For a very short while, the 1980 fantasy short film, “Black Angel” that aired before first run screenings of The Empire Strikes Back in Europe and Australia, is available to stream for free on YouTube. The short film was just uploaded actually yesterday, on May 12, and the film will remain available to stream freely through May 2015.
Behind the Scenes:
Director Roger Christian wrote the story of “Black Angel” and brought to the attention of George Lucas when the Star Wars creator was searching for a film to accompany “Empire”. Lucas commissioned the short film on the spot. The 25-minute film was produced on a budget of £25,000, given to Christian by an Eady Scheme fund from the UK government.
Black Angel Story:
Shot in the Scottish Highlands, Black Angel is an epic fantasy adventure that follows a knight (Tony Vogel) who returns from the Crusades, only to be transported to a fantasy world to rescue a princess from the clutches of a dark and mysterious character. Steven Spielberg described Black Angel as “one of the most enigmatic films I’ve ever seen.”