps even the chestbox lingering over the lightsaber. Indeed it appears the rod is shorter then the one Mark is holding still it could be the shared stunt being cut as well since we do know it will be cut altogether to surface as Luke's ROTJ stunt ... going
into real space many moons later without the rod and nipple. That's all for tonight folks . . .

-Chaim

thd9791 · Feb 5, 2012

Very good point. Well then, two props nearly identical in dimensions that were both painted black somehow...what are we to do? haha

EDIT: That, by the final duel of rotj, were distinguishable. the shared stunt was cleaned up somewhat.

thd9791 · Feb 6, 2012

Okay after flipping every picture right side up, and staring at them for a while, I'm convinced the close-up, signed david prowse stunt is the "Shared Stunt" in it's previous form. This stunt's emitter is a little different than the V2, i swear by it. (I would say the main portion is shorter, emitter plate thinner and slightly beveled or flared, not as chunky) The windvane also has some bevel-ness to it, rather than straight lines on the V2. The prop Luke is holding in the ESB practice shot with Bob Anderson (in which there is a hidden saber in bob's hands) also looks like the same, Shared Stunt.

If not the shared stunt, I'm at least certain it's not the V2. Maybe there is another floating around.

The picture with Bob holding one upside down, I still can't tell which or what that is. However it does look like it had similar scuffing to the same prop above.

gjw · Feb 6, 2012

What is that round thing on the grip section of the Graflex on the left?

Sym-Cha · Feb 6, 2012

^ Funny you would call it a graflex ... for it is not, eventhough it has a clamp and red button do you notice there are no bunny ears before the red button or that the 'H'-slidholes to hold them are lacking? So it's a metal tube of some kind mimicing a graflex flash with T-track grips, which leads to your inquiry about the white round thing between the grips . . . I have no clue what it's purpose is or what it is made of or why it is even there?!?

-Chaim

Luke Return Of The Jedi Lightsaber

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