„Return of the Ewok“ ist ein supersympatischer Kurzfilm von David Tomblin, Regie-Assistent bei „Empire strikes back“ und „Return of the Jedi“, die mit 25 Minuten zwar nicht wirklich schnell weggeguckt, aber nicht nur aus Nostalgiegründen jede Minute wert ist. Im Film spielt der 15jährige Warwick Davis, der bei Return den Ewok Wicket spielte, sich selbst auf dem Weg zum Schauspieler und der Film zeigt so ziemlich alle der Hauptfiguren (bis auf Obi Wan) in ihren Kostümen.
Warwick trifft im Wicket-Kostüm auf Luke, Han, Leia (im goldenen Bikini), landet in Jabbas Palast, tanzt zu dessen Band, wird von Boba Fett und Vader durch den Todesstern gejagt, fliegt mit einem Astronauten, den er am Flughafen trifft, mit einer Saturn-Rakete auf Endor, um dort seine Ewok-Kollegen zu treffen und jagt schließlich mit versengtem Hintern den Schutzschild-Generator hoch und das ist wahrscheinlich das grandioseste Stück Star Wars-Nostalgie, das ich hier jemals gezeigt habe. Da bleibt mir nicht viel mehr, als ein langgezogenes und aufrichtiges AAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
Die Qualität ist alles andere als berauschend, aber das ist alles davon, was ihr höchstwahrscheinlich jemals davon sehen werdet: Die Original-Tapes gelten als verschollen und das hier ist eine zusammengeschnibbelte Version aus einem 4minütigen Ausschnitt, den es mal auf Starwars.com zu sehen gab und einer mitgefilmten Camcorder-Version eines der seltenen Screenings auf einer StarWars-Convention. Und ja, na klar, das Ding ist online auf Youtube, hier die drei Clips, nach dem Klick noch eine zusammenhängende Version von Google-Video.
(Youtube Direktewoks, via MeFi)
Return of the Ewok is a 24-minute mockumentary starring Warwick Davis, the actor who played the Ewok, Wicket W. Warrick in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and the Ewok spin-off films. Davis and David Tomblin, Return of the Jedi’s first assistant director, created it, with Tomblin directing. Lucasfilm planned to use the movie as a promotional film for Return of the Jedi, but post-production on the film was never completed.
The film is set in both the “real world” and the fictional locations of the Star Wars universe. Real world locations include an airport, Elstree Studios and the actors’ dressing rooms, while the fictional locations include Dagobah, the Death Star II, Jabba’s Palace, and Endor. Throughout the film, these two realities are intermixed to produce an alternate reality. (Wikipedia)
Return of the Ewok focuses on the fictional account of Davis’ decision to become an actor and act as Wicket in Return of the Jedi. It also follows his transformation into Wicket. The film was shot on Tomblin’s own 16 mm camera and created during production of Return of the Jedi. As Warwick and as Wicket, he visits and interacts with many of the cast and crew of the movie and then characters of the movie. As Warwick, he goes to Elstree Studios where he interacts with the cast, both in and out of character. At one point, he even interacts with Luke Skywalker as he jumps out of a movie screen. As Wicket, he goes to Dagobah to see Yoda, and the Death Star he sees Darth Vader, and is chased by Boba Fett.
For many years, the only confirmed copy of Return of the Ewok lay in Warwick Davis’ own home entertainment center. This copy has been said by Davis to have been frequently shown to only close family, friends, and colleagues. Despite viewings of the film by those close to him, he had never shown the film publicly, and many fans had never even heard of it until 1996, when Davis mentioned it in an interview for the Star Wars Insider magazine. Davis publicly screened the film at the first Star Wars Celebration in 1999, and was also screened at Celebration II in 2002, and at Celebration III in 2005.
The original 16 mm print was said to be lost; according to Davis, his VHS copy is the only one in existence. However, a copy of the print, or even the original print, may actually reside in the Lucasfilm archives. Evidence of this was shown on the 2004 DVD release of the Star Wars Original Trilogy. A clip from the film of Wicket being chased by Boba Fett on the Death Star was included as part of the Easter egg of bloopers from the trilogy. It appeared in a widescreen format in good quality, suggesting that it had been preserved.
(Googlevideo Direktwicket, via Interweb3000)
In 2004, a recording of the entire film was put on eBay by someone who attended a screening, but the auction was pulled because the copy was reportedly given to the seller under strict agreement that it was not to be copied or sold. At least two people are alleged to have filmed it at Celebration II, but their copies have yet to surface. Although the film was also screened in the Pop Culture room at 2005′s Celebration III, no illicit recordings have yet surfaced.
The best known quality bootleg of the entire movie is a fan preservation project created in May 2005, a collaboration between Garrett Gilchrist of California and SKot Kirkwood [sic] of Texas. Their DVD version combines footage taken from the clip on StarWars.com, combined with a camcorder recording of the movie from one of its public showings, as well as clips culled from other sources, such as a brief excerpt shown on VH1. Gilchrist digitally cleaned up portions of the video and audio, then combined and edited the footage from different sources together to reconstruct the film. At 25 minutes, this version is slightly longer than the original, with Gilchrist adding his own opening and ending credits.
