Yoda & co. picture overload: 30 years since The Empire Struck Back

Space tableaux: ‘What do you think of this new wallpaper, Leia? It was on offer at B&Q…’

Right, all you hard-hearted seething Sith-like folks out there who aren’t fans of the the frankly fantastic Yoda and his friends, look away now. Yes, for realising this year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of The Empire Strikes Back (1980), as well as the fact it’s November and if I didn’t blog about said film now it wouldn’t be this year any longer, I’ve come up with this very piece – a pictorial tribute to that aforementioned flick.

But why the Boba Fett should I blog about The Empire Strikes Back? Well, humour me, peeps, because Empire is one of my absolute favourite movies and, surely, is the best of the Star Wars film series, what with its wonderful plotting, pacing, thrills, spills, mysticism, darkness and cliff-hanger ending. In short, in terms of science-fiction or ‘space opera’ filmmaking (if you want to be all pedantic about it, which I know some are), for me, this movie is the s***.

So then, without further ado, let’s let the pictures (some of them on-set stills, others behind-the-scenes candid moments) speak for themselves…

Remember to CLICK on the images for full size

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‘When the film was released in 1997 and later put into DVD, I was very gratified that it was almost unchanged, except the sound was much improved, whereas Star Wars and Jedi had big changes.’ ~ Director Irvin Kershner on his masterpiece The Empire Strikes Back

Darth Vader: ‘Impressive. Most impressive. Obi-Wan has taught you well. You have controlled your fear. Now, release your anger. Only your hatred can destroy me.’

Lando Calrissian: ‘What have you done to my ship?’                                                                    Han Solo: ‘YOUR ship? Hey, remember you lost her to me, fair and square.’

‘We kept trying different things and couldn’t get the right line. We were into the lunch break and I said to Harrison try it again and just do whatever comes to mind. That is when Harrison said the line, “I know”.’ ~ Director Irvin Kershner on the creation of The Empire Strikes Back’s most memorable line

C-3P0: ‘Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1’                                                                                                                       Han Solo: ‘Never tell me the odds!’

Luke Skywalker: ‘There’s something not right here… I feel cold. Death.’
Yoda: ‘That place… is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go.’
Luke Skywalker: ‘What’s in there?’
Yoda: ‘Only what you take with you.’

Han Solo: ‘Afraid I was gonna leave without giving you a goodbye kiss?’
Princess Leia: ‘I’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee.’
Han Solo: ‘I can arrange that. You could use a good kiss.’

Admiral Piett: ‘Bounty hunters. We don’t need their scum.’

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C-3P0: ‘I’m terribly sorry about all this. After all, he’s only a Wookiee.’

‘They [the critics] wanted another Star Wars. I decided that the potential was much greater than a rerun of Star Wars. When I finally accepted the assignment, I knew that it was going to be a dark film, with more depth to the characters than in the first film. It took a few years for the critics to catch up with the film and to see it as a fairy tale rather than a comic book.’ ~ Director Irvin Kershner on the original – and eventual – critical reaction to The Empire Strikes Back

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Further reading:

The Making Of The Empire Strikes Back: The Definitive Story Behind The Film, by JW Winzler – in which a fair few of the above images can be found

Thanks to Vanity Fair for the Irvin Kershner quotes