why did george lucas leave the mos espa sets in tunisia?
- Thread starter razorsharp192
- Start date
darthgordon
Sr Member
TPM is the only one I really hate... I blame Jar Jar for most of that. That's why I shoot him... but in the stomach so it takes him longer to die :angry But before he dies I fill his wounds with killer bees Yesssss... killer bees and snakes.
SmilingOtter
Master Member
Lucas and the folks at ILM might have suggested it as a win/win situation - they wouldn't have to pay to dispose of it, and the Tunisian gov't would have a new tourist attraction. Or it could have been the Tunisians' idea to begin with.
obiwan2
Sr Member
Yes....the only thing I want to acknowledge about TPM is the final duel with Darth Maul, Obi, and Qui-Gon....otherwise nothing else happened....Move along...
As far as the set goes, being in the environment in the middle of the desert...honestly...who really cared in 1977? They probably figured it would decay over time possibly? If I dump some styrofoam in the middle of the desert today for something, would you really know or care? Especially when, in 1977, this was all laughable and a crazy film maker creating something that few really thought was going to be spectaculer...not Star Wars as we know it today. I mean I'm no specialist on the matter but that'd be my guess. As far as 1997, they knew what they had....why wouldn't Tunisia want to keep these pieces? What else is there to look at in the area? Tourism = $$$
As far as the set goes, being in the environment in the middle of the desert...honestly...who really cared in 1977? They probably figured it would decay over time possibly? If I dump some styrofoam in the middle of the desert today for something, would you really know or care? Especially when, in 1977, this was all laughable and a crazy film maker creating something that few really thought was going to be spectaculer...not Star Wars as we know it today. I mean I'm no specialist on the matter but that'd be my guess. As far as 1997, they knew what they had....why wouldn't Tunisia want to keep these pieces? What else is there to look at in the area? Tourism = $$$
CTF
Sr Member
JAK, not ILM.
PHArchivist
Master Member
On any normal production, yes... But on a Lucas project, the buck starts and ends with George, no?
Isn't George above the Line Producer, Production Manager, and Location Manager on a Lucasfilm production?
darth_myeek
Sr Member
I heard he cleaned most of it up in post. The rest.. well the technology wasn't really there at the time to clean it up.
-DM
-DM
Emeldahay
Sr Member
no - the director is not personally responsible
SaberFreak
Sr Member
Might be a dumb question (I don't read anything PT related so I don't know), but was going back to Tunisia for TPM strictly for sentimental reasons/to please the fans?
A desert is a desert is a desert. With his money and access to any studio lot he desires, Lucas could have recreate the set anywhere on earth, so why go all the way back to Tunisia? :confused
A desert is a desert is a desert. With his money and access to any studio lot he desires, Lucas could have recreate the set anywhere on earth, so why go all the way back to Tunisia? :confused
propologist
Sr Member
Because even back then lucas knew there was going to be this auction site called " EBAY " where people would travel back and find pieces and sell them on said site.
lonepigeon
Master Member
They didn't just shoot in the plain desert. They used the mountains and everything as they did back in 1976. Anakin's home wasn't totally a set, they used real locations too (grain storage buildings called Ghorfas).
Tunisia is Tatooine.
Darklighter
Sr Member
because George Lucas is bad.:rolleyes
crymore:cry
crymore:cry
ItsThatGuy
Sr Member
Same can be asked about the now deteriorating hobbit holes in New Zealand.
1.) Been in the desert? No desert is like the other. Different colors, grains, dunes, rocks etc. Even the same desert (like the Grand Erg of the Sahara) looks differently in different locations!
2.) The production studio for Episode 1 was Leavesden, in England. And the nearest desert for on location shooting is the Sahara. Tunisia was the best / easiest / cheapest option anyway.
So simple.
Says who? This is Bravo Sierra, Tunisia is pretty safe. Guess the odds to get hurt/shot/killed "in da hood" is a lot higher than there. (Been there several times, I know what I am talking about). Besides, the Tunisians, as most Arab or Berbers in this case, are well known for their hospitality and kindness. But that is a completely different story and this not the right place to discuss it.
Last not least, back to topic (even in an "off-topic" forum
): You and Chris were right: They left the set behind because it is a tourists attraction. A win/win/win situation for the production, the country and the fans! (My guess is the camels do not care anyway!)
What makes me sad though are pathetic visitors who damage, destroy or steal parts of the sets. There will not much be left in just a couple of years...
CTF
Sr Member
Deteriorating?
Eopie Herder
Sr Member
While I do agree with everything you said, this here...
doesn't really account for him going back to Tunisia for Tatooine as the desert in Yuma worked for him in ROTJ.
Again, just playing Devil's advocate here, as I still agree with your points.
doesn't really account for him going back to Tunisia for Tatooine as the desert in Yuma worked for him in ROTJ.
Again, just playing Devil's advocate here, as I still agree with your points.
Jumpin Jax
Sr Member
Tunisia is cheaper. Much cheaper. Dumping all the garbage as he did in 1977, and 1979-80(raiders), and 1997, is cheaper than packing it up and shipping it back. Many of the props obtained through the years were tossed due to lack of shipping space and the trouble involved in taking it all home. The buck may stop with george, but the sum total of questions was probably "Do we want to take all this back?" "No, don't need it. Take the props, leave the rest." Even that wasn't done fully. The Krayt dragon skeleton, a loan or purchase from Disney, was left in the desert.
From Wiki:
The artificial skeleton used for A New Hope was left in the Tunisian desert after filming and still lies there. During filming of Attack of the Clones, the site was visited by the crew and the skeleton was still found there.
I know that some have claimed to have found tiny bits that they believe were from the skeleton, but are there actual pics of finding it in the same location after 20 years? Also, how much of it was left behind???
I ask only because I can't believe someone didn't retrieve it sooner.
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LordFett
Sr Member
The production company was set to clean it all up but the owners of the farm that it is on asked them to leave it. It is now a tourist attraction and a large source of income for the farm.
http://www.hobbitontours.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matamata,_New_Zealand
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