This film has the dubious honor as being the highest-grossing film to be nominated for "Razzie" awards. It also has the dubious honor as one of a few films to be nominated for both "Razzie" (for directing, screenplay, picture, and acting roles) and Academy Awards (only for technical achievements) at the same year. While it did not win any Oscars, it won only one "Razzie" for "Worst Supporting Actor" (Ahmed Best who provided the voice of Jar-Jar Binks).
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When the queen is being escorted by some droids after she has been captured, there is a shot of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon watching the queen from a balcony. The shot shows the queen passing by them. Qui-Gon then takes a few steps and is somehow very far ahead of the queen and the droids. They didn't use the force run because Jar-Jar was right up with them. See more...
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) - 38 trivia entries
Directed by George Lucas, starring Ahmed Best, Anthony Daniels, Ewan McGregor, Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid, Jake Lloyd, Kenny Baker, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, Ray Park, Samuel L. Jackson, Terence Stamp (add more)
This film has the dubious honor as being the highest-grossing film to be nominated for "Razzie" awards. It also has the dubious honor as one of a few films to be nominated for both "Razzie" (for directing, screenplay, picture, and acting roles) and Academy Awards (only for technical achievements) at the same year. While it did not win any Oscars, it won only one "Razzie" for "Worst Supporting Actor" (Ahmed Best who provided the voice of Jar-Jar Binks).
In the ending credits, Jabba the Hutt is credited as playing "himself."
If you own the DVD highlight the THX logo in sound setup and quickly press 1138 on your DVD remote to enter a hidden goof reel (This works on Attack of the Clones as well.).
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After the disappointment many fans had with the Phantom Menace, a copy of the film appeared on the internet titled The Phantom edit and was found to have had around 20 minutes of footage edited from the film by a person calling themselves the phantom editor. The new film proved to be very popular amongst many fans. Most of the footage that was deleted was primarily the unpopular Jar Jar Binks character, with his presence in the new edit kept to a minimum. Some believed the phantom editor was director Kevin Smith, who is a huge fan of Star Wars. After the popularity of the new edit, another edit was found nicknamed "The East Coast version" with its largest change being Jar Jar Binks' and the Gungans' speech, which was changed to scrambled alien dialogue with made up English subtitles for when they spoke.
Liam Neeson was so eager to be in the film, he didn't bother reading the script. Ironically, he reportedly disliked working on the film once principal photography began.
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At the end of the film, when Yoda speaks to Obi-wan in Theed Palace, look outside over Obi-Wan's right shoulder. There are three great birds looking like Draco in Dragonheart. ILM did the special effects for the two films.
In some shots of the Mos Espa Arena, the public is made with coloured Q-Tips.
George Lucas' daughters, Katie and Amanda Lucas, are both in this film. Katie (under the pseudonym Emma Green) plays Amee, the oldest girl in the group of children who show up when Anakin is working on his pod. Amanda, under the pseudonym Tyger, plays the voice of Tey How, a member of the viceroy's crew. She also appears as the red-haired woman in Jabba the Hutt's box before the podrace begins.
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If you watch closely during the scene in the senate, right after Queen Amidala calls for a vote of no confidence in the chancellor, the camera starts showing different views. The shot after a Senator asks for order is a group of pods with aliens in them. If you look in the lower left, you can see a pod full of E.T's. There's also a pod full of Wookies seen at one point (with their traditional noises, and for the first time in 20 years, the species was played by someone other than Peter Mayhew).
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In the ending credits, the credits for Greg Proops and Scott Capurro are reversed. Proops plays Beed Annodue, the English-speaking Podrace announcer, and Capurro plays Fode Annodue, the Huttese-speaking announcer.
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The sound of Watto's wings flapping is a looped recording of sound designer Ben Burtt opening and closing an umbrella.
In the scene near the end, when Senator Palpatine talks to Amidala, you can see a few men standing directly behind the princess. The man in the middle with the black clothes and hat is producer Rick McCallum in a cameo. Ben Burtt is right next to Rick.
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The sounds of the spectators at the Boonta Eve Podrace are the sounds of football fans recorded by Ben Burtt at a San Francisco 49ers' game.
Liam Neeson did the majority of his own stunts. The only major stunts done by a double were the two lightsaber duels with Darth Maul.
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Peter "Chewbacca" Mayhew can be seen in some of the Mos Espa street scenes.
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On the long shot of the homes on Tatooine, after Anakin has his arm patched up by Qui-Gon Jinn and his blood tested for a midichlorian count, you can see a shadow on Anakin's house in the shape of a side view of Darth Vader's helmet.
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When Padmé and her guards infiltrate the palace, just before they are arrested by the droidekas, check on the top of the corridor. It's hardly visible, but there is an arch with a portrait of George Lucas on it.
The water-like screen on the Neimodian spaceship is the same as in a Flash Gordon movie.
During the Pod race, you get a brief shot of a very short man standing next to Watto. This is Warwick Davis, who played the main Ewok (the one who finds Lea) in Jedi, and also played the main character in Willow. He also plays Wald - the young Rodian who looks like a little Greedo.
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Qui-Gon Jinn calls Queen Amidala's spaceship a Nubian model J-327. 327 was the number of the landing pad where the Millenium Falcon landed on the first Death Star in episode IV and on the Cloud City in episode V. Supposedly this number also appears in "American Graffiti" (1974), a film George Lucas directed.
You may also like: Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones | Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith | Star Wars | Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi | Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
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