10 Unexpected Inspirations Behind Movie Scenes
5. The Godfather Inspired Jabba The Hutt's Death - Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi
One of the most satisfying moments in Return of the Jedi sees Jabba the Hutt strangled to death by Leia (Carrie Fisher), who uses her own slave chain to squeeze the life out of him.
After writer Lawrence Kasdan suggested Jabba's death at Leia's hands, Lucas settled on the method of strangulation as an homage to The Godfather, where mob enforcer Luca Brasi (Lenny Montana) - himself a portly, bug-eyed individual - is brutally garrotted.
In both death scenes the blocking and camera placement - namely the focus on the life draining from their bulging eyes - is very similar, though Jabba's death proves considerably less objectionable to children given his more grotesque, inhuman status.
With Lucas and Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola having been close friends for years by the time this movie was made, he seemingly couldn't resist but pay sneaky tribute to one of the most memorable moments from his pal's crime opus.