Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Director:

Irvin Kershner

Writers:

George Lucas (story)
Leigh Brackett (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 May 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The Adventure Continues...

Plot:

While Luke takes advanced Jedi training from Yoda, his friends are relentlessly pursued by Darth Vader as part of his plan to capture Luke.

Plot Keywords:

Alien Race | Smuggler | War | Space Shuttle | Space Battle

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Mark Hamill	...	Luke Skywalker
Harrison Ford	...	Han Solo
Carrie Fisher	...	Princess Leia
Billy Dee Williams	...	Lando Calrissian
Anthony Daniels	...	C-3PO
David Prowse	...	Darth Vader
Peter Mayhew	...	Chewbacca
Kenny Baker	...	R2-D2
Frank Oz	...	Yoda (voice)
Alec Guinness	...	Ben 'Obi-Wan' Kenobi
Jeremy Bulloch	...	Boba Fett
John Hollis	...	Lando's Aide
Jack Purvis	...	Chief Ugnaught
Des Webb	...	Snow Creature
Clive Revill	...	Emperor (voice)

Also Known As:

Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back (USA) (video box title)
The Empire Strikes Back (USA) (short title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sci-fi action violence. (special edition, DVD version)

Runtime:

124 min | USA:127 min (special edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | DTS (special edition) | Dolby Digital (special edition) | SDDS (special edition)

Certification:

Canada:G (British Columbia/Quebec) | Iceland:12 (special edition) | South Korea:All | Iceland:12 (original rating) (theatrical release) | USA:PG (certificate #26034) | Germany:6 (video rating) | Brazil:Livre | Malaysia:U | Iceland:LH (original rating) (video release) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) (special edition) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Chile:TE | Denmark:11 (special edition) | Denmark:12 (original rating) | Finland:K-10 (special edition) | Finland:K-12 (original rating) | France:U | Hong Kong:I | Ireland:G | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:PG | Norway:11 (re-rating) | Norway:12 (original rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG (special edition) | Spain:T (special edition) | Sweden:11 (special edition) | Sweden:15 (original rating) | UK:U | West Germany:12 | Mexico:AA

Filming Locations:

Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay, California, USA

Company:

Lucasfilm

Trivia:

In the DVD commentary, Carrie Fisher relates that during some of the London filming, she stayed a house rented from Eric Idle. Idle and the Pythons were filming Life of Brian (1979) at the time. One evening, Idle had a small party, including Harrison Ford and The Rolling Stones, and served a potent liquor (which the Pythons had been distributing to extras on their film, to help boost morale) that he referred to as "Tunisian Table Cleaner". They stayed up most of the night drinking and having fun. The first scenes shot the next day were the arrival at Cloud City, which she says helps explain why she and Ford were so happy in those scenes. Idle is said to be pleased that he had a small hand in how the finished film turned out.

Goofs:

Continuity: On Dagobah, when Luke is doing a handstand and levitating R2-D2, the long shots show Luke with arms fully extended but the closeups show him with bent elbows.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Luke: Echo Three to Echo Seven. Han, old buddy, do you read me?
Han Solo: Loud and clear, kid. What's up?
Luke: Well, I finished my circle. I don't pick up any life readings.
Han Solo: There isn't enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser. Sensors are placed. I'm going back.
Luke: Right. I'll see you shortly. There's a meteorite that hit the ground near here. I want to check it out. It won't take long.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Office: Goodbye, Toby (#4.14)" (2008)

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

An excellent sequel to Star Wars, this is easily the darkest and most serious out of all the Star Wars films, at least until Revenge of the Sith comes out. This movie benefits from the introduction of Yoda, a diminutive yet wise Jedi master who helps Luke prepare for his showdown with Darth Vader. It also introduces Lando Calrissian, Han's old gambling and smuggling buddy played very well by Billy Dee Williams. Empire is more character driven than the original and relies more on comic relief to help lighten the mood, but it doesn't go overboard with the humor. The story is more refined and the acting is better as well. Despite all of this I can't really say that I enjoyed Empire more than the original. The original Star Wars has a certain charm to it that none of the sequels (or prequels) have captured. I'd say that it is at least on par with the original though and is a fitting follow up in what is probably the greatest series of movies in the history of cinema.