Mos Eisley
Mos Eisley | |
---|---|
First appearance |
|
Last appearance | The Mandalorian, Garindan |
Mos Eisley is a spaceport town in the fictional Star Wars universe.[1] Located on the planet Tatooine, it first appeared in the 1977 film Star Wars, described by the character Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Alec Guinness) as a "wretched hive of scum and villainy".
A notable scene set in a seedy Mos Eisley cantina crowded with numerous alien races made a particular impact on audiences. Location filming for the spaceport took place from 1975 to 1976 in Tunisia, with interiors filmed at Elstree Studios near London.
Depiction
Film
Mos Eisley made its first appearance in the original 1977 film,
The Mos Eisley scenes occur early in Star Wars, when the young hero
Books
In the novelization of the film, Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker by George Lucas (ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster), Mos Eisley is described as a haphazard, run-down settlement built of concrete and sandstone, a large part of it built underground to escape the heat of Tatooine's twin suns.[7] The cantina is described as a dark, sinister bar full of "one-eyed creatures and thousand-eyed, creatures with scales, creatures with fur". The narrative describes "Tentacles, claws and hands... wrapped around drinking utensils".[8]
The
Television
Mos Eisley appears in the 2019
Production
Filming
The first view of Mos Eisley in Star Wars is a shot of Death Valley in California from the Dante's View lookout, with a matte painting added in the distance. The actual filming on location took place on the Tunisian island of Djerba.
In 1975, during the early stages of production on Star Wars, the appearance of the Mos Eisley cantina and its clientele was realized through the work of
The exterior scene was initially filmed in 1976 at the little town of Ajim, which is a fishing port on the Isle of Djerba, Tunisia. The film crew added some false frontage to the structure, which has seen no refurbishment since 1976.[citation needed] The local owner was reimbursed eight dollars a day.[15] The interior set was constructed and filmed on Stage 6, Elstree Studios near London.[16] Harrison Ford filmed his first scene with Alec Guinness; Ford later remarked that the prospect of working with Guinness "scared the shit out of me".[14] As filming progressed, Lucas encountered many problems; the production was running over-budget and both cast and crew were suffering health problems. Stuart Freeborn fell ill and was unable to complete his work on the cantina creature masks.[17]
In early 1977, under pressure to complete his movie (now more than $2 million over budget), Lucas negotiated limited additional funding from
Lucas remained dissatisfied with the final cut of the cantina scene, and beginning with Lucasfilm's release of the Special Edition of Star Wars in 1997, made a number of changes to it. He adjusted the confrontation between Han Solo and Greedo, to portray Greedo firing at Han first. This change was repeatedly further altered and has proved one of the most controversial among Star Wars fans, giving rise to the popular slogan "Han shot first" in protest of it.[20] For the 2004 DVD, the opening sequence of the cantina scene was modified to replace some practical creatures with completely new computer-generated aliens. This includes, for example, a sinister werewolf-like creature, which was replaced by a pipe-smoking reptile.[21]
Music
Throughout the cantina scenes in Star Wars, there is constant background music played by an alien band. This
Spin-off merchandise
Toys
In 1978 the toy manufacturer
In September 2020, LEGO Released a Master Builder Series (MBS) Mos Eisley Cantina (set number: 75290). It featured 3,187 pieces, 21 Minifigures and cost
Music releases
The first piece of music from the Cantina scene was released in 1977 on the Star Wars Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, entitled simply "Cantina Band". Later CD re-releases of the soundtrack album included the second piece, which was titled "Cantina Band #2". The first "Cantina Band" number has since been retitled "Mad About Me".[25]
That same year, the record producer
Legacy
In 1979, the cantina was the setting of a drunk driving PSA produced by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway and Safety Administration. In the PSA, Muftak's friends help him stagger out of the cantina and the message "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk" is shown.[34][35]
In 2010, clothing company Adidas created a FIFA World Cup advertisement featuring electronic music duo Daft Punk, Snoop Dogg, David Beckham, and others inserted into a reimagined version of the 1977 scene.[36][37][38]
References
Footnotes
- IG-88 in The Empire Strikes Back(1980).
Citations
- ^ "Spaceports". Orbital Vector. March 25, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
- ^ "Mos Eisley Spaceport". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
- ^ "Star Wars Databank: Mos Eisley Cantina". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ISBN 9780756614201.
- ^ "Ponda Baba". StarWars.com. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ a b "7 Things You Might Not Know About the Mos Eisley Cantina | StarWars.com". StarWars.com. January 27, 2015. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ Lucas 1976, p. 75.
- ^ Lucas 1976, pp. 78–79.
- ISBN 9780553564686.
- ISBN 0345282736.
- ^ Scoleri, John (January 14, 2014). "An Annotated Guide to The Star Wars Portfolio by Ralph McQuarrie". StarWars.com. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on June 24, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- ^ a b "9 Things You Might Not Know About the Aliens of Star Wars: A New Hope | StarWars.com". StarWars.com. May 24, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ "The 'Star Wars' Cantina Scene: The Out-of-This-World Story Behind the Galaxy's Favorite Dive Bar". uk.movies.yahoo.com. December 11, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-345-47761-3.
- ISBN 9781465492562.
- ^ Hearn 2005, pp. 116–7.
- ^ Hearn 2005, p. 104.
- ^ Hearn 2005, p. 106.
- ^ "Mos Eisley Cantina". starwars.com.
- ^ "Han Shot First". Know Your Meme. April 30, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ Woodward, Malcolm Campbell and Tom. "Star Wars: The Changes". www.dvdactive.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ASIN B0002YCVIS.
- ^ Kinos-Goodin, Jesse. "5 things you didn't know about the Star Wars Cantina band (unless you are a total Star Wars nerd)". CBC Music. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ISBN 9780226312781. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 9780786456505. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ "Kenner's Star Wars Playsets, Part 1: Cardboard Death Stars and Creature Cantinas". StarWars.com. February 5, 2014. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ Lego Group (September 9, 2020). "This Place Can Be A Little Rough - The LEGO Group Announces LEGO Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina™ Construction Set From Star Wars: A New Hope". Lego.com. Lego. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ LEGO Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina - LEGO Designer Video 75290. October 28, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ "MECO". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ "Ash's debut album 1977: 20 things you (probably) didn't know". WOW247.
- ^ Rawls, Alex (March 8, 2004). "A Good Spanking". The Advocate. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ "Music". www.voltaire.net. Aurelio Voltaire. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ Ditzian, Eric. "'Paul': Five Secrets Revealed". MTV News. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- StarWars.com. Archived from the originalon March 10, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- Indie Wire. Archivedfrom the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ Dombal, Ryan (June 4, 2010). "Daft Punk do Star Wars for Adidas". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- Racked. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ "adidas Originals - Daft Punk- Star Wars Cantina 2010", YouTube, retrieved April 7, 2023
Sources
- Hearn, Marcus (2005). The Cinema of George Lucas. New York: Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 9780810949683. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
- Lucas, George (1976). Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker (1st ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-26061-9.
External links
- Mos Eisley — Star Wars Databank
- Mos Eisley Cantina — Star Wars Databank
- Mos Eisley on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki.
- Mos Eisley Cantina on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki