_The Empire Strikes Back_ (vhs/ntsc) (1980)

Directed by
Irvin Kershner

Writing credits
George Lucas
Leigh Brackett

Genre: Fantasy / Sci-Fi / Action / Adventure

Tagline: The Adventure Continues...

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

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Hamill .... Luke Skywalker
Harrison Ford .... Han Solo
Carrie Fisher .... Princess Leia Organa
Billy Dee Williams .... Lando Calrissian

Anomalog: Lando Calrissian, Painter

Anthony Daniels .... C-3PO
David Prowse .... Darth Vader
Peter Mayhew .... Chewbacca
Kenny Baker  .... R2-D2
Frank Oz .... Yoda
Alec Guinness .... Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
Jeremy Bulloch .... Boba Fett/Lieutenant Sheckil
John Hollis .... Lobot
Jack Purvis .... Ugloste (Chief Ugnaught)
Des Webb .... Wampa Snow Creature
Kathryn Mullen .... Yoda Puppeteer

Also Known As:
Empire Strikes Back, The (1980) (USA: short title)
Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back (1997) (USA: video box title)
MPAA: Rated PG for sci-fi action violence.
Runtime: 124 / USA:127 (special edition)
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color
Sound Mix: 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) / DTS (special edition) / Dolby Digital (special edition) / Dolby / SDDS (special edition)
Certification: Argentina:Atp / Australia:PG / Chile:TE / Finland:K-10 (special edition) / Finland:K-12 / Netherlands:AL / Norway:11 / Norway:12 (1980) / Portugal:M/12 / Spain:T (special edition) / Sweden:11 (special edition) / Sweden:15 / UK:U / USA:PG / West Germany:6

• Lighting for SFX was so strong that several models melted.
• General Rieekan says, "Send Rogues ten and eleven to station three-eight." - reference to THX-1138
• The AT-AT's were based on ship loading structure in an Oakland, California shipyard.  Walking patterns of elephants were studied to make the movements seem as realistic as possible.
• Before this film was made, Mark Hamill (Luke) was driving his BMW along a highway.  Realizing that he was missing his turn, he swung sharply, but ended up rolling his car and suffering facial scarring. Despite the efforts of plastic surgeons, his appearance was noticeably different. For this reason, the scene where Luke receives facial scars from a Wampa was written.
• Further scenes with the Wampa Ice Creatures were shot, and later cut.  R2-D2 encountered one within the Rebel base, where it was killed by troopers.
• Later, the beasts were lured into a prison within the complex. In the completed film, a medical droid is seen examining the wounds of a Tauntaun killed by a Wampa, and Princess Leia mentions the "creatures" while discussing the Imperial Probe Droid.  A scene filmed but cut had Han, Leia and C-3PO running through a corridor.  Han went to take a short-cut through a door with a sign on it, but Leia warned him "that's where those creatures are kept".  They run off, but not before C-3PO rips off the sign, hoping that the stormtroopers will enter the room.
• Luke cuts off the Wampa's hand.  C-3PO loses an arm when blasted by the Stormtroppers.  Darth Vader cuts off Luke's hand.
• There is a rumor that one of the asteroids is actually a potato.
• The following characters "have a bad feeling about this": Leia.
• Security surrounding this movie was so intense that George Lucas had regular reports about "leaks" from actors.  Lucas was so determined that the ending be kept secret that he had actor David Prowse (Darth Vader) say "Obi Wan Kenobi is your father", and dubbed it later to be "I am your father".
• Denis Lawson, plays Wedge Antilles.
• The designers at ILM wanted a radical design for Boba Fett's ship.  They ended up using the end of a lamp post from the street outside the ILM building.
• This is Carrie Fisher's favorite movie of the trilogy. Despite this, there were claims that she was heavily into drugs at the time. The scene where Han Solo (Harrison Ford) was to be carbon frozen was a long a complex scene which required many takes.  Eventually, Leia says "I love  you" to Han Solo.  Ford had heard this line so many times that he changed the scripted "I love you too" to "I know".  Lucas didn't want to film the scene again, and thought it read much better that way, so it remained.

• 604 track _Vampire Strikes Back_ MP3 (192k) by Growling Mad Scientists & Manitu off of _Download_ compilation off of 3D Vision (2000)
• track _Dinner With Yoda_ MP3 (256k) by Kid Koala off of _Scratchhappyland_ 10" (Limited 500) on Ninja Tune (1997)
• soundtrack release _The Empires Strikes Back_ 12"x2 (1980) by John Williams
  • _The Wampa's Lair/Vision Of Obi-Wan/Snowspeeders Take Flight_ MP3 (192k)
  • _Han Solo & The Princess_ MP3 (192k)
• tech house track _Empires (Sander Kleinenberg Audio Paranoid Mix)_ MP3 (vK) by Lamya off of _Empires_ 12" on J (2002)
• turntablism track _ScratchHappyLand (Side A)_ MP3 (160k) by Kid Koala off of _ScratchHappyLand_ promo10" on Ninja Tune #010
• sample @ 6:39 - "control, control!  you must learn control!" - Yoda in ESB
• sample - "5 or 6 cucumber sandwiches, remove the crusts, and arrange them attractively around the album. place your turntable in front of your guests. if the sandwiches fly off the turntable, it is set at the wrong speed..."
• track _The Imperial March (Live)_ MP3 (56k) by Green Day
• Anomalog: Not Only Was Asscroft Booed, But The Imperial March Was Played

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