Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
30 years ago, George Lucas delivered something rarer than his phenomenon-creating epic “Star Wars”- a sequel that was superior to the original. Of course, having seen the infamous “Star Wars Holiday Special” recently, he had to just to redeem the series.
For me, “A New Hope” remains the “best” in the series because of its’ sense of fun and imagination, but “Empire” is deeper in story, characterization, and the emotions that get dug up. Screenwriters Lawrence Kasden and Leigh Brackett and director Irvin Kershner did Lucas’ universe proud, and set a high standard for all that came after.
I won’t bother recounting the story blow-by-blow. You no doubt know it by now. The revelations. The classic moments. The suspense of deepening danger. What I want to talk about are the creative reasons the film works…
…starting with John Williams’ score, for my money the best he’s ever written. Here, it feels like Williams started from scratch. Yes, we here the “Star Wars” fanfare, Leia’s theme, and the Force theme, but Williams presents them differently- the fanfare has lost its’ heroic sound, Leia’s theme is heard within the context of her budding romance with Han, and the Force theme feels less ennobled, except when we run into Yoda- the great Jedi master- on Dagobah.
Gone is the serial heroism of “A New Hope,” replaced with menace and melancholy, best exemplified by the new Imperial March, which resonated long in the memory, and the franchise, as it signaled a more militaristic approach to presenting the Empire, and is arguably the most recognizable piece of music in the franchise.
But really, it’s Kershner- a mentor of Lucas’ who agreed to directing the film- who makes the film work (dramatically and emotionally). His touch with the actors is noticeable, with the unpolished performances of “A New Hope” gone, in favor of a more emotional tone. The actors feel more in touch with their characters. There’s more urgency, more naturalism, and more authenticity. That’s not meant to discount the actors’ work in “A New Hope,” but “Empire” just feels more organic (maybe because the actors knew the characters a bit better this time around, but you can’t deny an old-pro’s touch, which Kershner brought to the film).
Still, you can’t discount the sights seen. Cloud City, and the dark underbelly that Vader leads Luke into. The AT-AT battle on Hoth. The Millennium Falcon’s flight from the Empire in an asteroid field, and the “cave” they fly into. And of course, Yoda, the muppet Jedi master (performed and voiced by the incomparable Frank Oz) whose presence is a marvel of characterization and imagination. The rouge’s gallery of bounty hunters, including fan-fave Boba Fett. The back-from-the-dead Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Luke’s training on Dagobah in general. And the Falcon’s escape from Cloud City, with Vader and the Empire hot on their heels, which also benefits from Williams’ propulsive scoring. Kershner and co. got the look of this one so right the first time, it’s no wonder it had the least done to it when the 1997 Special Editions of the trilogy came out.
Luke isn’t the only one who found out who his daddy was in this film. A whole generation of geeks were able to say the same thing about Lucas after this one hit. Thirty years later, it still holds you spellbound.
