Discover a never-before-seen deleted scene from “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”, narrated by the stunt coordinator, and which could have changed the tone and violence of the film.
Revenge of the Sith hasn’t gone far from not being for kids at all! This is what stunt coordinator Nick Gillard reveals on the Youtube channel Star Wars Theory. Gillard has worked on more than 140 feature films and series, including the three Star Wars prequel films.
He thus revealed the existence of a deleted scene which is not on any physical edition of Episode III. A very violent scene that takes place during Order 66, when the clones attack the Jedi Order and Anakin destroys the Jedi Temple.
At this moment, we see him in front of children, and he draws his lightsaber. The scene is cut and we will not see them again. But the streak was longer, according to Gillard:
(…) When we did it, we wanted it to be violent because we are talking [d’Anakin] and Order 66. I think I struck the first blow to the child’s throat, which is horrible – it was directly to his throat. [Anakin] grab the little girl and strangle her, I believe that was cut too.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
But when we shot the scene, we really shot it, and George Lucas said ‘Oh my, it’s very violent’. When I saw the finished film, it had been cut short.
The harshness of this scene for the spectators (and in particular the youngest, to whom George Lucas has always dedicated his Star Wars saga) would undoubtedly have changed the impact of the film but could also have traumatized a generation. The choice to cut it was probably the best decision, because this single shot of the saber released by Anakin is enough to understand the drama that will unfold.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Moreover, during the last exchange between Padmé (Natalie Portman) and Anakin (Hayden Christensen), the queen mentions this massacre and it then becomes clear that he committed it. Any demonstration of violence in the image was therefore useless.
Would you have preferred to see the unfolding of this sequence of the massacre of the young Jedi? Should we attend to strengthen Anakin’s passage to the dark side? Your keyboards !
