Fanspot
Base camp
“Oh Sorsha… Wake from this hateful sleep. It deprives me of your beauty. The beauty of your eyes.”
Madmartigan (Val Kilmer)
The whole sequence in the mountain camp, when Willow (Warwick Davis) and Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) are taken prisoner, was one of the most difficult to shoot. Especially for the actors, who had to stay in the snow for several hours. Because if nowadays, it is not rare that the shootings have recourse to fake snow, in more comfortable environments, Willow has indeed required the ascent of a mountain to reach a snowy site.
The Nelwyns go skiing
Already in New Zealand to shoot several scenes, such as those of Finn Raziel’s lake (Patricia Hayes), the Willow team stopped at the Cardrona Alpine Resort, at an altitude of 1860 meters. It is here that the decorators build the base camp for the men of Sorsha (Joanne Whalley), the daughter of Bavmorda (Jean Marsh). The sledding escape, just after the heroes’ escape, required the assembly of several shots filmed in various snowy and/or icy places.
A romance under the snow
Willow arranged for Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley to meet. If in the film, their characters end up falling in love, the two actors did not delay to marry after the shooting. Together Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley have two children : Mercedes and Jack. The latter having followed in the footsteps of his parents by appearing in the credits of films such as Palo Alto, Lords of Chaos or Woodshock.
The two-headed dragon refers to film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.
Cardrona Alpine Resort
This ski resort is one of the most famous in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located near Queenstown, 5 hours drive from Christchurch.
Six ski lifts allow you to reach the ski slopes, between 1260 and 1860 meters above sea level. Opened to the public in 1980, the site includes both ski slopes and snowboard slopes. A tradition is that before leaving the place, women leave their old bras on the fence. Previously owned by private owners, the ski resort is now owned by Cardrona Alpine Resort.
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By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.