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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In the Trade Federation spaceship, when Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon jumps from the ventilation shaft to the hangar, everything changes in the next shot. The boxes are different, Obi-Wan is closer to Qui-Gon, they are closer to the edge of the wall and the wall itself is different. See more...
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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) - 39 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).
Darth Maul only blinks once, just after he is sliced in half by Obi-Wan.
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.).
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Peter "Chewbacca" Mayhew can be seen in some of the Mos Espa street scenes.
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.
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.
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.
On Corucsant, there is one building that looks like the Chrysler Building in New York. There is also a skyscraper that looks like the project of the mile-high building by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Just before Watto decides to use the chance cube with Qui-Gon, there is somebody working on a podracer behind them. This is in fact Don Bies, the creator and controller of the radio-controlled version of R2-D2.
Actress/director Sofia Coppola plays one of the two maids of Amidala, when she speaks to Senator Palpatine on the hologram.
Senator Grebleips, who appears when the Queen of Naboo speaks to the senate, is an alien from "E.T." making a cameo appearance. This is after Steven Spielberg ('Grebleips' is 'Spielberg' backwards) included some "Star Wars" references in "E.T."
When Anakin is in the Naboo fighter, look closely at the symbols under the astro droid well. The symbols are the same as the one on the Led Zepplin CD "Zoso," one of the designers' favorite bands.
Scattered about Watto's junk shop are a number of references to "Star Wars" (1977) and other sci-fi films -2001: A Space Odyssey's probe, and the head and shoulders of the Terminator's metallic skeleton (it could be the kind of medical droid visible at the end of "The Empire Strikes Back").
The tactic used by the Federation army during the invasion of Naboo capital city is the same used by the German army during the Blitzkrieg.
When the two Jedis and Jar-Jar make surface in Theed, you can see in the background Nathan Hamil, the son of Mark, being arrested by two combat droids.
The ball at the centre of the Trade Federation's droid control ship is a tribute to the Death Star.
When Anakin takes Padme (Queen Amidala) into his room for the first time, you can see hanging from the wall and ceiling two Nerf Scoop toys painted in metallic silver. They look like the equipment that lacrosse players use but have a shorter handle.
Make sure to stay until the end of the credits.
A scene was made (but not included in the final film) where young Greedo and Anakin get into a fight after the pod race (Greedo accuses Anakin of cheating). Greedo is warned that with that kind of behavior, he could get himself into trouble in the future. And of course, in Episode IV, he's blasted to pieces by Han Solo.
At the end, the droid that Jar-Jar pushes over has 4 symbols on its back which look almost exactly like 1138 - yet another reference in George Lucas' films to his first effort.
After the shots of Darth Maul releasing his probes we see a shot of people walking around. If you listen carefully to the three Jawas which walk from left to right then you will hear one of them say sh*t.
Anakin's mother, being a slave, has little identity. Interestingly, "Shmi" in Hebrew means "this is my name".
The vocals during the end celebration (Track 18 on the soundtrack, "Augie's Great Municipal Band") is the same piece of music as the Emperor's haunting theme used in Return of the Jedi, only up-tempo and sung by children. (This has led some people to believe that Palpatine's first name is "Augie" or "Augustus.").
When you see Jar-Jar Binks sleeping in Queen Amidala's spaceship, he looks exactly like Ruby Rhod sleeping after the explosion of Fhloston Paradise in "The Fifth Element" (1997).
In the scene when the Neimodians order the combat droids to capture the Queen, right after you see the Jedis hidden, a droid has DD written on his back: the symbol of Dolby Digital.
You may also like: Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith | Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones | Star Wars | Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi | Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
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