Movie Swords

Perhaps the most famous prop weapon in the history of movies is the lightsaber, used by both the brave Jedi Knights and the evil Sith Lords, in George Lucas’s Star Wars film series. This iconic movie weapon is one of the most coveted movie memorabilia, and not surprisingly, the originals props used in the movies are almost never for sale. Despite this, given the appeal of the lightsaber, it’s not surprising that a wide range of replica versions are available to collectors.

The origin of the lightsaber is variously attributed to classic science fiction stories that describe force-field weapons, and to certain episodes of sci-fi TV shows, but Lucas is on record as stating that he simply wanted a weapon that allowed for swordfights like those in period adventure films, such as The Adventures of Robin Hood, and since simple metal swords would seem out of place, and the film already contained laser guns, the obvious solution was for “laser swords”.

The original props seen in A New Hope were scratch built from old camera-flash battery packs and miscellaneous hardware. Perhaps not surprisingly, the exact battery packs used are now invariably difficult to find, due to collectors wishing to “remake” the original props. Later films used custom machined designs, although in some cases components from earlier models were re-used, such as part of Obi-Wan’s lightsaber being used as the basis for Luke’s lightsaber seen in the final film.

The lightsaber effect seen in the movies is entirely done in post-production, even on the original films, with the film frames individually painted over to produce the pulsing glow. This was not the original intention however, as the initial plan was to use spinning blades coated with alternating patches of reflective material, and mount a directional light beside the camera, so that the blades would physically reflect back the light. In practice the end result wasn’t particularly effective, so the post-production option was taken instead.

Inevitably there have been numerous plastic toy versions released down the years, and a whole other article could probably be written about collecting those. The best known current versions are the “Force FX” lightsabers, which despite being only plastic present a surprisingly convincing appearance, as long as you discount the optional plastic light-up blade.

For more accurate replicas of the lightsaber range, the recent Master Replica models represent the very best versions available. Master Replicas was founded to work with movie studios in offering “exact” reproductions of their famous props to serious collectors, at serious prices! The very best models offered were the Signature Editions of all the lightsaber models seen in the films, and cost around $500 each. These metal and plastic versions precisely match all the materials and detailing seen in the films and represent the very best versions that a collector can own.

For a lower price tag, Master Replicas offered scaled down versions of their lightsaber range, maintaining all the details of the full scale versions at a more reasonable price. These editions are ideal for collectors who want to display a range of the lightsabers used in the Star Wars films, and there is even a range of custom-designed display cases on offer for this purpose.

Sadly for collectors, most of the Master Replica range of items is now sold out, at least from Master Replicas themselves. If you hunt around the net or on auction sites you might be able to find some of these items for sale, although most likely at prices far higher than they originally went for. Given the popularity of Star Wars in general, and the lightsaber in particular, it seems unlikely that these will be the last versions of these iconic movie weapons to be released.

Today, fans of a particular movie have lots of ways to enjoy the films they are passionate about. They can, of course, buy the film on DVD or Blu-Ray, often purchasing special “collector’s editions”. They can buy the movie poster and hang it on the wall, the soundtrack on CD, and for more famous films, books offering behinds-the-scenes insight can be found, but for collectors, nothing can beat owning an item or prop that was actually used in making the film.

Today, most of the movie memorabilia market is taken up by “replica’s”, copies of on-screen props or film production items such as the shooting script or set design drawings. These are normally officially licensed by the film studio, but made and manufactured by a third-party unconnected with the film. Sometimes the items will be made using moulds, or computer models that were used for the film, while on other occasions they may only be similar only in appearance. In many cases they are described as being part of a “limited edition”, but in truth this limitation normally comes down to the number being the amount they think they can sell.

This is not the case with actual props or items from the films set. These will most often be completely unique, unless multiple copies were made for the film (such as weapons for background characters). Such items usually fall into one of three categories; “hero” props and costumes are items worn or carried by the members of the main cast, often clearly visible in the final film, and so made to a relatively high standard. Background props and costumes are those worn or carried by extras, and are generally made to a lower standard and often mass-produced as they will often be on screen only briefly, and not clearly visible. Finally, there is production notes and other miscellaneous items from the film. Scripts are common, as there will generally be copies issued to each actor, but also available is set design documents, schematics for vehicles and buildings, and even cast and crew pass badges, t-shirts and baseball caps.

Price-wise, the more complex the item, the more you can expect to pay, a full costume will cost more than a helmet, obviously. But the major factors are whether the items were worn or used by the main cast, and how much screen time an item has. Hero-props, particularly weapons used on-screen, command the highest prices, as they are easily recognisable and can be displayed to good effect. Costumes can fetch equally high prices, although they are more difficult to display. The cheapest items will be background “detail” such as faked up futuristic magazines or small components of set dressing. These make ideal first items for collectors, as they are often relatively cheap and reasonably practical to display, compared to, say, a full costume.

Prospective buyers should be aware of two issues: First, authenticity. There are several online stores that specialise in selling film props, and these will usually come with certificates, but be more wary of online auctions, particularly for more popular films. Many props were made out of simple materials that are easy to replicate, so only buy from reputable sellers, or where certificates of authenticity are available. Secondly, “movie magic” can often make props look a lot more impressive on-screen than they do in real life, particularly for background-items. Don’t expect a prop-weapon to look or feel particularly impressive up-close, and be aware that many items were design to last only for a few weeks, and may be looking somewhat battered, especially items like used stunt-weapons.