Black Angel (1980 film)
| Black Angel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Roger Christian |
| Produced by |
Roger Christian Leslie Dilley |
| Written by | Roger Christian |
| Music by | Trevor Jones |
| Cinematography | Roger Pratt |
| Edited by | Alan Strachan |
Running time | 25 min |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £25,000 |
Black Angel is a 1980 short film that was shown before the theatrical release of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back in certain locales. It was the directorial debut of Star Wars art director Roger Christian. The film was thought to be lost until the film was rediscovered in December 2011.
Plot
Sir Maddox, a medieval knight, returns from the Crusades to find his home rife with sickness and his family gone. As he journeys through this mystical realm he encounters a mysterious and beautiful maiden, who appears to him as he is drowning. Sir Maddox learns that the maiden is being held prisoner by a black knight and in order to free her must confront her captor, the Black Angel.[1]
Cast
- Patricia Christian – Maiden
- James Gibb – Anselm
- Tony Vogel – Sir Maddox
- John Young – Old Man
Production
The film was shot in Scotland at Eilean Donan,[2] in autumn 1979, for £25,000, a gift to Christian from George Lucas for his work on Star Wars.[3]
Release and rediscovery
George Lucas tied the film as a programme with The Empire Strikes Back in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Scandinavia.[4] It was never released on any home media such as VHS or DVD, and for many years the original negatives were believed to be lost. In December 2011, the 35mm negative was rediscovered by an archivist at Universal Studios in Los Angeles.[1][5][6] On October 13, 2013, it was screened for the first time since its original release, and became available on Netflix and iTunes for streaming and download, respectively, in early 2014.[1][6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mattise, Nathan (December 28, 2012). "The Sword and Sorcery Precursor to Empire Strikes Back". Wired Magazine. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
- ↑ "Short film meant to accompany Empire Strikes Back makes a comeback". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ http://www.shadowlocked.com/20100309134/interviews/exclusive-interview-the-worlds-of-roger-christian.html
- ↑ Anderson, Martin (March 9, 2010). "Exclusive interview: The worlds of Roger Christian". Shadowlocked. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
- ↑ Matisse, Nathan (September 10, 2013). "Once-lost Star Wars-related short to screen for the first time in 33 years". Ars Technica. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Matisse, Nathan (October 20, 2013). "Short that aired pre-Empire Strikes Back will come to Netflix, iTunes in 2014". Ars Technica. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
External links
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