Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Director: Irvin Kershner Irvin Kershner

Overview

The second entry in George Lucas' Star Wars trilogy finds Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the green-as-grass hero from the first film, now a seasoned space warrior. Luke's Star Wars cohorts Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) are likewise more experienced in the ways and means of battling the insidious Empire, as represented by the brooding Darth Vader (body of David Prowse, voice of James Earl Jones). And, of course, "The Force," personified by the ghost of Luke's mentor Ben Kenobi (Alec Guinness), is with them all. Retreating from Vader's minions, Luke ends up, at first, on the Ice Planet Hoth, and then the tropical Dagobah. Here he makes the acquaintance of the gnomish Yoda (voice of Frank Oz), whose all-encompassing wisdom comes in handy during the serial-like perils of the rest of the film. Before the film's open-ended climax, we are introduced to the apparently duplicitous Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) and are let in on a secret that profoundly affects both Luke and his arch-enemy, Vader. Many viewers consider this award-winning film the best of the Star Wars movies, and its special-effects bonanza was pure gold at the box office.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/22/2019
UPC:	0786936866612
Original Release:	1980
Rating:	PG
Source:	Walt Disney Video

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Mark Hamill	Luke Skywalker
Harrison Ford	Han Solo
Carrie Fisher	Princess Leia
James Earl Jones	Darth Vader
David Prowse	Darth Vader
Billy Dee Williams	Lando Calrissian
Anthony Daniels	C-3PO
Peter Mayhew	Chewbacca
Frank Oz	Yoda
Alec Guinness	Ben "Obi-Wan" Kenobi
Kenny Baker	R2-D2
Jeremy Bulloch	Boba Fett
John Hollis	Lobot, Lando's Aide
Jack Purvis	Chief Ugnaught
Des Webb	Wampa Snow Creature
Kathryn Mullen	Performing Asst. for Yoda
Clive Revill	The Emperor
Kenneth Colley	Admiral Piett
Julian Glover	Gen. Veers
Michael Sheard	Admiral Ozzel
Michael Culver	Capt. Needa
John Dicks	Other Imperial Officer
Milton Johns	Other Imperial Officer
Mark Jones	Other Imperial Officer
Oliver Maguire	Other Imperial Officer
Bruce Boa	Gen. Rieekan
Christopher Malcolm	Zev
Denis Lawson	Wedge (Rogue 3)
Richard Oldfield	Hobbie, Rogue 4
John Morton	Dak, Luke's Gunner
Ian Liston	Janson, Wedge's Gunner
John Ratzenberger	Maj. Derlin
Jack McKenzie	Deck Lieutenant
Jerry Harte	Head Controller
Norman Chancer	Other Rebel Officer
Norwich Duff	Other Rebel Officer
Ray Hassett	Other Rebel Officer
Brigitte Kahn	Other Rebel Officer
Burnell Tucker	Revel Officer
Irene Lamb	Actor
Ralph McQuarrie	General McQuarrie

Technical Credits

Leigh Brackett

Lawrence Kasdan

Irvin Kershner	Director
Bob Anderson	Stunts
Jim Bloom	Producer
Leigh Brackett	Screenwriter
Ben Burtt	Sound/Sound Designer
Chris Casady	Animator
Leslie Dilley	Art Director
Richard Edlund	Special Effects
Michael Ford	Set Decoration/Design
Kay Freeborn	Makeup
Stuart Freeborn	Makeup
Dominic Fulford	Asst. Director
Paul Hirsch	Editor
Brian Johnson	Special Effects
Joe Johnston	Art Director,Special Effects
Lawrence Kasdan	Screenwriter
Peter Kuran	Animator
Gary Kurtz	Producer
Irene Lamb	Casting
Harry Lange	Art Director
Terry Liebling	Casting
George Lucas	Executive Producer,Original Story
Nick Maley	Makeup
Steve Maslow	Sound/Sound Designer
John Mollo	Costumes/Costume Designer
Dennis Muren	Special Effects
Bruce Nicholson	Special Effects
Norman Reynolds	Production Designer
Nina Saxon	Animator
Ola Solum	Asst. Director
Peter Suschitzky	Cinematographer
Peter Sutton	Sound/Sound Designer
David Tomblin	Asst. Director
Alan Tomkins	Art Director
Robert Watts	Associate Producer
Bill Westley	Asst. Director
John Williams [composer]	Score Composer

Editorial Reviews

When George Lucas hit pay dirt with the original Star Wars in 1977, he was given the freedom to explore other aspects of the saga in this ’80 sequel, a much darker film that many fans still believe to be the best of the entire series. Empire remained a space opera played out on a galactic stage, but it toned down the devil-may-care heroics of A New Hope and introduced a more sinister villain in the Emperor. Together with his dark lieutenant, Darth Vader, the Emperor seeks to quash the rebellion and annihilate the slender "new hope" posed by young rebel Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Skywalker pursues his ambitions of becoming a Jedi knight following a near-death vision of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), who dispatches him to a distant swamp planet for further instruction by Yoda (making his series debut here as a puppet whose voice is provided by Frank Oz). With Luke off in training, the romance between Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) gathers steam, and they wind up on the mining planet, Bespin, overseen from the Cloud City an old colleague of Solo’s, Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams). They’re soon tracked down by Vader and his storm troopers, leading to Solo’s capture and a momentous Skywalker-Vader lightsaber duel. This Limited Edition contains both the original 1980 version -- heretofore unavailable on DVD -- and the 1997 "enhanced" version preferred by producer George Lucas. More than a quarter century after it was made, Empire remains the high point of the series, and this new edition is definitely cause for celebration.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

Proof that a sequel can be as good as (or better than) its predecessor, The Empire Strikes Back is frequently considered the best of the original Star Wars trilogy. The 1980 film, which picks up a few years after the original movie, contains perhaps the most substantial plot developments of the three films, interweaving spiritual and romantic development and serving up a genuinely shocking cliffhanger. It also features more of the special effects that endeared Star Wars to many an audience member, further catering to its audience's growing appetite for bigger, better effects. Dark and downbeat, Empire is at its core the most human of the trilogy, allowing its characters -- generally two-dimensional in Star Wars -- to flesh out to more convincing proportions. Part of this change may be due to Irvin Kershner's directing the film; where George Lucas was a master with technology, he was not really an actor's director, and the actors here seem noticeably more at ease. The film's enormous success was proof that audiences were more than eager to see the Star Wars storyline continued in the years to come, something that still held true when the special edition of The Empire Strikes Back was released 17 years after the original version. Exhilarating and timeless, it remains one of the most compelling adventures ever brought to the screen.

All Movie Guide