| Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back | |
|---|---|
 "The battle continues..." | |
| Directed By | Irvin Kershner |
| Written By | George Lucas |
| Screenplay By | George Lucas, Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan |
| Cast | Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Frank Oz |
| Produced By | Gary Kurtz |
| Cinematography By | Peter Suschitzky, BSC. |
| Film Editing By | Paul Hirsch |
| Music By | John Williams |
| Studio | Lucasfilm |
| Distributed By | 20th Century Fox |
| Franchise | Star Wars Franchise |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Release Date | May 21, 1980 |
| Runtime | 127 Minutes |
| Rating | PG |
| Budget | $25,000,000 |
| Gross | $538,375,067 |
Overview[]
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back or better known simply as The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American produced science fiction fantasy-adventure film starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, David Prowse, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew with James Earl Jones and Frank Oz as principal voice actors. It was directed by Irvin Kershner and was a direct sequel of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. It was subsequently followed by a sequel, Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi in 1983 which completed the first Star Wars Trilogy.
Originally the film suffered from mixed reviews from critics but has become regarded as one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time.
Three years after Luke Skywalker has destroyed the Death Star, the Empire has been in relentless pursuit of the Rebel Alliance under the terrifying command of Darth Vader. But even as Luke pledges to apprentice under Jedi Master Yoda to learn the ways of a Jedi Knight, his friends Han Solo and Leia Organa have been captured by Vader. Now young Skywalker faces perhaps his greatest trial: to abandon his friends and become a Jedi Knight ... or confront the Dark Lord of the Sith once more and risk falling to the Dark Side as Vader once did?
Plot[]
A Long Time Ago, in a Galaxy Far, Far Away; the Empire has launched a fierce counterstrike towards the Rebel Alliance in retaliation for their destruction of the "Death Star". Their relentlessly pursuit has forced the rebels to take sanctuary on the remote ice planet of Hoth.
During a extended scouting patrol, Luke Skywalker is surprised by a monstrous wampa creature. Although wounded, he is able to slay the creature but is stranded without food or shelter from the plummeting temperatures. In a delirium, he is contacted by the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi who tells him to seek out the last Jedi Master, Yoda on the planet Dagobah to complete his training as a Jedi Knight.
But not even the frozen wastelands of Hoth is enough to shield the rebels from the tenacious Darth Vader who seeks to capture Luke Skywalker and bring him over to the Dark Side. As the Empire assaults Hoth Base, Luke Skywalker is separated from his friends; Han Solo, Chewbacca, C3-PO, and Princess Leia and is able to escape detection, traveling to the swamp planet of Dagobah to find the unassuming Jedi Master and undergoes the harsh training of a Jedi.
His friends however are not as adept in evading the Empire and they are pursued by the Imperial Starfleet and troubled by a malfunctioning hyperdrive and surprisingly, both Han and Leia are drawn closer to one another. Ultimately, Han decides to seek assistance from an old friend, the scoundrel Lando Calrissian. Unfortunately, they have been tracked by the bounty hunter Boba Fett and are instead captured and imprisoned by Darth Vader who brutally tortures them in order to draw Luke to them.
Sensing his friends' pain and suffering, Luke breaks off from his training under Yoda despite advice from both Yoda and Kenobi.
Meanwhile, Vader intends to entrap Luke in a form of suspended animation via a carbonite freezing chamber and elects to test it on the hapless Han Solo. His test is successful and he dismissively relinquishes the block of carbonite and Solo to Boba Fett who intends to bring him to Jabba the Hutt who has a long standing bounty on Solo's head.
Drawn into a trap, Luke engages into a fierce lightsaber duel against Darth Vader who ruthlessly severs Luke's right hand to disarm him and begs him to join him. Luke savagely protests, angrily starting that he would never join the man who murdered his father to which Vader reveals that he is in fact, Luke's father!
Taken aback and horrified, Luke chooses to fling himself down an airshaft to escape and is rescued by Lando Calrissian and the others thanks to Leia receiving a telepathic plea for help from Luke and flee into hyperspace.
Afterwards, as Luke is recuperating and being fitted with a cybernetic hand to replace his lost limb, he and Leia watch as Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca take off on a quest to track down Boba Fett and rescue Han Solo.
Cast[]
- Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
- Harrison Ford as Han Solo
- Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia
- Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian
- Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
- Kenny Baker as R2-D2
- David Prowse as Darth Vader
- James Earl Jones as Darth Vader (voice)
- Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca
- Frank Oz as Yoda
- Jeremy Bulloch as Boba Fett, Sheckil
- Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi
- John Hollis as Lobot
- Jack Purvis as Ugloste
- Des Webb as Wampa
- Clive Revill as Emperor Palpatine
- Kenneth Colley as Admiral Firmus Piett
- Julian Glover as General Maximilian Veers
- Michael Sheard as Admiral Kendal Ozzel
- Michael Culver as Captain Lorth Needa
- John Dicks as Captain Lennox
- Milton Johns as Bewil
- Mark Jones as Commander Nemet
- Oliver Maguire as Cabbel
- Bruce Boa as General Carlist Rieekan
- Christopher Malcolm as Zev Senesca
- Denis Lawson as Wedge Antilles
- Richard Oldfield as Derek Klivian
- John Morton as Dak Ralter
- Ian Liston as Wes Janson
- John Ratzenberger as Major Bren Derlin
- Jack McKenzie as Cal Alder
- Jerry Harte as Romas Navander
- Norman Chancer as Tamizander Rey
- Norwich Duff as Jeroen Webb
- Ray Hassett as Tigran Jamiro
- Brigitte Kahn as Toryn Farr
- Burnell Tucker as Del Goren
- Bob Anderson as Darth Vader, Trey Callum
- Elaine Baker as Emperor Palpatine
- Lightning Bear as Stormtrooper
- Richard Bonehill as Snowtrooper, Stormtrooper, Palo Torshan
- Morris Bush as Dengar
- Mark Capri as Officer M'kae
- Peter Diamond as Snowtrooper
- Stuart Fell as Snowtrooper
- Alan Harris as Bossk
- Paul Klein as IG-88
- Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine (2004 DVD version)
- Ralph McQuarrie as General Pharl McQuarrie
- Ralph Morse as Derdram, Stormtrooper
- Cathy Munro as Zuckuss, E-3PO
- C. Andrew Nelson as Darth Vader (special edition)
- Chris Parsons as 4-LOM, K-3PO, Stormtrooper
- Doug Robinson as Snowtrooper
- Tony Smart as Snowtrooper
- Harold Weed as Wampa (special edition)
- Treat Williams as Echo Base Trooper
- Jason Wingreen as Boba Fett (voice)
- Denny Delk as 2-1B
Production[]
Reception[]
Originally released simply as The Empire Strikes Back with "Episode V" in the opening scroll credits as Star Wars had not been re-titled as "Episode IV: A New Hope" at this time. The Empire premiered on May 17, 1980 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC as part of a children's charity event. It subsequently had a limited release to 880 theaters in 70mm prints before a wider release to 1,195 theaters nationwide in 30mm.
Upon its opening debut, The Empire Strikes Back grossed approximately $10,840,307 and shot to the top movie slot where it remained the next three weeks before dropping down to 3rd place before reclaiming its 1st place rank for the next eight weeks before dipping down to 2nd place. In total, The Empire Strikes Back earned $209,398,025 nationwide and $247,900,000 worldwide.
The movie originally received mixed reviews from critics, many of them proclaiming that it was a major breakthrough in special effects and filmmaking but some criticized its plot as it didn't seem to have a beginning nor a definitive ending to it. However other critics disagreed as they believed that Lucas fully intended for this to be the "middle of the book" movie and it subsequently earned a 96% "Fresh" approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes,
Fans however vigorously disagreed with the mixed reviews and were overwhelmingly positive over the film and over the decades, several critics have reserved their original stances and have come to agree that The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars franchise film and one of the greatest movies ever made for its startling revelation of Luke Skywalker's parentage at the climax. Darth Vader's quote has become a familiar bit of pop culture even though it is frequently misquoted as "Luke, I am your father," instead of "No. I am your father."
The Empire won the 1981 Academy Awards for Best Sound Mixing and the Special Achievement for Best Visual Effects and was also nominated for Best Original Score and Best Production Design. Like it's predecessor, it took was selected by the National Registry for preservation.
External Links[]
Trailer[]
Star Wars- The Empire Strikes Back Trailer 30th Anniversary (HD)