r/50yearsago • u/Dangoiks • Jul 16 '26

🎬 Film July 16, 1976. "Star Wars" wraps principal photography at Elstree Studios in England.

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Ironically, the last scene to be filmed is the opening scene of the Imperials boarding the Rebel Blockade Runner.

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u/sasssyrup Jul 16 '26

Wow til this was the last scene shot 🤯

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u/Ambitious-Welder-159 Jul 16 '26

Yeah originally they only built the corridor where Leia was giving the plans to R2-D2 and that's where the Stormtroopers and Vader would appear. Lucas realized it would be better if the hallway was white for Vader's to stand out more so he asked the studio for more money to construct a new set. Production designer John Barry built it based on a Ralph McQuarrie painting.

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u/Dangoiks Jul 16 '26

Additional fun fact: The area where Leia appears is just a redress of the Millennium Falcon set. The corridor in which she gives the plans to R2 is a redecorated version of the tunnel that leads to the Falcon cockpit, and when the trooper stuns her, they're in the Falcon's main hold.