MOS EISLEY

It is in a harbour village of Djerba Island that Mos Eisley scenes were shot. Today the district is not much what it was in 1976. The round white homes of that time are replaced now by two floors buildings made of modern material. Nevertheless, I finally identified the Cantina dome, next to the school of the village. The front part of the Cantina, as seen in the original picture, was fake and added to the building for the shooting.

The carpenter who owns the building now tried to make me pay the privilege of taking a picture of his place, conscious but baffled by the interest I put in it. The reasonableness of the price made me accept and I could even got a guided visit of the place, which was filmed more than 20 years ago. The carpenter recalled the strange constructs created  by  "the Englishmen" and specifically the rolling machine, the Landspeeder. He described me the ochre sand thrown around by the film team to reproduce the ground of planet "Tatooine".

I got inside the Cantina, which differs strongly from the racous, allien -filled Mos Eisley bar it plays in Star Wars. It is in fact a very typical home for the Tunisian south: simple and practical. The owner explained that the dome is made such to trap the heat high and cause the main room to take on a more bearable temperature.

We wander through Mos Eisley yard, where the Landspeeder arrived, levitating, and parked in front of the Cantina. Most habitations of the background have now disappeared. Nevertheless, I noticed one of the copulas, half demolished. That allowed me to find the exact place of the camera. Although it perplexed my guide, I stood in awe of this place :  there right in front of my eyes was the natural site of one of the most unforgettable sequences of science fiction cinema. It was here then!

Not far, we passed by the place where the stormtroopers road block haulted the landspeeder so that they could question Luke, Obi Wan Kenobi and the droid. Unfortunately, a wall now condemns the sight of that place. Such a shame.

 

 

The Cantina, 1976 According to the owner of the cantina building, its front side was added on to suit the needs of the movie.
Same place, 1997

 

Cantina entrance, 1976
Same place,  1997 It is interesting to note that the first step of the stairs juts out a bit from the two others. Using that detail, one can match the two pictures and legitimately judge the authenticity of the site.

         

Mos Eisley yard in 1976 (above) and 1997 (below)

       

Stormtrooper barrage, 1976
Same place, 1997

Archeology

Two little domes in fiber glass, once used as spared 'roofs' for 1976 background are now used to prevent dampness from ruining the wood stored next to the Cantina.

The owner of the building informed me that he sold the door of the Cantina used in the film to an American fan for a "huge" amount of money (200 Tunisian Dinars say almost 150$). Besides, Philip Vanni possesses the dewback ring from the stairs next to the building near the seated Jawa, as well as a window from the cupolas buildings. Speaking of money, my guide told me that his father, who gave Lucas the permission to use his property as a natural set, has received nothing from the production in exchange except for the ownership of the set!