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Stars:
Eric Walker, Warwick Davis, Aubree Miller, Wilford Brimley, Sian Phillips, Carel
Struycken, and Paul Gleason
Writers:
Bob Carrau, Jim Wheat, and Ken Wheat
Based
On A Story By: George Lucas
Based
On Characters Created By: George Lucas
Directors:
John Korty, Jim Wheat, and Ken Wheat
Feature length:
190 minutes
Languages: English
Dolby Surround Sound
Subtitles: English
Captions
Packaging: Amaray
Keep Case
Chapter Stops: 16
Per Film
Sound: Dolby
Surround Sound
Years of
Television Broadcast: 1984/1985/DVD Release: 2004
Home Video
Distributor: Lucasfilm Ltd and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: Not
Rated
Reviewer: Mark A.
Rivera
Originally broadcast in November of 1984 and 1985 respectively, “Caravan Of Courage: An Ewok Adventure” formerly known as “The Ewok Adventure” and “Ewoks: The Battle For Endor” were television movie events complete with radio simulcasts for true stereo sound since at that time, a stereo television was still not quite the normal appliance one would find in any American home though VCRs were in full gear by then. These films were released theatrically abroad and with the exception of the slight title change to “Caravan Of Courage” and the traditional credits crawl over a black background found on “Ewoks: The Battle For Endor” as opposed to the credits rolling over the final scene as the original television broadcast version aired, these are the same TV movies “Star Wars” fans enjoyed and no doubt taped when they first aired in the mid 1980s.
There has been some debate as to when these films take place in the “Star Wars” timeline. When they first aired I thought they took place after “Return Of The Jedi” because the Ewok characters appear to less cautious of humans in the films, but in fact these films actually take place sometime during the three year interval between the events of “A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back.” Though we hear members of the Towani family speak to the Ewoks in English and even hear Wicket (Warwick Davis) talk to Cindel (Aubree Miller) in English, this is just a translation so we as viewers can understand what is going on. Apparently the Towani family spoke some other dialect of the Galactic Basic we hear in the Star Wars films and given the xenophobic nature of the Galactic Empire towards non-human species, it is reasonable to believe that the Ewoks would grow to distrust humans until their faithful meetings with the heroes of “Return Of The Jedi.” Galactic basic may also be quite different from what the Towani family was speaking during their stay on Endor.
Evidently the Endor system must be somewhat treacherous for hyperspace navigators since many off world beings end marooned on the forest moon. After crashing on the Sanctuary Moon of Endor, the Towani parents search for their son Mace (Eric Walker) and daughter Cindel and end up being captured by the giant dreaded Gorax. Mace and Cindel are discovered by the Ewoks by the wreckage of the family ship and subsequently the Ewoks assist them with rescuing their parents who are being held within the fortress of the Gorax. Along the way, the caravan picks up various Ewok participants who are instrumental in success of the journey. “The Battle For Endor” takes place approximately one year after the events of “Caravan Of Courage” and follows Cindel and Wicket, who are the only beings to escape from the clutches of alien marauders marooned on Endor so long ago that they have forgotten what a power source for a hyperspace capable vessel really is and have raided the village, taking Ewok prisoners and slaughtering Cindel’s parents and brother. Eventually Cindel and Wicket meet up with an old hermit (Wilford Brimley) who was marooned on Endor years ago. Despite his gruff mannerisms, the old man has a good heart and takes care of the two young ones in until the Dathomir Night Sister Witch, Charal (Sian Phillips) kidnaps Cindel, prompting a rescue attempt with the help of Wicket and the fast scurrying Teek (Niki Botelho), who manages to steal the film in every scene it appears in.
“Caravan Of Courage” is definitely a family friendly feature complete with a narrator that gives it a storybook quality. While “The Battle For Endor” is the darker of the two movies, it is also the more entertaining of the two with more alien creatures and action reminiscent of the Star Wars films in general. The production value seems somewhat higher on “The Battle For Endor” too. Actress Sian Phillips who plays the Witch Charal is known for her role in the acclaimed PBS series “I, Claudius” and has appeared in genre films like “Clash Of The Titans” and the original 1984 feature film adaptation of “Dune” that was directed by David Lynch. Carel Struycken, who plays the Marauder King Terek has appeared on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and in the feature films “The Adams Family” and “Adams Family Values” as well as the cult TV series co-created by David Lynch entitled “Twin Peaks.” Actor and comedian Kevin Pollack, who would go on to appear in “Willow” did voice work for “The Battle For Endor” while stunt performers for the film included Johnny Weismuller, Jr.” and Dick Durock, who appeared in the films “Swamp Thing” and “The Return Of Swamp Thing” as well as the syndicated TV series spin-off based on the DC Comics character.
I guess because it is the better of the two films and the best looking of the two films on DVD, “The Battle For Endor” is presented on Side A with an approximate running time of 96 minutes and 50 seconds while “Caravan Of Courage” is presented on Side B with an approximate running time of 96 minutes and 54 seconds. Both are presented in their original full screen (1.33:1) aspect ratios and they look great though “The Battle For Endor” seems a bit richer color wise and has less visible source material grain. Both films look better than the 1990 MGM laserdisc counterparts. English Dolby Surround Soundtracks are provided for both films along with optional English Captions for the hearing impaired. The menus are standard interactive still frames that are easy to navigate.
“Star Wars Ewok Adventures: Caravan Of Courage & The Battle For Endor: Double Feature” is available at retailers on and offline now courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and it is definitely a great stocking stuffer for any Star Wars DVD fan.
© Copyright 2004 By
Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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