''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American
epic space opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soc ...
film directed by
Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by
Leigh Brackett and
Lawrence Kasdan
Lawrence Edward Kasdan (born January 14, 1949) is an American filmmaker. He is the co-writer of the '' Star Wars'' films '' The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), '' Return of the Jedi'' (1983), '' The Force Awakens'' (2015), and '' Solo: A Star Wars ...
, based on a story by
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the '' Star Wars'' and '' Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as c ...
. The sequel to ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...
'' (1977), it is the second film in the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...
'' film series and the fifth chronological chapter of the "
Skywalker Saga
The '' Star Wars'' franchise involves multiple live-action and animated films. The film series started with a trilogy set ''in medias res'' which was later expanded to a trilogy of trilogies, known as the " Skywalker Saga".
The 1977 self-ti ...
". Set three years after the events of ''Star Wars'', the film recounts the battle between the malevolent
Galactic Empire
Galactic empires are a common trope used in science fantasy and science fiction, particularly in works known as 'space operas'. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background or written about the growth and/or decline of ...
, led by the
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...
, and the
Rebel Alliance, led by
Princess Leia
Princess Leia Organa is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, portrayed in films by Carrie Fisher. Introduced in the original ''Star Wars'' film in 1977, Leia is princess of the planet Alderaa ...
.
Luke Skywalker trains to master
the Force so he can confront the powerful
Sith lord,
Darth Vader. The
ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast t ...
includes
Mark Hamill
Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the '' Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards ...
,
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...
,
Carrie Fisher,
Billy Dee Williams
William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor. He appeared as Lando Calrissian in the '' Star Wars'' franchise, first in the early 1980s for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), and thir ...
,
Anthony Daniels
Anthony Daniels ( ; born 21 February 1946) is an English actor and mime artist, best known for playing in 10 '' Star Wars'' films. He is the only actor to have either appeared in or been involved with all theatrical films in the series, and ...
,
David Prowse,
Kenny Baker,
Peter Mayhew, and
Frank Oz.
Following the success of ''Star Wars'', Lucas hired Brackett to write the sequel. After she died in 1978, he outlined the whole ''Star Wars'' saga and wrote the next draft himself, before hiring ''
Raiders of the Lost Ark
''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. It stars Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ro ...
'' (1981) writer Kasdan to enhance his work. To avoid the stress he faced directing ''Star Wars'', Lucas handed the responsibility to Kershner and focused on expanding his special effects company
Industrial Light & Magic
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American motion picture visual effects company that was founded on May 26, 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when he began pr ...
instead. Filmed from March to September 1979 in
Finse, Norway, and at
Elstree Studios in England, ''The Empire Strikes Back'' faced production difficulties, including actor injuries, illnesses, fires, and problems securing additional financing as costs rose. Initially budgeted at $8million, costs had risen to $30.5million by the project's conclusion.
Released on May 21, 1980, the highly anticipated sequel became the
highest-grossing film that year, earning approximately $401.5million worldwide. Unlike its predecessor, ''Empire'' met with mixed reviews from critics, and fans were conflicted about its darker and maturer themes than those of the lighthearted adventure ''Star Wars''. Critics praised the expressive features and characterization of puppeteered character
Yoda, a diminutive alien who serves as Luke's teacher. The film was nominated for various awards and won
two Academy Awards,
two Grammy Awards, and
a BAFTA, among others. Subsequent releases have raised the film's worldwide gross to $538–549million and, adjusted for inflation, it is the
13th-highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada.
Since its release, ''The Empire Strikes Back'' has been critically reassessed and is now often regarded as the best film in the ''Star Wars'' series and among the
greatest films ever made. It has had a significant impact on filmmaking and popular culture and is often considered an example of a sequel superior to its predecessor. The climax, in which Vader reveals he is Luke's father, is often ranked as one of the greatest
plot twists in cinema. The film spawned a variety of merchandise and adaptations, including video games and a radio play. The United States
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
selected it for preservation in the
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...
in 2010. ''
Return of the Jedi'' (1983) followed ''Empire'', concluding the
original ''Star Wars'' trilogy.
Prequel
A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work.
The term ...
and
sequel trilogies that round out the "Skywalker saga" have since been released.
Plot
Three years after the destruction of the
Death Star, the
Imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texas
...
fleet, led by
Darth Vader, dispatches
Probe Droids across the galaxy to find
Princess Leia
Princess Leia Organa is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, portrayed in films by Carrie Fisher. Introduced in the original ''Star Wars'' film in 1977, Leia is princess of the planet Alderaa ...
's
Rebel Alliance, with one probe locating the rebel base on the ice planet
Hoth. A
wampa captures
Luke Skywalker before he can investigate the probe, but he escapes by using
the Force to retrieve his
lightsaber
A lightsaber is a fictional energy sword featured throughout the '' Star Wars'' franchise. A typical lightsaber is depicted as a luminescent plasma blade about in length emitted from a metal hilt around in length. First introduced in the ori ...
and wound the beast. Before succumbing to
hypothermia
Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...
, the
Force spirit
The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the '' Star Wars'' fictional universe. "Force-sensitive" characters use the Force throughout the franchise. Heroes like the Jedi seek to "become one with the Force", matching their personal wil ...
of Luke's deceased mentor,
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinness. In the later-released prequel trilogy, ...
, instructs him to go to the swamp planet
Dagobah to train as a
Jedi Knight under the
Jedi Master Yoda.
Han Solo
Han Solo is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. The character first appeared in the 1977 film '' Star Wars'' portrayed by Harrison Ford, who reprised his role in '' The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) an ...
discovers Luke and insulates him against the weather inside his deceased
tauntaun mount until they are rescued the next morning.
Alerted to the Rebels' location, the Empire launches a large-scale attack using
AT-AT walker
All Terrain Walkers are armoured fighting vehicles from the '' Star Wars'' universe that traverse the landscape on mechanical legs. They are used by the Old Republic, the Galactic Empire, and the First Order for ground assault, reconnaissance ...
s to capture the base, forcing the Rebels to evacuate. Han and Leia escape with and
Chewbacca
Chewbacca ( ), nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a Wookiee, a tall, hirsute, bipedal, intelligent species originating from the fictional planet of Kashyyyk. Chewbacca is the loyal friend and fi ...
aboard the ''
Millennium Falcon
The ''Millennium Falcon'' is a fictional starship in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Designed by Joe Johnston for the movie '' Star Wars'' (1977), it has subsequently appeared in '' The Star Wars Holiday Special'' (1978), ''The Empire Strikes Ba ...
'', but the ship's
hyperdrive malfunctions. They hide in an
asteroid field, where Han and Leia grow closer amid the tension. Vader summons several bounty hunters, including
Boba Fett
Boba Fett ( ) is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. First appearing in the ''Star Wars Holiday Special'' (1978), where he was voiced by Don Francks, he is an armored bounty hunter featured in both the original and prequel ...
, to find the ''Falcon''. Evading the Imperial fleet, Han's group travels to the floating Cloud City on the planet
Bespin
The fictional universe of the '' Star Wars'' franchise features multiple planets and moons. While only the feature films and selected other works are considered canon to the franchise since the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disne ...
, which is governed by his old friend
Lando Calrissian. Fett tracks them there and Vader forces Lando to surrender the group to the Empire, knowing Luke will come to their aid.
Meanwhile, Luke travels with in his
X-wing fighter to Dagobah, where he crash-lands. He meets Yoda, a diminutive creature who reluctantly accepts him as his Jedi apprentice after conferring with Obi-Wan's spirit. Yoda trains Luke to master the light side of the Force and resist negative emotions that will seduce him to the
dark side, as they did Vader. Luke struggles to control his anger and impulsiveness and fails to comprehend the nature and power of the Force until he witnesses Yoda use it to telekinetically lift the X-wing from the swamp. Luke has a premonition of Han and Leia in pain and, despite Obi-Wan's and Yoda's protestations, abandons his training to rescue them. Although Obi-Wan believes Luke is their only hope, Yoda asserts that "there is another."
Leia confesses her love for Han before Vader freezes him in
carbonite to test whether the process will safely imprison Luke. Han survives and is given to Fett, who intends to collect his bounty from
Jabba the Hutt. Lando frees Leia and Chewbacca, but they are too late to stop Fett's escape. The group fights its way back to the ''Falcon'' and flees the city. Luke arrives and engages Vader in a lightsaber duel over the city's central air shaft. Vader overwhelms Luke, severing his right hand and separating him from his lightsaber. He urges Luke to embrace the dark side and help him destroy his master,
the Emperor, so they may rule the galaxy together. Luke refuses, citing Obi-Wan's claim that Vader killed his father, prompting Vader to reveal that he is Luke's father. Desperate, Luke drops into the air shaft and is ejected beneath the floating city, latching onto an antenna. He reaches out through the Force to Leia, and the ''Falcon'' returns to rescue him.
TIE fighters pursue the group, which is almost captured by Vader's
Star Destroyer until reactivates the ''Falcon''s hyperdrive, allowing them to escape.
Aboard the Rebel fleet, a
robotic prosthesis replaces Luke's hand. He, Leia, , and observe as Lando and Chewbacca depart on the ''Falcon'' to find Han.
Cast
*
Mark Hamill
Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the '' Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards ...
as Luke Skywalker: A pilot in the Rebel Alliance and apprentice Jedi
*
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...
as Han Solo: A smuggler and captain of the ''Millennium Falcon''
*
Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa: A leader in the Rebel Alliance
*
Billy Dee Williams
William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor. He appeared as Lando Calrissian in the '' Star Wars'' franchise, first in the early 1980s for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), and thir ...
as Lando Calrissian: The administrator of Cloud City
*
Anthony Daniels
Anthony Daniels ( ; born 21 February 1946) is an English actor and mime artist, best known for playing in 10 '' Star Wars'' films. He is the only actor to have either appeared in or been involved with all theatrical films in the series, and ...
as : A humanoid protocol droid
*
David Prowse /
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...
(voice) as Darth Vader: A powerful Sith Lord
*
Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca: Han's loyal
Wookiee friend and co-pilot
*
Kenny Baker as R2-D2: An astromech droid
*
Frank Oz (puppeteer/voice) as Yoda: A diminutive, centuries-old Jedi Master
The film also features
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including '' Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (1 ...
as Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi, and
John Hollis portrays Lobot, Lando's aide.
The Rebel force includes
General Rieekan
This incomplete list of characters from the '' Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt ...
(portrayed by
Bruce Boa),
Major Derlin (
John Ratzenberger
John Dezso Ratzenberger (born April 6, 1947)[About John](_blank)
from Ratzenberger's official website is an Americ ...
),
Cal Alder (Jack McKenzie),
Dak Ralter (
John Morton),
Wedge Antilles
Wedge Antilles is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a supporting character portrayed by Denis Lawson in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy. He is also featured in the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe, most notably as ...
(
Denis Lawson
Denis Stamper Lawson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish actor and director. He is known for his roles as John Jarndyce in the BBC's adaptation of '' Bleak House'', as Gordon Urquhart in the film '' Local Hero'', as Retired DI Steve McAndr ...
),
Zev Senesca (
Christopher Malcolm),
and
Hobbie Klivian
This incomplete list of characters from the '' Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt ...
(
Richard Oldfield
Richard Oldfield (born 1950) is an American film and television actor who has worked mostly in Britain.
Born in the US, Oldfield moved to Britain in the 1960s. His stage debut was in the musical ''Hair'' at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's Wes ...
).
The Empire's forces include
Admiral Piett
Admiral Firmus Piett is a fictional character from the '' Star Wars'' franchise, first introduced and portrayed by Kenneth Colley in the 1980 film '' The Empire Strikes Back''. As a supporting villain in command of Darth Vader's flagship, '' Exec ...
(
Kenneth Colley
Kenneth Colley (born 7 December 1937) is an English film and television actor whose career spans over 60 years. He came to wider prominence through his role as Admiral Piett in the '' Star Wars'' films '' The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ' ...
),
Admiral Ozzel
This incomplete list of characters from the '' Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt ...
(
Michael Sheard),
General Veers (
Julian Glover), and
Captain Needa
This incomplete list of characters from the '' Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt Di ...
(
Michael Culver).
The Emperor is voiced by
Clive Revill
Clive Revill is a New Zealand actor, best known for his performances in musical theatre and the London stage. A veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he has also starred in numerous films and television programmes, often in character parts. ...
and portrayed physically by Elaine Baker.
Other cast includes
Jeremy Bulloch as the bounty hunter Boba Fett (voiced by
Jason Wingreen, who remained uncredited until 2000);
other bounty hunters include Dengar (portrayed by Morris Bush) and humanoid lizard Bossk (Alan Harris).
Production
Development
Following the unexpected financial success and the cultural phenomenon of ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...
'' (1977), a sequel was swiftly put into production. In case ''Star Wars'' had failed, creator
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the '' Star Wars'' and '' Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as c ...
had contracted
Alan Dean Foster
Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts.
Career ''Star Wars''
Foster was the ghost ...
to write a low-budget sequel (later released as the novel ''
Splinter of the Mind's Eye
''Splinter of the Mind's Eye'' is a 1978 science-fiction novel written by Alan Dean Foster as a sequel to the film ''Star Wars'' (1977). Originally published in 1978 by Del Rey, a division of Ballantine Books, the book was written with the inte ...
'').
Once the success of ''Star Wars'' achievements was evident, Lucas was reluctant to direct the sequel because of the stress of making the first film and its impact on his health.
The film's popularity resulted in more attention on Lucas, both positive and negative, bringing him wealth and fame, but also many people who wanted Lucas's financial backing or just to threaten him.
Conscious that the sequel needed to exceed the original's scope—making it a bigger production—and that his production effects company
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the '' Star Wars'' and ...
was relatively small and operating out of a makeshift office, Lucas considered selling the project to
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
in exchange for a profit percentage.
He had profited substantially from ''Star Wars'' and did not need to work, but was too invested in his creation to entrust it to others. Lucas had concepts for the sequel but no solid structure.
He knew the story would be darker and explore maturer themes, relationships and the nature of the Force.
Lucas intended to fund the production independently, using his $12million profit from ''Star Wars'' to relocate and expand his special effects company
Industrial Light & Magic
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American motion picture visual effects company that was founded on May 26, 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when he began pr ...
(ILM) and establish his
Skywalker
The Skywalker family is a fictional legendary human family in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Within the series' fictional universe, the Skywalkers are presented as a bloodline with strong inherent capabilities related to the Force and sometimes ...
movie ranch
A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated for use as a set in the creation and production of motion pictures and television shows. These were developed in the United States in southern California, because of the climate. The ...
in
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is acros ...
, with the remainder as collateral for a loan from
Bank of America
The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...
for the $8million budget.
Fox had the right of first negotiation and refusal to participate in any potential sequel. Negotiations began in mid-1977 between the studio and Lucas's representatives. Fox had already given Lucas controlling interest in the series' merchandising and sequels because it had thought ''Star Wars'' would be worthless. Terms were agreed quickly for the sequel compared to the original, in part because Fox executive
Alan Ladd Jr.
Alan Walbridge Ladd Jr. (October 22, 1937 – March 2, 2022) was an American film industry executive and producer. He served as president of 20th Century Fox from 1976 to 1979, during which he approved the production of '' Star Wars''. He later e ...
had been supportive of the original and was eager for the sequel. The 100-page contract was signed on September 21, 1977, dictating that Fox would distribute the film but have no creative input, in exchange for 50% of the gross profits on the first $20million earned, with the percentage increasing to 77.5% in the producers' favor if it exceeded $100million. Filming had to begin by January 1979 for release on May 1, 1980.
The deal offered the possibility of significant financial gain for Lucas, but he risked financial ruin if the sequel failed.
To mitigate some of the risk, Lucas founded The Chapter II Company to control the film's development and absorb its liabilities. He signed a contract between the company and Lucasfilm, granting himself 5% of the
box office gross profits. He also founded Black Falcon to license ''Star Wars'' merchandising rights, using the income to subsidize his ongoing projects. Development began in August 1977, under the title ''Star Wars Chapter II''.
Lucas considered replacing producer
Gary Kurtz with
Howard Kazanjian because Kurtz had not fulfilled his role and left problems unresolved while filming ''Star Wars''. Kurtz convinced him otherwise by trading on his longtime loyalty to Lucas and knowledge of the ''Star Wars'' property. Lucas took an executive producer role, enabling him to focus on his businesses and the development of ''
Raiders of the Lost Ark
''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. It stars Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ro ...
'' (1981).
By late 1977, Kurtz began hiring key crew members, including production designer
Norman Reynolds, consultant
John Barry, makeup artist
Stuart Freeborn
Stuart Freeborn (5 September 1914 – 5 February 2013) was a British motion picture make-up artist. He has been referred to as the "grandfather of modern make-up design" and is perhaps best known for his work on the original '' Star Wars'' ...
, and first assistant director
David Tomblin.
Lucas rehired artists
Ralph McQuarrie and
Joe Johnston to maintain visual consistency with ''Star Wars'', and the three began conceptualizing the Hoth battle in December. By this point, the budget had increased to $10million. Lucas wanted a director who would support the material and accept that he was ultimately in charge.
He considered around 100 directors, including
Alan Parker and
John Badham, before hiring his old acquaintance
Irvin Kershner in February 1978.
Kershner was reluctant to direct the sequel to a film as successful as ''Star Wars'', and his friends warned him against taking the job, believing he would be blamed if it failed.
Lucas convinced Kershner it was not so much a sequel as a chapter in a larger story; he also promised him he could make the film his own way.
Writing
Lucas began formulating ideas in August 1977. These included the Emperor, how to explain facial injuries Hamill suffered from an accident after filming ''Star Wars''—Lucas told Hamill that, had he died, his character would have been replaced, not recast—and Luke's lost sister. Hamill recounted being told the sister character might be Leia, which he found disappointing. Lucas had written ''Star Wars'' but did not enjoy developing lore for an original universe. Science-fiction writer
Leigh Brackett, whom Lucas met through a friend, excelled in quick-paced dialogue. He hired her for $50,000, aware that she had cancer.
Between November28 and December2, 1977, Lucas and Brackett held a story conference.
Lucas had core ideas in mind but wanted Brackett to piece them together.
He envisioned one central plot complemented by three main subplots, set across 60 scenes, 100 script pages, and a two-hour runtime. They formed a general outline and ideas that included the Wookiee homeworld, new alien species, the Galactic Emperor, a gambler from Han's past, water and city planets, Luke's lost twin sister, and a diminutive, froglike creature, Minch Yoda.
Lucas drew on influences including ''
The Thing from Another World'' (1951), the novel ''
Dune
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...
'' (1965), and the television series ''
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established '' Buck Rogers'' adv ...
'' (1954). Around this time, Kurtz conceived the title ''The Empire Strikes Back''. He said they avoided calling it ''Star Wars II'' because films with "II" in their titles were seen as inferior.
Brackett completed her first draft in February 1978, titled ''Star Wars sequel, from the adventures of Luke Skywalker''. The draft contained a city in the clouds, a chase through an asteroid belt, a greater focus on the love triangle between Luke, Han, and Leia (who is portrayed as a
damsel in distress
The damsel in distress is a recurring narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has either been kidnapped or placed in general peril. Kinship, love, or lust (or a combination of those) gives the male protagonist the motiv ...
), the battle of Hoth and a climactic battle between Luke and Darth Vader. The ghosts of his father and Obi-Wan visit Luke, leaving Vader a separate character. The draft reveals Luke has a sister (not Leia), Han goes on a mission to recruit his powerful stepfather, and Lando is a clone from the
Clone Wars.
Lucas made detailed notes and attempted to contact Brackett, but she had been hospitalized, and died of cancer a few weeks later, on March 18.
Rewrite
The strict schedule left Lucas no choice but to write the second draft himself.
Though Brackett's draft followed Lucas's outline, he found she had portrayed the characters differently than he intended. Lucas completed his handwritten, 121-page draft on April 1. He found the process more enjoyable than on ''Star Wars'' because he was familiar with the universe, but struggled to write a satisfying conclusion, leaving it open for a third film. This draft established Luke's sister as a new character undertaking a similar journey, Vader's castle and his fear of the emperor, distinct power levels in controlling the Force, Yoda's unconventional speech pattern, and bounty hunters, including Boba Fett. Lucas wrote Fett like the
Man with No Name, combining him with an abandoned idea for a Super
Stormtrooper
Stormtrooper or storm trooper may refer to: Military
*Stormtroopers (Imperial Germany), specialist soldier of the German Army in World War I
*''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) or Storm Detachment, a paramilitary organization of the German Nazi Party
*8th In ...
. Lucas's handwritten draft included mention of Vader being Luke's father, but the typed script omitted this revelation. Despite contradictory information in drafts that included the ghost of Luke's father, Lucas said he had always intended for Vader to be Luke's father and omitted it from scripts to avoid leaks.
Lucas included elements such as Han's debt to Jabba, and recontextualized Luke leaving Dagobah to rescue his friends: in Brackett's draft, Obi-Wan instructs Luke to leave; Lucas had Luke choose to do so. He also removed a scene of Luke massacring stormtroopers to convey him falling to the dark side, wanting to instead explore this in the next film. Lucas believed it was important the characters be inspirational and appropriate for children. His typed draft is titled ''Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back''.
In June 1978, impressed with his work on ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'', Lucas hired
Lawrence Kasdan
Lawrence Edward Kasdan (born January 14, 1949) is an American filmmaker. He is the co-writer of the '' Star Wars'' films '' The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), '' Return of the Jedi'' (1983), '' The Force Awakens'' (2015), and '' Solo: A Star Wars ...
to refine the draft; Kasdan was paid $60,000.
In early July, Kasdan, Kershner and Lucas held a story conference to discuss Lucas's draft. The group collaborated on ideas, challenging Lucas when his made no sense; Lucas embraced their ideas.
Mandated to deliver a fifth of the script every other week, Kasdan began his rewrite, focusing on developing character relationships and psychologies; he completed the third draft by early August. This version refined Minch Yoda—alternately named "the Critter", Minch, Buffy, and simply Yoda—from a slimy creature to a small blue one; each version retained the character's long life and wisdom.
Yoda was intended to teach Luke to respect everyone and not judge by appearances, and defy audience expectations.
The draft tightened or expanded dialogue to better pace action scenes, added more romance, and added or changed locations, such as moving a Vader scene from a spaceship deck to his private cubicle. Lucas removed a line mentioning Lando deliberately abandoning his people and had Luke contact Leia through the Force instead of Obi-Wan's ghost. The fourth draft—mostly the same but with more detailed action—was submitted on October 24.
Although some of Brackett's ideas remained, such as Luke's Dagobah training, her dialogue and characterization were removed.
Kasdan described her take as from "a different era", lacking the necessary tone. Kazanjian did not believe the
Writers Guild of America West would approve of her receiving credit, but Lucas liked Brackett and supported her credit as co-writer. He also provided for her family beyond her contracted pay.
The fifth draft was completed in February 1979, revising some scenes and introducing a "Hogmen" species devised by Kershner; Lucas did not like the idea because he perceived them as slaves.
Casting
Hamill (Luke), Fisher (Leia), Ford (Han), Mayhew (Chewbacca), and Baker (R2-D2) all reprised their ''Star Wars'' roles.
Hamill and Fisher were contracted for a second, third, and fourth film, but Ford had declined similar terms because of earlier bad experiences; he agreed to return because he wanted to improve on his ''Star Wars'' performance. Hamill spent four months bodybuilding and learning karate, fencing, and kendo to prepare for his stunts.
Prowse hesitated to return as Darth Vader because, as he was hidden behind a costume, he believed the role offered little job security; he returned after being told further delays would lead to his being replaced. Jones returned to voice Vader but, as with ''Star Wars'', declined a credit because he considered himself "special effects" to Prowse's physical performance. He earned $15,000 for half a day's work, plus a small percentage of the profits.
Daniels returned for "reasonable" pay; he was reluctant because he had received little public acknowledgment for his previous performance as because the filmmakers portrayed the droid as a real being. Guinness could not return as Obi-Wan because his failing eyesight required him to avoid bright lights. Recasting him was considered but, determined to recruit him, Lucas agreed to a deal in late August 1979, just before filming finished. Guinness was paid 0.25% of ''Empire''s box office gross for his few hours of work.
''Empire'' introduces Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian, the first
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
to portray a main role in the series.
He found the character interesting because of his cape and
Armenian surname An Armenian name comprises a given name and a surname.
First names
According to Armenia's National Statistical Service, the most commonly used names for newborn boys in Armenia, , were Davit, Narek, Gor, Hayk, Alex, Erik, Arman, Samvel, Tigran, ...
; Williams believed this gave him room to develop the character. Williams said Lando was much like himself—a "pretty cool guy".
He believed it was a
token role, but was assured it was not specifically written for a black actor. Kershner said Williams had the fantastic charm of a "
Mississippi riverboat hustler".
Howard Rollins,
Terry Alexander,
Robert Christian
Robert Christian (December 27, 1939 – January 27, 1983)page 116 was an American actor.
Early life and education
Christian was born in Los Angeles and began acting as a child, appearing on ''Amos 'n' Andy'' and ''The Andy Griffith Show''. He ...
, Thurman Scott, and
Yaphet Kotto were also considered for the part.
Yoda was voiced and puppeteered by Frank Oz, with assistance from
Kathryn Mullen,
David Barclay, and
Wendy Froud. Lucas intended to dub Oz's Yoda voice but decided it would be difficult to cast someone who could match their voice to Oz's physical puppeteering performance.
Jeremy Bulloch did not audition for Boba Fett; he was hired because the costume fit him. It was uncomfortable and top-heavy, making it difficult to maintain his balance, and the mask often steamed up. Bulloch assumed his lines would be dubbed over as he had little dialogue.
Fett's voice actor, Jason Wingreen, remained uncredited until 2000. Bulloch also appears as an Imperial officer who restrains Leia on Bespin. No other cast member was available for the role, so Kurtz had him quickly change out of the Fett costume to stand in. John Morton portrays Fett in the same scene. There was no extensive casting for the Emperor. Lucas chose Clive Revill to provide the character's voice, preferring it from the options given to him, while an older actress,
Marjorie Eaton, physically portrayed the Emperor in test footage. The footage proved unsatisfactory, and special effects artist
Rick Baker created a full mask that his wife Elaine wore. Chimpanzee eyes were superimposed over her face; cat eyes and assistant accountant Laura Crockett's were also considered.
Pre-production
Pre-production began in early 1978. Although Kershner wanted two years, this phase only lasted a year. Scouts looked at areas in Northern Europe such as Finland, Sweden, and the Arctic Circle to portray Hoth. The location needed to be free of trees and near populated areas for amenities. Kershner credited a Fox distribution employee with recommending
Finse, Norway; Kurtz said it was Reynolds who had done so. For the bog planet Dagobah, scouts looked at Central Africa, Kenya, and Scandinavia. To avoid shooting on location, Lucas funded the construction of a "''Star Wars'' stage" at
Elstree Studios, London, to create the Dagobah and rebel base sets. Construction began at the end of August, costing $2million.
At $3.5million, sets were the single biggest expense. By December 1978, the budget had increased to $21.5million, more than double the original estimate. Financial projections for The Chapter II Company suggested it would run a monthly deficit of $5–25million by the end of 1979, including over $2million in production costs and $400,000 to fund ILM.
As the start of filming in January 1979 loomed, a fire on Elstree's Stage 3—where ''
The Shining'' (1980) was being filmed—destroyed the space planned for ''Empire''s sets.
The impact was significant, costing essential space. The production was forced to give up two stages so ''The Shining'' could continue filming. Sixty-four sets had to be moved through nine stages and the timeline had to be rescheduled. Poor weather delayed construction of the ''Star Wars'' stage, sets and necessary props. Location crew traveled to Finse by February 25 to receive flown-in equipment containers and begin digging trenches for battle scenes.
Music
John Williams
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review '' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...
composed and conducted the musical score for ''The Empire Strikes Back'', performed by the
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
, at a cost of about $250,000. Williams began planning in November 1979, estimating ''Empire'' required 107 minutes of music. For two weeks across 18 three-hour sessions just after Christmas, Williams recorded the score at Anvil Studios and
EMI Studios, London. Up to 104 musicians were involved at one time; the instruments included oboes, piccolos, pianos, and harps.
Filming
Commencement in Norway
Principal photography began on March 5, 1979, on the
Hardangerjøkulen glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...
near Finse, Norway, depicting the planet Hoth. Initially scheduled to conclude on June 22, by the end of the first week it was obvious it would take longer and cost more.
Filming the Hoth scenes on a set was considered but rejected as inauthentic. The location filming coincided with the area's worst snowstorm in half a century, impeding the production with blizzards, winds, and temperatures around to . The weather cleared only twice; some days, filming could not take place. The frigid conditions made the
acetate film brittle, camera lenses iced over, snow seeped into equipment, and effects paint froze in their tins.
To counter this, lenses were kept cool, but the camera body was warmed to protect the film, battery, and camera operators' hands. The crew were outside for up to 11 hours, subjected to thin air, limited visibility, and mild
frostbite
Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when exposed to extreme low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occurs in t ...
; one crewman slipped and broke two ribs. The difficult conditions led to strong camaraderie among the crew.
Avalanches blocked direct transport links, and dug trenches quickly filled with snow. Scenes could be prepared only a few hours in advance and many scenes were filmed just outside the crew's hotel as the shifting weather regularly altered the scenery.
Although Fisher was not scheduled to film scenes in Norway, she joined Hamill on location because she wanted to observe the process. Ford was not scheduled for the Finse phase, but to compensate for the delays, he was brought there instead of creating a separate set in a Leeds studio. On a few hours' notice, he arrived in Finse, having traveled the last of the snow-laden journey by snowplow. Production returned to England after a week, though Hamill had an additional day of filming, and the
second unit
Second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming stag ...
remained through March to film explosions, incidental footage, and battle scenes featuring 35 mountain rescue skiers as extras. The skiers' work was compensated with a donation to the Norwegian
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
.
To film the probe landing, eight sticks of dynamite were placed on the glacier to explode at sunrise, but the demolitions expert in charge knocked the battery out of his radio and received the message too late to capture the intended shot. The opening sweeping shot of the area was captured by flying a helicopter to and performing a controlled drop at a rate of or a minute. Filming the shot was delayed four weeks to construct a heated shelter for the helicopter. The second unit, scheduled to be in Finse for three weeks, was there for eight. When the crew returned to London, they had only half the planned footage, including background plates for special effects shots that were uneven.
''Empire''s budget increased to around $22million because of the delays and having to rework scenes to compensate for the missing footage.
Filming at Elstree Studios
Filming at Elstree began on March 13. Production remained behind schedule without Stage 3, which had been destroyed by fire. The incomplete ''Star Wars'' stage lacked protection from the cold weather. The crew had to work out of any available space. To save time, some scenes were shot simultaneously, including the ice cavern and medical bay. Kershner wanted each character to make a unique entrance in the film. While filming Vader's entrance, the snow troopers preceding Prowse tripped over the polystyrene ice, and the stuntman behind him stood on his cape, breaking it off, causing Prowse to fall onto the snow troopers.
The shoot was strenuous and mired in conflicts.
Fisher suffered from influenza and bronchitis; her weight dropped to working 12-hour days, and she collapsed on set from an allergic reaction to steam or spray paint. She was also allergic to most makeup. Her overuse of
hallucinogens and painkillers, and anxiety while performing her speech to the rebels, worsened her situation. Stress and personal traumas led to frequent arguments among Hamill, Fisher, and Ford.
Ford and Hamill fell ill or were injured at different times. Hamill was depressed by his isolation from human cast members, acting mostly against puppets, robots, and actors whose voices would be dubbed over or added to his scenes later. He was to use an earpiece to hear Oz's dialogue, but for various reasons this did not work, and he struggled to form a relationship with the character. The Dagobah set was liberally sprayed with mineral oil, which caused him physical discomfort for long periods. Hamill called it a "physical ordeal the whole time... but I don't really mind that". At one point, Oz cheered Hamill up with a
Miss Piggy routine. Hamill recalled Ford giving him a kiss instead of reading his lines, entertaining the crew. Mayhew fell ill while filming Han's torture room scene because the set used bursts of steam, raising the ambient temperature to while he was wearing a wool suit.
Bank of America representatives visited the set in late March, concerned about rising costs. Lucas rarely visited the set, but arrived on May 6 after realizing the production was over schedule and budget.
An official Lucasfilm memo instructed staff to misstate the film's direct costs as $17million. Kurtz and Lucas estimated it would cost $25–28million to complete filming. Finances ran out by mid-July when Bank of America refused to increase the loan.
The crisis was kept from the crew, including Kershner, and tactics were used to delay its impact, including paying staff biweekly instead of weekly and Lucas borrowing money from his merchandising company Black Falcon. Lucas worried he would have to sell ''Empire'' and its associated rights to Fox to sustain the project, losing his creative freedom. Fox was also threatening to buy out the
bond
Bond or bonds may refer to:
Common meanings
* Bond (finance), a type of debt security
* Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States
* Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemical ...
and take over filming. With about 20% of ''Empire'' left to film, Lucasfilm president Charles Weber arranged for
Bank of Boston to refinance the loan to $31million, including $27.7million from Bank of Boston and $3million guaranteed by Fox in exchange for an increased percentage of the theatrical returns and 10% of merchandising profits. Lucasfilm took out the loan, making the company directly liable.
The ''Star Wars'' stage was completed in early May. It was too small to house the Rebel hangar and Dagobah sets, and an extension had to be funded and built. The producers mandated filming begin on the stage on May 18, regardless of its state. The hangar scene involved 77 rebel extras, costing £2,000 per day. Around of
dendritic salt, mixed with
magnesium sulfate for a sparkle effect, were used for the snowy sets; the combination gave the cast and crew headaches. Second unit director
John Barry died suddenly in early June;
Harley Cokeliss
Harley Cokeliss (born Harley Louis Cokliss, February 11, 1945) is an American director, writer and producer of film and television.
Early life
Originally brought up in Chicago, he moved to Britain in 1966 to study at the London Film School, ...
replaced him a week later.
The typical purpose of the second unit was to film time-consuming tasks for special effects, but they were involved in filming main scenes—including Luke's ice cave imprisonment—because the schedule had overrun by around 26 days. Hamill was unavailable for several days after injuring his hand during a stunt jump from a
speeder bike. Having been called in for the stunt the same day his son was born, exhausted, and aggravated by the salt-laden setting, Hamill angrily rebuffed Kurtz for not using a double for the scene. Kershner's hands-on directing style, acting out how he should perform a scene, agitated Hamill; Kershner was frustrated that Hamill was not following his advice.
The life-size hangar set was dismantled in mid-June to allow the construction of other sets around the full-scale ''Falcon''. These scenes had to be filmed efficiently, so the ''Falcon'' could be dismantled to make way for the Dagobah set. Filming began on the carbon chamber scene in late June while the second unit filmed anything they could. The raised set was largely incomplete, and low lighting and steam were used to conceal any obvious flaws. The fog machines and heat from the steam made many cast and crew members sick; it took approximately three weeks to film. The confession of love between Leia and Han was scripted with both of them admitting their feelings for the other. Kershner felt this was too "sappy". He had Ford improvise lines repeatedly until Ford said he would do only one more take. He responded to Leia's confession of love saying "I know".
By the end of the month, cast and crew morale was low.
The duel, Dagobah, and conclusion
Hamill returned in early July to film his climactic battle against Darth Vader, portrayed by stunt double
Bob Anderson, who said the experience was like fighting blindfolded because of the costume. Hamill spent weeks practicing his fencing routine, eventually growing frustrated and refusing to continue. The next scene, where Vader confesses he is Luke's father, was shrouded in secrecy. Prowse was given the line "Obi-Wan Kenobi is your father" to read because he was known for repeatedly leaking information.
Only Kershner, the producers, and Hamill knew the actual line.
Hamill was positioned on a platform suspended above a pile of mattresses.
The filmed footage was damaged and the scene had to be entirely reshot in early August. The Vader confrontation took eight weeks to film. Hamill insisted on doing as many of his stunts as possible, though the insurers refused to allow him to perform a fall out of a window. He fell from a nine-inch ledge high but rolled on landing to avoid injury. Lucas returned to the set on July 15, staying for the rest of the filming. He rewrote Luke's scenes on Dagobah, removing or trimming them so they could be shot in just over two weeks.
Most of the cast completed filming by the start of August, including Ford, Fisher, Williams, Mayhew, and Daniels. Hamill began filming on the Dagobah set against Yoda. They only had 12 days to film because Oz was scheduled for another project. With the film now over 50 days behind schedule, Kurtz was removed from his role and replaced by Kazanjian and associate producer
Robert Watts
Robert Watts (born 23 May 1938)Adam Pirani, ''Robert Watts: Secrets of "The Temple of Doom"'', Starlog #94, April 1985, pp 23–26,62. is a British retired film producer who is best known for his involvement with the '' Star Wars'' and ''Indian ...
. One of the last scenes shot was of Luke exploring the dark side tree on Dagobah. A wrap party was held on the set to mark the official conclusion of filming on September 5, 1979, after 133 days. Guinness filmed his scenes against a blue screen the same day.
Kershner and the second unit continued filming other scenes, including Luke's X-Wing being raised from the swamp. Kershner left the set on September 9, and Hamill finished 103 days of filming two days later. The second unit finished filming on September 24 with Hamill's stunt double. There was approximately of film, or 80 hours of footage.
The final budget was $30.5million. Kurtz blamed
inflation
In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reduct ...
, which had increased resource, cast, and crew costs significantly. Lucas blamed Kurtz for lack of oversight and poor financial planning.
Watts said Kurtz was not good with people and never developed a working relationship with Kershner, making it difficult for him to temper the director's indulgences. Kurtz had also given Kershner more leeway because of the delays caused by the Stage 3 fire. Kershner's slower work pace had frustrated Lucas.
He described his filming style as frugal, performing two or three takes with little
coverage film that could later compensate for mistakes. Watts and Reynolds said Kershner often looked at new ways of doing things, but this required planning that only delayed things further. Kershner had tried replicating the quick pacing of ''Star Wars'', not lingering on any scene for too long, and encouraged improvisation, modifying scenes and dialogue to focus more on characters' emotions, such as interrupting Han and Leia as they are about to kiss.
Kazanjian said many mistakes were made but blamed Weber, Lucasfilm vice president John Moohr, and primarily Kurtz. Actor John Morton called Kurtz an unsung hero, who brought his experience of filming war to the film.
Post-production
The schedule overrun resulted in filming and post-production taking place simultaneously; filmed footage was shipped immediately to ILM to begin effects work. A
rough cut was put together by mid-October 1979, resembling the finished film, minus special effects. Lucas provided 31 pages of notes about changes he wanted, mainly alterations in dialogue and scene lengths. Jones recorded Vader's dialogue in late 1979/early 1980. In early 1980, Lucas changed the long-planned opening of Luke riding his tauntaun to a shot of the Star Destroyer launching probes. He continued tweaking elements to improve the special effects, but even with ILM staff working up to 24 hours a day, six days a week, there was not enough time to do everything they wanted. A Dagobah
pick-up scene, in which R2-D2 is spat out by a monster, was filmed in Lucas's swimming pool; the Emperor's scenes were filmed in February 1980.
Fox executives did not see a cut of the film until March. That month, Lucas decided he wanted an additional Hoth scene and auditioned 50 ILM crew to appear as Rebels. The final 124-minute cut was completed on April 16, which triggered a $10million payment from Fox to Bank of Boston.
Lucasfilm also launched an employee bonus scheme to share ''Empire''s profits with its staff. Test screenings were held in San Francisco on April 19. While the tauntaun special effect was criticized, audiences liked Han's reply of "I know" to Leia's confession of love. Lucas was unimpressed by the scene, believing it was not how Han would act.
Because the magnetic soundtrack could flake from the film reels, Kurtz hired people to watch the film reels 24 hours a day to identify defects; 22% were defective.
Shortly after the film's theatrical release, Lucas decided the ending was unclear about where Luke and Leia were in relation to Lando and Chewbacca. In the three-week window between its limited and wider release, Lucas, Johnston, and visual effects artist
Ken Ralston filmed enhancement scenes at ILM, using existing footage, a new score, modified dialogue, and new miniatures to create establishing shots of the Rebel fleet and their relative positions.
By the project's conclusion, around 700 people had worked on ''Empire''.
Special effects and design
Lucas's firm, Industrial Light & Magic, developed the special effects for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' at a cost of $8million, including staffing and the construction of the company's new facility in Marin County. The building was still under construction when staff arrived in September 1978, and initially lacked the equipment that would be necessary to complete their work. Compared to the 360 special effects shots for ''Star Wars'', ''Empire'' required around 600.
The crew, supervised by
Richard Edlund
Richard Edlund, (born December 6, 1940) is an American visual effects artist and inventor. He was a founding member of Industrial Light & Magic, having already founded Pignose amplifiers, and later co-founded Boss Film Studios and DuMonde VFX. H ...
and
Brian Johnson, included
Dennis Muren
Dennis Muren, A.S.C (born November 1, 1946) is an American film visual effects artist and supervisor. He has worked on the films of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron, among others, and has won nine Oscars in total: eight for Be ...
,
Bruce Nicholson
Bruce Nicholson is a special effects artist who received the Special Achievement Academy Award in 1980 for the visual effects of the film ''The Empire Strikes Back'', which he shared with Brian Johnson, Richard Edlund and Dennis Muren. He won his f ...
,
Lorne Peterson,
Steve Gawley,
Phil Tippett, Tom St. Amand, and
Nilo Rodis-Jamero
''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various films ...
. Up to 100 people worked on the project daily, including Stuart Freeborn, who was responsible mainly for crafting the Yoda puppet. Various techniques, including
miniatures,
matte paintings
Mattes are used in photography and special effects filmmaking to combine two or more image elements into a single, final image. Usually, mattes are used to combine a foreground image (e.g. actors on a set) with a background image (e.g. a scenic ...
,
stop motion, articulated models and full-size vehicles were used to create ''Empire''s various effects.
Release
Context
Industry professionals expected comedies and positive entertainment to dominate theaters in 1980 because of low morale in the United States caused by an
economic recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by variou ...
. This generally increased theatrical visits as audiences sought escapism and ignored romantic films and depictions of
blue-collar life.
A surge of interest in science fiction following ''Star Wars'' led to many low-budget entries in the genre attempting to profit by association and big-budget entries such as ''
Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' and ''
The Black Hole
''The Black Hole'' is a 1979 American science fiction film directed by Gary Nelson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. The film stars Maximilian Schell, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux, Anthony Perkins and Ernest Borgn ...
'', both released just months before ''The Empire Strikes Back''.
Sequels were not expected to perform as well as their originals, and there were low expectations for merchandising. Even so, tie-in deals were arranged with
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...
,
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other me ...
,
General Mills
General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company or ...
, and
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, a ...
collectibles.
Fox was confident in the film and spent little money on advertising, taking out small advertisements in newspapers instead of full-page spreads. The studio's market research showed 60% of those interested in the film were male. Lucasfilm set up a telephone number allowing callers to hear a message from cast members. Fox demanded a minimum 28-week appearance in theaters, where 12 weeks was the norm for major films. Estimates suggested ''Empire'' needed to earn $57.2million to be profitable, after marketing, distribution, and loan interest costs.
Credits and title
As with ''Star Wars'', Lucas wanted to place all of the
crew credits at the end of the film to avoid interfering with the opening. The
Writers Guild of America (WGA) and
Directors Guild of America
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film director, film and television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dire ...
(DGA) had allowed this for the first film because Lucas directed and it opened with the logo for his namesake Lucasfilm, but for ''Empire'' they refused to allow Kershner or the first and second unit directors to be credited only at the end, fined Lucas $250,000 when he ignored them and tried to have the film removed from theaters. Because Lucas had followed the laws relevant to the United Kingdom where it was produced, the DGA was unable to sanction him and instead fined Kershner $25,000. Lucas paid his fine but was so frustrated that he left the WGA, DGA, and
Motion Picture Association
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...
, which restricted his ability to write and direct future films.
''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...
'' leaked the film's title in January 1978; it was officially announced in August. The
opening crawl
The ''Star Wars'' opening crawl is a signature device of the opening sequences of every numbered film of the '' Star Wars'' series, an American epic space opera franchise created by George Lucas. Within a black sky background featuring a smatt ...
identified the film as ''Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back'', establishing Lucas's plan to make a nine-part ''Star Wars'' series. ''Star Wars'' was also renamed ''Episode IV — A New Hope''.
Roger Kastel designed the theatrical poster.
Box office
''The Empire Strikes Back'' debuted at the
Dominion Theatre, London, on May 6, 1980, followed by a
premiere
A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition.
A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its fi ...
on May 17 at the
Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. This event featured the principal cast. 600 children, including
Special Olympians, attended.
Its world premiere took place on May 20 at the
Odeon Leicester Square, London. Dubbed "Empire Day", the event included actors in Stormtrooper attire interacting with people across the city.
In North America, ''Empire'' opened in mid-week on May 21, leading into the extended
Memorial Day
Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...
holiday weekend.
The number of theaters was deliberately
limited to 126 theaters to make it difficult to get a ticket, thus generating more appeal—a strategy used with films expected to receive positive word of mouth. It earned $1.3million during its opening day—an average of $10,581 per theater.
''Empire'' earned a further $4.9million during the weekend and $1.5million during the holiday Monday for a total of $6.4million—an average of $50,919 per theater—making it the number one film of the weekend, ahead of the
counterprogrammed debuts of the comedy ''
The Gong Show Movie
''The Gong Show Movie'' is a 1980 American slapstick film starring, co-written and directed by Chuck Barris, the host and creator of the popular game show with the same name.
Plot
The film shows a fictional week in the life of Chuck Barris as th ...
'' ($1.5million) and ''The Shining'' ($600K).
By the end of its first week, the film had earned $9.6million—a 60% increase over ''Star Wars''—averaging $76,201 per theater, the highest-ever figure for a film in over 100 theaters.
It remained number one until its fourth weekend when it fell to third with $3.6million, behind spoof comedy ''
Wholly Moses!'' ($3.62million) and western ''
Bronco Billy'' ($3.7million).
It regained the number one position in its fifth weekend, expanding its theater count to 823 and earning $10.8million.
Combined with its weekday gross, ''Empire'' earned a single-week gross of approximately $20million, a box office record the film would hold until ''
Superman II
''Superman II'' is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the second installment in the ''Superman'' film se ...
''s $24million the following year.
It remained number one for the next seven weeks, before falling to number two in its thirteenth week with $4.3million behind the debuting ''
Smokey and the Bandit II
''Smokey and the Bandit II'' is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason and Dom DeLuise. The film is the sequel to the 1977 film ''Smokey and the Bandit''.
...
'' ($10.9million). Detailed box office tracking is unavailable for the rest of ''Empire''s 32-week, 1,278-theater total run.
''Empire'' earned approximately $181.4–209.4million, making it the
highest-grossing film of the year, ahead of the comedy films ($103.3million), ''
Stir Crazy'' ($101.3million), and ''
Airplane!'' ($83.5million).
Although it earned less than the $221.3million of ''Star Wars'', ''Empire'' was considered a financial success, and industry experts estimated the film returned $120million to the filmmakers,
recouping Lucas's investment and clearing his debt; he also paid out $5million in employee bonuses. Box office figures are unavailable for all the releases outside of North America in 1980, although ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' reported the film performed well in the United Kingdom and Japan. According to ''
Variety'', ''Empire'' earned approximately $192.1million, giving the film a cumulative worldwide gross of $401.5million, making it the highest-grossing film of the year. ''Empire'' did not receive the same repeat business as ''Star Wars'', which Lucas blamed on its inconclusive ending.
''Empire'' has received multiple theatrical re-releases, including in July 1981 ($26.8million), November 1982 ($14.5million), and
Special Edition versions, modified by Lucas, in February 1997 ($67.6million). Cumulatively, these releases have raised the North American box office gross to $290.3–$292.4million. It is estimated to have earned a worldwide total of $538.4–$549million.
Adjusted for inflation, the North American box office is equivalent to $920.8million, making it the
thirteenth-highest-grossing film ever.
Reception
Critical response
Upon its initial release, ''The Empire Strikes Back'' received mixed reviews compared to the positive reception of ''Star Wars''.
The film appeared fourth-most on 24 critics' top ten films of the year lists. Fan reactions were decidedly mixed, concerned by the change in tone and narrative reveals, particularly Leia's love for Han over Luke and his relationship with Vader.
Some critics believed ''The Empire Strikes Back'' was a good film but not as enjoyable as ''Star Wars''.
They believed the tonal shift featuring darker material and more mature story lines detracted from the charm, fun, and comic silliness of the original.
''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
''s Joy Gould Boyum believed it was "absurd" to add dramatic weight to the lighthearted ''Star Wars'', stripping it of its innocence. Writing for ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'', Gary Arnold found the darker undercurrents and greater narrative scale interesting because it created more dramatic threads to explore.
''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
''s
David Denby argued it was more spectacular than the original, but lacked its
camp
Camp may refer to:
Outdoor accommodation and recreation
* Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site
* a temporary settlement for nomads
* Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
style. ''The Hollywood Reporter''s
Arthur Knight believed the novelty of the original and plethora of space opera films produced since made ''Empire'' seem derivative; even so, he called it the best in the genre since ''Star Wars''.
Writing for ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'',
Gerald Clarke believed ''Empire'' surpassed ''Star Wars'' in several ways, including being more visually and artistically interesting.
''The New York Times''s
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...
called it a more mechanical, less suspenseful experience.
Writing for the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'',
Charles Champlin
Charles Davenport Champlin (March 23, 1926 – November 16, 2014) was an American film critic and writer.
Life and career
Champlin was born in Hammondsport, New York. He attended high school in Camden, New York, working as a columnist for the ...
said the inconclusive ending cleverly completed the narrative while serving as a cliffhanger, but Clarke called it a "not very satisfying" conclusion.
Canby and the ''
Chicago Reader
The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by ...
''s
Dave Kehr
David Kehr (born 1953) is an American museum curator and film critic. For many years a critic at the '' Chicago Reader'' and the ''Chicago Tribune,'' he later wrote a weekly column for ''The New York Times'' on DVD releases. He later became a ...
believed as the middle film it should have focused on narrative development instead of exposition, but found little progression between the film's beginning and end.
''The Washington Post''s
Judith Martin labeled it a "good junk" film, enjoyable but fleeting, because it lacked a stand-alone narrative.
Knight and Clarke found the story sometimes difficult to follow—Knight because the
third act
Third Act is the third full-length album by the Swedish/Danish band Evil Masquerade.
Track listing
All songs written by Henrik Flyman.
Black Ravens Cry was released as a single in 2012 by Dark Minstrel Music
Personnel
;Evil Masquerade
*Hen ...
jumped between separate storylines, and Clarke because he missed important information in the fast-paced plot.
Kehr and ''
Sight & Sound''s Richard Combs wrote that characterization seemed to be less important than special effects, visual spectacle and action set pieces that accomplished little narratively.
Reviews were mixed for the central cast.
Knight wrote Kershner's direction made the characters more human with fewer
archetype
The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis.
An archetype can be any of the following:
# a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ...
s.
Hamill, Fisher, and Ford received some praise, with Champlin calling Hamill "youthfully innocent" and engaging and Fisher independent.
Arnold described the character progression as less development and more "finesse", with little change taking place,
and Kehr felt the characters were "stiffer" without Lucas's direction.
Knight called Guinness's performance half-hearted,
and
Janet Maslin
Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...
criticized Lando Calrissian, the only major black character in the film, as "exaggeratedly unctuous, untrustworthy and loaded with
jive".
The ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
''s
Gene Siskel
Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the '' Chicago Tribune''. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of movie review programs on television from 1975 until his ...
said the non-human characters, including the robots and Chewbacca, remained the most lovable creatures, with Yoda the film's highlight.
Knight, Gould Boyum, and Arnold considered Yoda's expressions so realistic that they believed an actor's face had been
composited onto the puppet.
Canby called the human cast bland and nondescript, and said even the robot characters offered diminishing enjoyment, but Yoda was a success when used sparingly.
Although Arnold praised Kershner's direction, others believed that Lucas's oversight was obvious and ''Empire'' lacked Kershner's established directorial sensibilities. Denby described his work as "impersonal" and Canby believed it was impossible to identify what Kershner had contributed.
Combs believed Kershner was an "ill-advised" director because he emphasized the characters, but the result was common tropes at the expense of the comic-strip pace of ''Star Wars''.
Cinematographer
Peter Suschitzky's work was praised for its visuals and bold color choices.
The special effects were lauded as "breathtaking",
"ingenious",
and visually dazzling.
Jim Harwood wrote they were let down only by the competence of those in the original, which were emulated by other films.
Champlin appreciated that effects were used to enhance scenes instead of being the focus.
Accolades
At the
1981 Academy Awards, ''The Empire Strikes Back'' won the award for
Best Sound (
Bill Varney,
Steve Maslow
Steve Maslow (born October 17, 1944) is an American sound engineer. He won three Academy Awards for Best Sound and has been nominated for four more in the same category. He has worked on more than 200 films since 1978.
Selected filmography
Mas ...
,
Gregg Landaker
Gregg Landaker (born 1951) is a retired American re-recording mixer. He won four Academy Awards for Best Sound and has been nominated for five more in the same category. He worked on 207 films from 1979 until his retirement in 2017, when he dec ...
, and
Peter Sutton) and a
Special Achievement Academy Award
The Special Achievement Award is an Academy Award given for an achievement that makes an exceptional contribution to the motion picture for which it was created, but for which there is no annual award category. Many of the film projects that recei ...
for
Best Visual Effects (Brian Johnson, Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, and Bruce Nicholson). The film received a further two nominations:
Best Art Direction (Norman Reynolds,
Leslie Dilley
Leslie Dilley (born 1941) is a Welsh art director and production designer. During his film career from the 1970s to 2000s, he won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction twice for '' Star Wars'' (1977) and ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981). D ...
,
Harry Lange Harry Hans-Kurt Lange (December 7, 1930 – May 22, 2008) was a German film production designer and art director.
Lange was born in 1930 in Eisenach, Thuringia. After World War II, Thuringia became part of Soviet-controlled East Germany; L ...
,
Alan Tomkins
Alan Tomkins (19 January 1939 – 21 September 2020) was a British art director. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film ''The Empire Strikes Back''. Tomkins was born in Fulham, London in 1939. ...
, and
Michael Ford) and
Best Original Score (
John Williams
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review '' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...
).
For the
39th Golden Globe Awards, Williams earned the film's sole nomination, for
Best Original Score.
He won two
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
for
Best Instrumental Composition and
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.
The
34th British Academy Film Awards
The 34th British Academy Film Awards, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1981, honoured the best films of 1980.
There are no records, and no explanation, showing any nominations nor winner for the BAFTA Award for Best Ac ...
earned the film one award for
Best Music
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporation ...
(Williams), and two additional nominations:
Best Sound (Sutton, Varney, and
Ben Burtt) and
Best Production Design (Reynolds).
At the
8th Saturn Awards, ''Empire'' received four awards:
Best Science Fiction Film,
Best Director (Kershner),
Best Actor
Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play.
The term most often refers to the ...
(Hamill), and
Best Special Effects (Johnson and Edlund).
The film also won a
Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and a
People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture.
Post-release
Special Edition and other changes
Coinciding with Lucas's plans to develop a
prequel trilogy of films in the late 1990s, he remastered and rereleased his original trilogy, including ''Empire'', under the title ''Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition'' to test special effects. This included altering or adding new scenes, some of which tied into the prequel films. Lucas described it as bringing the trilogy closer to his original vision with modern technology. Among the alterations, full shots of the wampa were introduced, along with
computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The image ...
shots of locations with added buildings or people.
These editions were well-received by critics.
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
called ''Empire'' the best and "heart" of the original trilogy.
Since their initial release, the Special Editions have been altered multiple times. For the 2004 rerelease, the Clive Revill/Elaine Baker Emperor was replaced by
Ian McDiarmid
Ian McDiarmid (; born 11 August 1944) is a Scottish actor and director of stage and screen, best known for portraying the Sith Lord Emperor Sheev Palpatine / Darth Sidious in the ''Star Wars'' multimedia franchise. Making his stage debut in ' ...
, who had performed the role since ''
Return of the Jedi'' (1983).
Temuera Morrison
Temuera Derek Morrison (born 26 December 1960) is a New Zealand actor and Singer who first gained recognition for his role as Dr. Hone Ropata on the soap opera '' Shortland Street''. He gained critical acclaim for his starring role as Jake "Th ...
, who portrayed Fett's clone predecessor in ''
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'' (2002), also dubbed over Wingreen's lines.
Minor changes were made for the 2011 Blu-ray release, including adding flames to the probe droid's impact crater and color modifications.
The Special Edition releases were controversial with fans, who considered the changes to the original films unnecessary or to have altered them substantially.
The unaltered versions have been commercially unavailable since a 2006 DVD release, which used unrestored footage from an early 1990s
Laserdisc
The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diameter typical ...
release. ''
Harmy's Despecialized Edition
''Star Wars: The Despecialized Edition'', also known as ''Harmy's Despecialized Edition'' is a fan-created film preservation of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy films: '' Star Wars'' (1977), ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ''Return of ...
'' is an unofficial fan effort to preserve the unaltered films.
The 2010 documentary ''
The People vs. George Lucas
''The People vs. George Lucas'' is a 2010 documentary comedy film directed by Swiss director Alexandre O. Philippe. It explores the issues of filmmaking and fanaticism pertaining to the '' Star Wars'' franchise and its creator, George Lucas. Th ...
'' documents the relationship between the films, their fans, and Lucas.
Home media
''Empire'' was released on
VHS (Video Home System), Laserdisc, and
CED videodisc formats in 1985. The VHS and Laserdisc versions received various releases in the following years, often alongside the other original trilogy films in collections, with minor alterations such as
widescreen formats or remastered sound. The 1992 Special Collector's Edition included the documentary ''From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga''. In 1997, the Special Edition of the original trilogy was released on VHS.
When the film debuted on television in November 1987, it was preceded by a second-person introduction by Darth Vader, framed as an interruption of the Earth broadcast by the Galactic Empire.
The film was released on
DVD in 2004, collected with ''Star Wars'' and ''Return of the Jedi'', with additional alterations to each film. The release included the documentary ''
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy'', about the making of the original trilogy.
Lucas said the modified versions were the way he had wanted them to be, and he had no interest in restoring the original theatrical cuts for release. Public demand eventually led to the release of the 2006 Limited Edition DVD collection that included the original unmodified films transferred from the 1993 Laserdisc Definitive Edition, creating problems with the image display.
''Empire'' was released on
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
in 2011, as part of a collection containing the Special Edition original trilogy and a separate version containing the original and prequel trilogies alongside
featurette
In the American film industry, a featurette is a kind of film that is shorter than a full-length feature, but longer than a short film. The term may refer to either of two types of content: a shorter film or a companion film.
Medium-length fil ...
s about the making of the films.
''Empire'', alongside the other available films, was first released
digitally in 2015 across various platforms, and in
4K resolution
4K resolution refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. Digital television and digital cinematography commonly use several different 4K resolutions. In television and consumer media, 38402160 (4K UHD) is the domi ...
restored from the 1997 special edition print for its 2019 launch on
Disney+
Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
.
In 2020, a 27-disc Skywalker Saga box set was released, containing the nine films in the series, with each film on three discs, a Blu-ray version, a
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, and special features found on the 2011 release.
Other media
Merchandise for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' includes posters, children's books, clothing, character busts and statues, action figures, furnishings, and
Lego
Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocki ...
sets.
The
novelization
A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...
of the film, written by
Donald F. Glut
Donald F. Glut (; born February 19, 1944) is an American writer, motion picture film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for writing the novelization of the second ''Star Wars'' film, ''The Empire Strikes Back''.
Filmmaker Amateur car ...
and released in April 1980, was a success, selling 2–3million copies.
A ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...
'' comic book series, launched in 1977 by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
and written by
Archie Goodwin and
Carmine Infantino
Carmine Michael Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creations are ...
, adapted the original trilogy of films; ''Empire''s run began in 1980.
The book ''The Making of the Empire Strikes Back'' (2010) by
J. W. Rinzler
Jonathan W. Rinzler (August 17, 1962July 28, 2021) was a film historian and writer, known for publishing books about the behind the scenes of blockbuster movies such as '' Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones''. Rinzler also wrote the novel ''Indiana ...
provides a comprehensive history of the film's production, including behind-the-scenes photos and cast interviews.
The film was the first in the series to be adapted for video games, beginning with ''
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'' (1982) developed by
Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers (known by Parker outside of North America) was an American toy and game manufacturer which in 1991 became a brand of Hasbro. More than 1,800 games were published under the Parker Brothers name since 1883. Among its products we ...
for the
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocesso ...
games console.
This was followed in 1985 by the ''
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back''
arcade game
An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade vi ...
.
''
Star Wars Trilogy Arcade
''Star Wars Trilogy Arcade'' is an arcade game developed by Sega's AM Annex subsidiary and released in 1998. It is a 3D rail shooter based on the original trilogy of '' Star Wars'' films, released alongside their special editions. Accompanied ...
'' (1998) features the Hoth battle as a
level
Level or levels may refer to:
Engineering
*Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights
*Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical
* Canal pound or level
*Reg ...
.
''
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'' was released in 1992 for the
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
and
Game Boy
The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same t ...
, and ''
Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'' followed in 1993 for the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eu ...
.
Scenes from ''Empire'' have also appeared in games like ''
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron'' (1998) and ''
Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron'' (2007).
''The Empire Strikes Back''
pinball machine (1980) was the first officially licensed ''Star Wars'' pinball machine. It became a collector's item, as only 350 machines were produced exclusively in Australia.
Thematic analysis
Mythology and inspirations
Critical analysis has suggested various inspirations for ''Empire'', particularly the early 1930s ''
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established '' Buck Rogers'' adv ...
'' serials that include a cloud city similar to Bespin. Film critic Tim Robey wrote that much of ''Empire''s imagery and narrative can be connected to the 1975 film ''
Dersu Uzala'', directed by
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...
—whose work inspired Lucas.
Muren described the Empire's assault on Hoth with AT-AT vehicles as an analogy for the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, specifically an invading military employing equipment inappropriate for the local terrain.
Clarke identified Luke as the heir to mythological heroes, such as
Prometheus,
Jason
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...
, and
Galahad. He is guided initially by a traditional aide, Obi-Wan, who offers the promise of destiny until he is replaced by Yoda. Anne Lancashire wrote that the Yoda narrative is a traditional mythological tale in which the hero is trained by a wise old master and must abandon all his preconceived notions. Clarke described
Luke's journey as the hero who ventures into the unknown to be tested by his own dark impulses but eventually overcomes them. He believed this represented the human ability to control irrational impulsiveness to serve love, order, and justice.
Lucas wanted Yoda to be a traditional fairy-tale or mythological character, akin to a frog or an unassuming old man, to instill a message about respecting everyone and not judging on appearance alone, because he believed that would lead the hero to succeed.
''
The New York Observer
''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper printed from 1987 to 2016, when it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainmen ...
''s Brandon Katz described Yoda as deepening the Force through philosophy. Yoda says they are all luminous beings beyond just flesh and matter, and presents the Jedi as
Zen warriors who work in harmony with the Force. Kasdan described them as enlightened warrior priests, similar to
Samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...
.
Religion
In developing the Force, Lucas said he wanted it to represent the core essence of multiple religions unified by their common traits. Primarily, he designed it with the intent that there is good, evil, and a god. Lucas's personal faith includes a
belief in God and basic morality, such as treating others fairly and not taking another's life. ''The Presbyterian Journal'' described the film's religious message as closer to
Eastern religions
The Eastern religions are the religions which originated in East, South and Southeast Asia and thus have dissimilarities with Western, African and Iranian religions. This includes the East Asian religions such as Confucianism, Taoism, Chine ...
such as
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheisti ...
or
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
than
Judeo-Christian
The term Judeo-Christian is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism, Christianity's borrowing of Jewish Scripture to constitute the "Old Testament" of the Christian Bible, o ...
, presenting
good and evil
In religion, ethics, philosophy, and psychology "good and evil" is a very common dichotomy. In cultures with Manichaean and Abrahamic religious influence, evil is perceived as the dualistic antagonistic opposite of good, in which good shou ...
as abstract concepts. Similarly, God or the Force is an impersonal entity, taking no
direct action
Direct action originated as a political activist term for economic and political acts in which the actors use their power (e.g. economic or physical) to directly reach certain goals of interest, in contrast to those actions that appeal to oth ...
. ''
Christianity Today
''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evan ...
'' said that the film's drama is caused by the absence of a righteous god or being creating a direct influence.
Lancashire and J. W. Rinzler described Luke's journey as based purely on Christianity, focused on destiny and
free will
Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded.
Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to ac ...
, with Luke serving as a
Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...
-like figure and Vader as a
fallen angel attempting to lure him toward evil. Kershner said any religious symbolism was unintentional, as he wanted to focus on the power of an individual's untapped potential instead of magic.
Duality and evil
Anne Lancashire contrasted the first ''Star Wars'' film's message of idealism, heroics, and friendship with the more complex tone of ''Empire''. The latter challenges the former's notions, primarily because Luke loses his innocence in coming to perceive people as neither entirely good nor evil.
The scene in which Luke enters the dark side cave on Dagobah represents where his anger will lead him and forces him to move beyond his belief that he is completely on the light side of the Force. Kershner said the cave tests Luke against his greatest fear, but because the fear is in his mind, and he brought his weapon with him, it creates a scenario where he is forced to use it. After defeating the avatar of Vader, the mask splits open to reveal Luke's face, suggesting he will succumb to the temptations of the dark side unless he learns patience and to abandon his anger.
The darkness is similarly presented in Han, a self-interested smuggler struggling with his growing feelings for Leia and the responsibility associated with her cause. The film represents his two sides in Leia and Lando, a representative of his smuggler life. ''Empire'' questions the cost of friendship. Where ''Star Wars'' presents traditional friendship, ''Empire'' presents friendship as requiring sacrifice. Han sacrifices himself in the frigid cold of Hoth to save Luke's life.
Similarly, Luke abandons his Jedi training, something he has longed for, to rescue his friends. This can be seen as a selfish choice, as he does so against Yoda and Obi-Wan's instructions, potentially sacrificing himself for his friends instead of training to defeat the Empire, a cause his friends support.
According to Lancashire, characters are shown to be heroic through sacrificing for others instead of fighting battles.
Lancashire believed that Luke's impatience to leave for Bespin exemplifies his lack of growth from his training. There, Vader tempts him with the power of the dark side and the revelation that he is Luke's father. Vader wants Luke's help to destroy the Emperor, not for good, but so that Vader can impose his own order over the galaxy. This admission robs Luke of the idealized image of his Jedi father, reveals Obi-Wan's deception in hiding his parentage, and takes the last of his innocence.
Gerald Clarke suggests Luke is not strong or virtuous enough to resist Vader during this confrontation, and so allows himself to fall into the airshaft below, showing the antagonist does sometimes win.
The concept of a character having a good father and an evil father is a common story trope because of its simple representations of good and evil. At the film's finale, Luke has a greater understanding of the relationship between good and evil, and the
dual nature of people.
Legacy
Critical reassessment
''The Empire Strikes Back'' remains an enduringly popular piece of cinema.
It is considered groundbreaking for its
cliffhanger ending, influence on mainstream films, and special effects.
For
CNN, Brian Lowry wrote that without the "groundwork laid by one of the best sequels ever,
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" with a daringly dark ending that few films would replicate.