Star Wars Insider – July 2019

STAR WARS INSIDER / 19

THE SKYWALKER SAGA

he Empires Strikes

Back, Episode V

of the Skywalker

saga, opens on

a snow-covered

planet. Amid

familiar elements, it quickly

becomes apparent that some time

has passed since the end of Star

Wars: A New Hope (1977). Between

stints repairing the Millennium

Falcon, Han Solo and Chewbacca

are scouting the perimeter of a new

rebel base. Luke Skywalker still has

his lightsaber and X-wing, but now

commands a squadron. Princess

Leia is a key voice in the command

center and briefs combat pilots as

the Empire’s forces closes in on

their location.

The movie’s fi rst act establishes

that the big three characters’

relationships have developed.

Their friendships have endured

long past their frantic escape from

the Death Star—and quite possibly

more than friendship is brewing

between Han and Leia.

Most importantly, the fi lm’s

memorable fi rst act also highlights

that the war between the Rebel

Alliance and the Empire is far from

over. The Battle of Hoth showcases

how the two opposing forces must

fi ght differently, with massive

Imperial AT-AT walkers deployed

on the planet’s icy surface to take

out the rebel shield generator,

defended by ground troops and

snowspeeders. The destruction of

the Death Star wasn’t an ending,

but rather a beginning...

Fairy Tale At Its Core

In 2010, Vanity Fair interviewed

director Irvin Kershner about

making the sequel to A New Hope.

He said: “When I fi nally accepted

the assignment, I knew that it was

going to be a dark fi lm, with more

depth to the characters than in the

fi rst fi lm. It took a few years for the

critics to catch up with the fi lm,

and to see it as a fairy tale rather

than a comic book.”

But what exactly are the aspects

of a fairy tale that Kershner

captured? In the most obvious

sense for moviegoers, the fi lm is

saturated with color, particularly

once the heroes fl ee Hoth and

go their separate ways. From the

interior shots of the Millennium

Falcon, where Leia and Han are

forced to confront their feelings

for each other, to Dagobah, where

Luke begins his spirit journey

with the help of Yoda, the fi lm

is vibrant, evoking such classic

cinematic fairy tales as Disney’s

Snow White (1939) and Sleeping

Beauty (1959).

“a tense and pictorially dazzling

science-fiction chase melodrama

that sustains two hours of elaborate

adventure while sneaking up

on you emotionally.”

Gary Arnold, Washington Post

T

FACTS &
FIGURES

Title / Star Wars: The
Empire Strikes Back
Episode / Five
Poster Tagline / The Star
Wars saga continues
Theatrical Release /
May 21, 1980
Run time / 124 mins
MPAA / “Rated PG”
Budget / $18 Million
Domestic Opening
Weekend / $4,910,
Domestic Box Offi ce /
$290, 475, 067
Worldwide Box Offi ce /
$538, 375, 067
Awards / Academy Award
for Best Sound, Special
Academy Achievment
Award for Visual Effects,
BAFTA for Best Score.