The Empire Strikes Back
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| Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back | |
|---|---|
| File:Empire20strikes20back old.jpg Original Theatrical "Gone With The Wind" style poster | |
| Directed by | Irvin Kershner George Lucas (SE) |
| Written by | George Lucas (story) Leigh Brackett (script) Lawrence Kasdan (script) |
| Produced by | Gary Kurtz George Lucas Rick McCallum (SE) |
| Starring | Mark Hamill Harrison Ford Carrie Fisher Billy Dee Williams |
| Music by | John Williams |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates | May 21, 1980 (USA) |
Running time | 124 min. (original) 127 min. (SE) |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $18,000,000 |
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 science fantasy film created by George Lucas and directed by his colleague Irvin Kershner. It was the second film to be released in Lucas' six-film Star Wars saga, but it is the fifth film by chronology of events. Among fans it is sometimes referred to as "TESB" or simply "Empire".
The film is about three valiant heroes of the Rebel Alliance — Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia — as they are pursued by the evil, implacable Darth Vader and the forces of the Galactic Empire. In Han's unreliable starship, the Millennium Falcon, he and Leia are chased across the galaxy by the Empire. Meanwhile, Luke learns about The Force from Yoda, a wise Jedi Master. This leads to a desperate confrontation with Darth Vader, where Luke must face his destiny.
Production
Whether The Empire Strikes Back would even be made depended on the success of the 1977 Star Wars, which did exceed all expectations — in terms of sheer profit, its revolutionary impact on the movie industry, and its unexpected resonance as a cultural phenomenon. This profound triumph was practically an imperative for George Lucas to continue his space saga. But recalling the numerous problems with 20th Century Fox's financing of the first film, Lucas decided that he would finance the sequel himself, securing a bank loan which was reportedly twice the budget of the original Star Wars. A great deal was on the line: a successful sequel was by no means a sure thing, and its success would dictate whether the Star Wars trilogy would be completed.
Now wholly in charge of his Star Wars enterprise, Lucas chose not to direct Empire, since he felt he had too many other production roles to fulfill, including overseeing his special-effects company Industrial Light and Magic as they worked on the film. Lucas gave the role of director to Irvin Kershner, who had been one of his professors at the USC School of Cinema-Television.
Filming lasted from March 5 until September 24, 1979. Some of the Hoth sequence was filmed in Norway, in the area from the railway station Finse to the Hardangerjøkulen glacier. The scenes on Dagobah, Cloud City and inside the Hoth base were shot at Elstree Studios in London. There were over sixty sets involved in this film, more than double of the first.
The acting in The Empire Strikes Back is arguably stronger than in any of the other Star Wars films. The direction is arguably the most operatic and confident, and is not too reliant on editing in order to maintain drama — although this can be disputed by noting the high number of very short scenes. According to the actors, Irvin Kershner would encourage group discussions and improvisations and would ask for many takes of each scene. This was a contrast with Lucas' directing style on the original Star Wars. Lucas had relied on making the right casting choices and, by his own admission, stuck to the script and offered little direction to the actors.
The film's visual style, however, is simultaneously more expressive than the original while remaining uniform with the series and Lucas' overall oeuvre. Images are built using combinations of classical linear composition and abstract, even avant-garde techniques, keeping in the same style of epic tableau work with which each Star Wars film is constructed. These visual motifs, as well as Lucas' meticulous story-boarding of each sequence with artist Joe Johnston, and original reports of conflict between Kershner and Lucas over the latter's interference with the former's direction suggest that the film's visual aspects fall more into the authorship of Lucas than of Kershner. Although the static-camera 'documentary fantasy' influence/approach of Fritz Lang and Akira Kurosawa is less pronounced here than in any other Star Wars film, it is admittedly both absent from, and distinctly present in, the movie depending on the individual scene.
While this distribution of labor on Empire has been noted by many, considering that Lucas is widely regarded as a visual stylist with little interest in performances and Kershner vice versa, the contribution of cinematographer Peter Suschitzky often goes overlooked by fans of the series and filmgoers in general. Empire's palette of subdued, sculptorly colors and lighting designs throughout are indebted to Suschitzky's artistic touches (and reportedly were among the factors which persuaded director David Cronenberg to work with him on Dead Ringers and subsequent films).
It is also worth noting that Empire is a film containing sequences shot by at least five live action directors. As well as Kershner and second unit director John Barry (who was hired for the production late, having left Saturn 3 after a dispute with Kirk Douglas and who died of meningitis during production), records at Elstree show both George Lucas and producer Gary Kurtz as directing some scenes and photographs of Lucas directing scenes in Yoda's house exist. London-based American filmmaker Harley Cokeliss, who worked on The Muppet Show was hired as an additional director as the film's budget and schedule spiralled out of control. He had only visited to the set to meet with friends who were working on the production but became a credited Second Unit Director on the film as a result. There was also a roughly one month period between the film's official wrap party on August 31, 1979 and the actual completion of principal photography on September 24 during which Lucas was the only 'director' from the project still working in London.
Synopsis
Template:Spoiler The Empire Strikes Back begins three years after the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The titles explain that the evil Galactic Empire has pursued the valiant Rebel Alliance across the galaxy, forcing them to establish a secret base on the remote ice planet Hoth. The Dark Lord Darth Vader has sent robotic probes into space in search of this hidden base and Luke Skywalker. As the film opens, an Imperial Probe Droid lands on Hoth and begins a reconnaissance of the snow-covered planet. Nearby, Luke Skywalker is on patrol far from the Rebel base, riding on a Tauntaun, a bipedal goat-like mount. He is attacked and knocked unconscious by an indigenous predator of the ice planet. Meanwhile the smuggler-pilot Han Solo, Luke's friend, returns to the base from patrol. Solo announces his intention to leave the Rebels and pay back the debt he owes to the gangster Jabba the Hutt. He engages in heated banter with Princess Leia, insisting she's attracted to him and can't bear to see him go. Annoyed by his presumption, she fires back her own verbal repartee but admits nothing. Han then discovers that Luke hasn't returned from patrol. He sets off on a Tauntaun to search for Luke. As night falls, a Rebel officer tells Leia that both men may be lost.
Meanwhile, Luke wakes up in an icy cave, a captive, and the creature is coming to devour him. His lightsaber — his Jedi weapon — has fallen out of reach. In this dire moment, Luke uses The Force to make the lightsaber fly through the air and into his hand, a feat he'd never accomplished before. He defends himself and makes his escape, only to be overcome by the bitter cold of Hoth. While Luke is lying in the snow, his late mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi appears as a ghostly apparition and instructs him to go to Dagobah for further training by the Jedi Master Yoda. As the vision fades, Han finds Luke. But Han's Tauntaun soon dies from the cold. Han keeps Luke from freezing to death by eviscerating the Tauntaun with Luke's lightsaber and stuffing him inside for warmth. The next morning, Rebel searchers rescue the two from the wastes. Back at the Rebel base, Princess Leia, Han Solo, his first mate Chewbacca (or "Chewie"), and their servant droids visit Luke in his recovery room. Han and Leia continue to banter about who is attracted to whom. To firmly establish her insistence that she has no feelings for Han, Leia gives Luke a firm kiss in front of them all, inciting Han's jealousy. Soon after, Han Solo and Chewbacca venture outside to help the Rebels investigate the appearance the Imperial Probe Droid and accidentally blunder right into it, giving away the position of the Rebel base. From his flagship in space, Darth Vader orders an immediate attack. There is an initial setback because Admiral Ozzel fails to bring the Imperial fleet to Hoth without alerting the Rebels. Enraged, Vader "disciplines" Ozzel by using The Force to strangle him. He turns over command of the fleet to the bureaucratic Admiral Piett. On the icy surface of Hoth, the Rebels prepare a defense with infantry trenches and an energy shield to protect them from orbital bombardment by the Imperial fleet.
The Imperial attack is led by tall, quadrupedal machines called Imperial Walkers by the Rebels. Though the ground troops' counterattack on the Walkers is ineffective, Luke leads his squadron of agile flying speeders against the hulking Walkers, trying to buy time for Rebel transports to evacuate the base and escape. Luke's squadron is shot down, but not before crippling one Imperial Walker by tangling its legs with a harpoon-like tow cable. After barely escaping from his crashed speeder, Luke — on foot — destroys another Walker by using his lightsaber to open the Walker's underbelly and then throwing a grenade inside. Despite Luke's heroism, the Rebels' holding action fails; the Imperial forces destroy the generator powering the energy shield and penetrate the Rebel base. Imperial stormtroopers capture the Rebel base, forcing Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and their servant droid C-3PO to flee. They rush on board Han's spaceship, the Millennium Falcon, just in time, chased by stormtroopers and Darth Vader himself.
Once in space, the Falcon is surrounded by Imperial ships. Cocky and self-assured, Han attempts to accelerate the Falcon to lightspeed, therby evading the Imperial pursuit. But it fails to work, and Han realizes that his ship's hyperdrive has been damaged. They cannot accelerate to lightspeed — "make the jump into hyperspace." While simultaneously trying to repair the hyperdrive and evade the Imperial ships, they enter a dense asteroid field. Desperate to elude the Imperials, Han Solo pilots the Millennium Falcon deeper into the perilous asteroid field. The small Imperial pursuit craft cannot keep up with Solo or evade the deadly asteroids. But unable to outrun the larger Imperial Star Destroyer, Han flies the Falcon into an asteroid crater and hides them inside.
Meanwhile, Luke and his squat servant droid R2-D2 evade the Imperial fleet above Hoth in Luke's one-man X-wing fighter craft. He flies to Dagobah to search for Jedi Master Yoda, so he can learn to become a Jedi himself. As he approaches Dagobah, Luke discovers that the planet is an unnavigable, fog-enshrouded swamp — so dense, he has to make a crash landing. Once on Dagobah, Luke meets a wizened, greenish little creature who pesters him, annoyingly offering to "help" him. Luke is impatient with the creature, who then reveals himself to be the wise and powerful Yoda. He is unimpressed with Luke and nearly rejects him as a student. But the disembodied voice of Obi-Wan makes a case for him, and Luke insists he is willing and unafraid to undergo the difficult Jedi training. Yoda gravely informs Luke that fear will be a part of his training.
In his private quarters on the Imperial flagship, Darth Vader receives a message from the Emperor, who alerts him to a new enemy who could destroy the Empire — Luke Skywalker, "the son of Skywalker." Vader suggests that if Luke could be corrupted to the Dark Side, the evil side of The Force, he would become a powerful ally. He declares that Luke will join the Empire or die. Meanwhile, hidden in the asteroid's deep cave, repairs on the Falcon are underway. During the repairs, Han Solo and Princess Leia continue to argue with one another. Leia sees Han as a thoughtless rogue and he views her as self-righteous and spoiled. But each bickering match reveals that they are indeed falling in love. In the midst of repairs, they share a tender kiss. In this delicate moment, C-3PO interrupts them, and Leia breaks away from Han, embarrassed. Their feelings expressed but unresolved, Han and Leia discover the Millennium Falcon has become infested by Mynocks, spaceship parasites. They disembark from the ship into the darkness of the asteroid cave in order to remove the infestation. But a sudden tremor makes Han think twice; he instinctively runs back inside and readies the Falcon for a swift launch. They fly out and discover what they thought was a "cave" was actually the gullet of a gigantic space slug that lives in the asteroid where the Falcon had been hiding.
On the Imperial flagship, Darth Vader commissions a ghastly array of bounty hunters to capture the Falcon, promising "a substantial reward." Nearby, the commander of a Star Destroyer, Captain Needa, spots the Falcon, leading to another pursuit through space. Once again, the Falcon's hyperdrive fails and cannot transport the ship to lightspeed. But rather than continue to run, Han evades pursuit stealthily by docking the relatively tiny Millennium Falcon on the hull of the gargantuan Star Destroyer, like gnat on an elephant. Unaware, the Star Destroyer's crew suddenly cannot locate the Falcon — a failure for which Darth Vader strangles Needa, again using the invisible power of The Force. When the Star Destroyer performs its customary routine of dumping its garbage into the vastness of space, the beat-up looking Falcon detaches to drift away along with the garbage. Han then sets course for Cloud City, a mining colony that floats in the atmosphere of the planet Bespin and is run by Han's old friend Lando Calrissian. But their stealthy escape is not entirely unnoticed: the Falcon is tracked by one of the bounty hunters hired by Darth Vader.
On Dagobah, Luke undergoes Yoda's rigorous Jedi training, including lessons about the nature of The Force. Yoda tests Luke's beliefs in many ways. When Luke cannot use The Force to levitate his mired X-wing out of the swamp, Luke says, "I can't. It's too big." But the small Yoda does it easily, asking "Judge me by my size, do you?" Later, Yoda leads Luke to a cave, a place that is "strong with the Dark Side of The Force. A domain of evil it is." In this cave, Luke is confronted by an apparition of Darth Vader, who killed Luke's father, the elder Skywalker, according to Obi-Wan. Luke defeats the apparition of Vader, beheading it, but as the head comes to rest on the ground, Vader's breath mask explodes, revealing the face of Luke himself. During another exercise, balancing upside down while levitating objects with his mind, Luke enters a state of calm and peace, attuned to the past and the future. But in this state, he has a vision of his friends Han and Leia in danger and in agony. He loses his concentration and the objects tumble to the ground. Luke wants to rescue them, but both Yoda and the voice of Obi-Wan warn of the dangers of rashly leaving. They explain that now, since he has become stronger, the Emperor wants to ensnare him, to use Luke's powers for his own ends. They warn Luke that he is susceptible to the temptation of using The Force for power and domination, the Dark Side. Whatever the risk, Luke decides he cannot allow his friends to die, and departs from Dagobah, promising Yoda he will return to complete his training.
Upon arrival at Cloud City, Han's party is welcomed by Lando Calrissian, a smooth-talking rogue much like Han himself. He agrees to help Han repair his beloved Falcon, revealing that after all, it was once Lando's ship. On their way into the city, C-3PO is separated from the group and is shot to pieces with a blaster by parties unknown. Leia is suspicious of C-3PO's absence, but Han tries to assuage her fears, happily talking about his repaired ship. Chewie locates the pieces of C-3PO's droid body and shows them to Han and Leia. Soon Lando invites them all to a meal. When they are shown into the dining room, Darth Vader is sitting at the end of the table. Han draws his blaster, but Vader disarms him with The Force. They are captured. Lando insists he was made to conspire with the Empire. Han is furious but unsurprised by Lando's betrayal. In captivity, Han and Chewbacca are systematically tortured. The friends soon realize their torture is meant to be a trap for Luke — they are the bait.
While captive, Chewbacca begins to reassemble C-3PO, essentially bringing him back to life. Soon, the mining colony's carbon-freezing chamber is prepared. It is intended to freeze Luke, holding him in suspended animation for transport to the Emperor. But it is a potentially lethal method, so Vader decides to test it on Han Solo. Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and a partially reassembled C-3PO are brought to the chamber under guard. Han is lowered into the machine, his eyes locked on Leia. She declares she loves him, and true to his roguish nature, he tells her, "I know." Then he is frozen, entombed in carbonite but alive, and handed over to the bounty hunter, who intends to return his quarry to Jabba the Hutt for a large reward.
Luke lands at Cloud City and makes his way through what appear to be empty halls and streets, catching glimpses of his friends from time to time. He pursues them but cannot catch up. While escorting their prisoners, Vader's Imperial troopers are captured by Lando's private security force, who set Lando and the others free. Once free, Chewbacca nearly strangles Lando in a vengeful rage, but relents when Lando insists that there is "still a chance to save Han." They come across R2-D2, who joins them. The group pursues the bounty hunter and Han's frozen form through Cloud City, but arrive just as the bounty hunter's ship flies away. In a desperate chase, Leia, Chewie, Lando, and the two droids make their way to the Millennium Falcon, take off, and escape the stormtroopers.
Meanwhile, Luke wanders into the carbon-freezing chamber, where Darth Vader is waiting for him. They begin a fierce lightsaber duel. Their duel brings them to a narrow platform hanging high above the city's abyssal central air shaft. Gaining the advantage, Vader cuts off Luke's sword hand. With Luke cornered, defenseless, and hanging from a precipice, Vader states that he is Luke's father. Luke screams in denial: "That's not true. That's impossible." Vader tries to persuade Luke to join him, embrace the Dark Side of the Force, overthrow the Emperor with him, and "rule the galaxy as father and son." Luke refuses, lets go, and falls off the platform into the abyss. In freefall, Luke is sucked into an air vent, shoots out of the underbelly of the floating city, and miraculously lands on an antenna hanging beneath. In the Millennium Falcon, Leia senses Luke's distress through The Force. She somehow knows where he is. She orders Lando to pilot them back to Cloud City, to rescue him. They fly to the underbelly of Cloud City, save Luke from his percarious perch, and are chased by Imperial fighters. Once again in space, again surrounded by Imperial Star Destroyers and Vader's flagship, the Falcon's hyperdrive system fails once more, having been deactivated by Vader's troops. As the Falcon tries to flee, Vader reaches out to Luke, a voice in Luke's mind, still tempting Luke to join Vader, his father. Luke is in despair. But the resourceful R2-D2 manages to fix the Falcon just in time, transporting the ship to lightspeed and — finally — allowing them to escape. Vader is left silent and contemplative. He does not even strangle Admiral Piett for failing to capture Luke and the Falcon.
Later, the Falcon is docked with a Rebel frigate among the ships of the Rebel fleet. Aboard the frigate, a droid performs surgery on Luke and fits him with an artificial hand that works as well as the one Vader cut off. Lando and Chewbacca set out in the Falcon to locate Han Solo, now the frozen captive of Jabba the Hutt. They pledge to let Luke and Leia know when they find Han so they can all rescue him together. Safe for the moment, Luke, Leia, and the droids gaze outward toward the vast spiral of the galaxy as the Falcon flies away.
Release
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The film premiered on May 21, 1980, billed simply as The Empire Strikes Back, its original title in theaters. This 1980 version was released on VHS and LaserDisc multiple times during the 1980s and 90s. It was re-released with changes to theaters in 1997, and this version was later released on VHS and Laserdisc, and finally on DVD in 2004. Remastered versions of both the 1980 version and the 1997 re-release version will appear in a new DVD set in September 2006. The novelization was released in April 1980, and a radio adaptation was broadcast on National Public Radio in the United States in 1983.
1997 Special Edition
The Empire Strikes Back was re-released to theaters in 1997 as part of the "Special Edition" of the original trilogy. Lucas took this opportunity to make several minor enhancements to the film. These changes include explicitly showing the Wampa creature on Hoth in full form rather implying it impressionistically; creating more details for the Falcon's approach to Cloud City; digitally inserting windows with vistas of Bespin into the original white interior walls of Cloud City; and replacing certain lines of dialogue. A small scene was also added depicting Vader's return to his flagship after his duel with Luke, a scene which utilized an outtake from Return of the Jedi. Additionally, the film was restored and remastered from its original print.
2004 Special Edition DVD
In 2004, for the DVD release, Lucas and his team made even more changes, mostly in order to ensure continuity between Empire and the other Star Wars films. On July 29, 2003, during the production of Revenge of the Sith, Lucas shot new footage of Ian McDiarmid as The Emperor, since a different actor played The Emperor in Empire, and McDiarmid played The Emperor in the other films. Changes also included slight improvements to lightsaber digital effects and a few removals of dialogue. Boba Fett's voice was changed (to match Jango Fett in Episode II) . Though his lines remain the same, many fans preferred his original seedy voice to the new New Zealand accent of Temuera Morrison. Also with this release, Lucas supervised the creation of a high-definition digital print of Empire as well as the other films of the original trilogy.
Fan criticism
Although these new versions contain no significant changes to the plot of the original 1980 version, Lucas' continual tinkering has caused fan criticism, as well as inciting a more extreme form of reactionary criticism known as Lucas Bashing.
Reception
Though many today consider it the best of the Star Wars films, The Empire Strikes Back initially only received mixed reviews. This may be because the 1977 film's utter originality and its impact on popular culture had made "Star Wars 2" (as Empire was labeled in the press before its 1980 release) unable to fulfill its audience's excessive expectations. Some critics had problems with the story but admitted the film was a technical achievement. For instance, Janet Maslin in The New York Times wrote a largely negative review. However, Charles Champlin of The Los Angeles Times described the film as "hugely accomplished and exciting." As years passed and Lucas' ambitions for his series grew, many critics cited Empire's tight script, strong acting, and varied visual motifs as proof of its superiority over the other Star Wars sequels and prequels.
Some have criticized Empire for departing from what was established in the previous film, particularly the revelation of Darth Vader as the father of Luke Skywalker (whereas in the original Star Wars, Vader and Luke's then-unnamed father were said to be separate characters). Lucas has been accused from time to time of subjecting the Star Wars films to heavy doses of retroactive continuity beginning with Empire and continuing with similar revelations in the later films, such as Princess Leia being Luke's sister and C-3PO having been built by Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.
In retrospect Empire proved to be the most morally ambiguous and darkest of the original trilogy. With the release of Revenge of the Sith, however, some have compared Sith's dark themes to those of Empire.
Critics had various reactions to changes introduced in re-releases of this film, which were instated for the 1997 and 2004 re-releases (see below).
Budget and box office information
- The estimated budget was $18,000,000.
- The opening weekend in the USA generated $6,415,804
- When it was re-released in 1997, its opening weekend in the USA made $21,975,993
- In the USA, as of 1997, the gross revenue is $291,158,751
- Worldwide, as of 1997, the gross revenue is $538,375,067
- In the USA, rentals generated $173,814,000
- Worldwide, rentals generated $577,200,000[1]
Awards and nominations
Academy Awards
Awards
- In 1981 it won an Oscar for "Best Sound". The recipients were Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Greg Landaker, and Peter Sutton.
- In 1981 it won the Saturn Award. Mark Hamill received "Best Actor". Irvin Kershner received "Best Director". "Best Special Effects" went to Brian Johnson and Richard Edlund. It was called the "Best Science Fiction Film".
- In 1981 it won the BAFTA Film Award. John Williams received "Best Original Film Music".
- In 1981 it was awarded with the Golden Screen Award
- In 1981 it won a Grammy Award. John Williams received "Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special".
- In 1981 it won the Hugo Award for "Best Dramatic Presentation".
- In 1981 it won the People's Choice Award for "Favorite Motion Picture".
Nominations
- In 1981 it received an Oscar nomination. "Best Art Direction-Set Decoration" went to Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley, Harry Lange, Alan Tomkins, and Michael Ford. "Best Music, Original Score" went to John Williams.
- In 1981 it was nominated the Special Achievement Award for its visual effects. Brian Johnson, Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, and Bruce Nicholson were the recipients.
- In 1981 it was nominated the Saturn Award. "Best Costumes" went to John Mollo, "Best Music" went to John Williams, "Best Supporting Actor" went to Billy Dee Williams, and "Best Writing" went to Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan.
- In 1981 it was nominated a BAFTA Film Award for "Best Sound". The recipients were Peter Sutton, Ben Burtt, and Bill Varney.
- In 1981 it was nominated a Golden Globe award for "Best Original Score- Motion Picture." The recipient was John Williams.
- In 1981 it was nominated for the WGA Award (Screen) for "Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium". The recipients were Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan.
- In 2005 it was nominated a Golden Satellite Award for "Best Classic DVD" and "Best Overall DVD." Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope and Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi were also nominated.[2]
Cast
- Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. Luke, a commander in the Rebel Alliance Army, leader of Rogue Squadron, and Jedi-in-training, is a young farmboy turned hero stationed at the Echo Base on Hoth. After having a vision of his old master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke, along with his droid, R2-D2 set out to find Yoda on Dagobah.
- Harrison Ford as Han Solo. A mercenary who aided the Rebellion in exchange for money, Han is in debt to Jabba the Hutt, due to his dumping of illegal spice to avoid detection by Imperial Authorities. Intending to pay off Jabba and his goons, Han is trapped on Hoth by the Imperial blockade.
- Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia. Leia, the adopted daugter of the late Bail Organa, is a high ranking official in the Rebellion chain of command.
- David Prowse as Darth Vader. Newly appointed Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy, Vader is obsessed with finding Luke Skywalker, the young rebel who destroyed the Death Star. His search brings him to Hoth, where he orderes his Death Squadron to blockade the ice planet. James Earl Jones provided the voice.
- Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian. Lando Calrissian is the Baron Adminsitrator of Cloud City, Bespin.
- Anthony Daniels as C-3PO. C-3PO is Princess Leia Organa's personal protocol droid.
- Kenny Baker as R2-D2. R2-D2 is Luke Skywalker's astromech droid.
- Frank Oz as Yoda. Yoda is a self-exiled Jedi Master, who lives on Dagobah. Yoda had previously been believed dead after his encounter with Darth Sidious 22 years prior. Frank Oz was the puppeteer and the voice of Yoda.
- Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca. Chewbacca, or "Chewie", is Han Solo's Wookiee co-pilot.
- Jeremy Bulloch as Boba Fett. A clone from the legendary bounty hunter Jango Fett, Boba Fett has gained infamy throughout the galaxy, and is considered to be the greatest bounty hunter alive. Fett is hired by Darth Vader to hunt down the Millennium Falcon. Jason Wingreen provided Fett's voice in the original theatrical cut and the 1997 Special Edition of the film. However, for the 2004 DVD release, Temuera Morrison replaced him, to conform with plot points established in the new prequels.
- Kenneth Colley as Admiral Piett. Piett is captain of H.I.M.S. Executor, before the admiral of the fleet, Ozzel is executed by Vader. Piett is swiftly promoted to Admiral of the fleet, however, his constant failures to apprehend the Millennium Falcon result in only dissapointment from Vader.
- Alec Guinness as Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi. Kenobi had been slain by Darth Vader on the Death Star in A New Hope. However, moments before his death, he released himself into the nether world of the Force, giving him the abitlity to appear as a spirit, and allowing him to give guidance to his former student, Luke Skywalker.
- Dennis Lawson as Wedge Antilles. Antillies is a pilot in the Rebel Alliance, who had flown with Luke Skywalker at the Battle of Yavin.
- Clive Revill as the voice of Emperor Palpatine. Palpatine, the ruler of the Galactic Empire, had been displeased with the loss of the Death Star, and, as a result, listed the Rebel Alliance as a top priority for his military forces. An unknown old actress played Palpatine in the original theatrical cut and the 1997 Special Edition of the film with superimposed chimpanzee eyes. Ian McDiarmid replaced both her and Clive Revill as the Emperor in the 2004 DVD version.
Soundtrack
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The film's soundtrack was originally released by 20th Century Fox in 1980 in a double long-playing (LP) record package. These were two twelve-inch vinyl discs, and marked the final time a double LP soundtrack set was issued (Episode VI, the final movie to have an LP soundtrack released, had only a single disc). A double-cassette edition was also released.
In 1993, 20th Century Fox Film Scores released a special four-Compact Disc box set: Star Wars Trilogy: The Original Soundtrack Anthology. Much of the original soundtrack from the film was issued on the single disc dedicated to the film in this box set (comprising nineteen tracks). However, a further five tracks are found on the bonus disc in the set.
In 1997, RCA Victor released special two-disc sets coinciding with the Special Edition releases of the three movies of the original trilogy. The original limited edition release featured two holographic discs (with the laser etched logo of the Empire on each) inside the front and back covers of an accompanying mini-book, describing the music. The discs featured no less than six tracks of previously unreleased music. This set was re-released in an unlimited format by RCA Victor, in jewel case packaging, and were later re-released by Sony Classical in 2004, again with new artwork, mirroring the first DVD release of the original trilogy.
Screenplay and novel tie-in
The script was co-written by Lawrence Kasdan and Leigh Brackett (a veteran science-fiction author who helped make the film more purely in the genre of space opera than any other in the series) based on an original story by Lucas. Unfortunately, Brackett died before the film was completed. There is controvery about the extent of her contribution to the final screenplay; see further here.
A book version of the movie was written by Donald F. Glut which added some background information beyond what is depicted onscreen.
Radio drama
A radio drama of the film was written by Brian Daley and produced for and broadcast on the National Public Radio in 1983. There were 10 episodes that were each 22 to 24 minutes long. 750,000 people tuned in to listen to the series on February 14, Valentines Day. The Los Angeles Times described it as a "fun, spine-tingling, mind-bending piece of escapist entertainment that doesn't miss the visuals a bit." [3]
Cast
- See-Threepio (C-3PO).......Anthony Daniels
- Luke Skywalker............Mark Hamill
- Han Solo..................Harrison Ford
- Yoda......................Frank Oz
- Darth Vader...............Brock Peters
- Princess Leia Organa......Carrie Fisher
- Lando Calrissian..........Billy Dee Williams
Credits
- Written by Brian Daley
- Based on Characters and Situations Created by George Lucas and on the Screenplay by Leigh Brackett and George Lucas
- Directed by John Madden
- Sound Mixing & Post Production by Tom Voegeli
- Music by John Williams
- Sound Design for Lucasfilm by Ben Burtt
Errors
- In the original version of the film, during the Battle of Hoth the white terrain of the planet printed through the travelling matte shots of the rebel pilots flying in their Snowspeeders. This error was partially corrected in the 1997 Special Edition release.
- On the DVD, when Luke is running from the Wampa cave, his lightsaber audibly powers down, while visually it is still on. This error has been present throughout recent versions of the film (due to audio-visual sync problems as a result of new footage of the Wampa ice monster added for the 1997 Special Edition) , and is likely to be corrected for a future release.
- Near the end of the movie, while showing the rebel fleet, three X-Wings and a Y-Wing do a fly-by. On the very last frame of that scene, the third X-Wing disappears.
- In the end credits, as with Episode IV, Denis Lawson's name is misspelled "Dennis." According to reports, these are two different actors with near similar names. However, it is the same actor in both films [4]
Trivia
- According to the documentary Empire of Dreams, the movie originally had a budget of $25 million, which was considered big-budget at the time. However, certain production problems (especially while filming the Hoth scenes in snow-bound Norway) caused the budget to rise to $33 million, making it one of the most expensive movies of its day. George Lucas intended to finance the film entirely from his profits from the first picture, but the budget overruns forced him to approach 20th Century Fox with hat in hand, resulting in a favorable distribution deal for the studio.
- Great secrecy surrounded the fact that Darth Vader was Luke's father. David Prowse, who spoke all of Vader's lines during filming, was told to say, "Obi-Wan killed your father", and, until the film premiered, only George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Mark Hamill and James Earl Jones knew what would really be said. Jones later reported that his reaction to the line was, "Oh, he's lying!"
- The Imperial March was introduced in this film, first heard during the introduction of Darth Vader's fleet. The ominous, menacing musical theme soon becomes associated with Darth Vader and becomes his leitmotif.
- During the Falklands War which took place in 1982, two years after the film was released, when the British task force sailed from Britain, a number of newspapers and magazines carried the headline 'The Empire Strikes Back!. In the James Bond movie, Tomorrow Never Dies, the main headline of a newspaper on a computer is titled "The Empire Will Strike Back".
- When the first TIE Fighter explodes in the asteroid chase, the pilot can be seen tumbling out after the fighter breaks apart.
- The famous '80s Swedish rock group Imperiet took its name from this movie. Imperiet means "the empire."
- Clive Revill (Voice of Emperor) is the only actor to be involved in an episode of Star Trek and a Star Wars film: he played Sir Guy of Gisbourne in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "QPid." However, in the DVD version, Revill is replaced by Ian McDiarmid.
- The platform the Millennium Falcon lands on at Cloud City is numbered 327, the same number as the bay the Falcon lands in on the Death Star in A New Hope. In The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon Jinn identifies Queen Amidala's ship as a "J-type 327 Nubian."
- Boba Fett was the first character whose first appearance in a Star Wars film was predated by an appearance in some other medium; in this case, an appearance in the animated short included in The Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978.
- Ian McDiarmid did not play the Emperor in the original release of the film. The new version of the scene between Darth Vader and The Emperor (on the DVD) was filmed during principal photography of Revenge of the Sith.
- The Empire Strikes Back is the only Star Wars film in which the teaser trailer features conceptual artwork by Ralph McQuarrie.
- Empire was the only Star Wars film not to have at least one scene on Tatooine, although it is mentioned.
- The film includes a brief image of Vader with his mask off, facing away from the camera. For the original viewers of the film, this scene made it clear for the first time in the series (aside from Vader's ability to use the Force) that Vader is not a robot, but instead organic — and possibly human. This fact becomes significant later, when Vader makes a surprise revelation that might be confusing without the earlier scene.
- The second level of the Shadows of the Empire video game takes place very shortly after Imperial snowtroopers invade Echo Base; the Falcon can be seen departing when the player enters the second hangar area.
- The scene in which Luke gets knocked out by the Wampa was added to explain the scarring that occurred on Mark Hamill's face after a motor accident. While filming The Star Wars Holiday Special, Hamill had to wear a significant amount of makeup, as he hadn't fully healed yet. Although this was done to improve his appearance as Luke, some have felt that it distorts his appearance as the character. This same mistake was not made in filming The Empire Strikes Back.
- Irvin Kershner was a professor at the University of Southern California at the same time George Lucas was there as a film student.
- According to the DVD text commentary of Attack of the Clones, the Rebel's rendezvous point near the end of Empire may be the Rishi Maze, which was mentioned by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Clones. Based on visual appearance alone, the object resembles the accretion disk surrounding a protostar.
DVD release
The Empire Strikes Back was released on DVD in September 2004. It was bundled with A New Hope and Return of the Jedi along with a bonus disc in a boxed set. It was digitally restored and remastered, with more changes made by George Lucas, detailed in List of changes in Star Wars re-releases. The bonus disc included, according to the official site, "all-new bonus features, including the most comprehensive feature-length documentary ever produced on the Star Wars saga, and never-before-seen footage from the making of all three films."
Features:
- Available Subtitles (USA): English
- Available Audio Tracks (USA): English (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
- Commentary by George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Carrie Fisher
Bonus disc features:
- Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
- Featurettes: The Legendary Creatures of Star Wars, The Birth of the Lightsaber, The Legacy of Star Wars
- Teasers, trailers, TV spots, still galleries
- Playable Xbox demo of the new Lucasarts game Star Wars Battlefront
- The making of the Episode III videogame
- Exclusive preview of Star Wars: Episode III
The set was reissued in December 2005 as part of a three-disc "limited edition" boxed set that did not feature the bonus disc.
The entire trilogy will be re-released on separate 2-disc Limited Edition DVD sets in September 2006, this time with the original, unaltered versions of the films as bonus material.
External links
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back at StarWars.com
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back at IMDb
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