Happy 30th anniversary to ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ (Movie commentary)

On Friday, “The Empire Strikes Back” marks its 30th anniversary. That’s right, 30 years ago, the movie industry was capable of putting out a Memorial Day weekend blockbuster that people wanted to see and that was not only worth the price of admission, but was so good that we’d talk about it 30 years later.

“The Empire Strikes Back” (the ninth-best movie ever, according to IMDB voters) introduced us to Yoda, a character I love despite the fact that I disagree with everything he does — taking kids from their parents as infants to assimilate into his Jedi Order, giving the brush-off to slightly older kids who desperately want to be Jedi, and basically being oblivious while the galaxy is dragged into ruin by one of his students.

OK, some of that happened in the movies that came out after “Empire,” but my point is that my disagreeing with Yoda never made me dislike Yoda. Instead I’m like: “‘Always in motion is the future?’ Please, tell me more.”

George Lucas has said that if Yoda hadn’t worked — if he had looked like a lifeless puppet rather than a wise old Jedi Master — then the whole movie would’ve failed. “Empire” is a blessed film (even though it had the usual movie problems such as Mark Hamill getting injured before filming began; in that case they had him get attacked by a wampa to explain the scars).

When Yoda went well, everything else followed. Lucas, writer Lawrence Kasdan and director Irvin Kershner couldn’t figure out how Han should respond to Leia’s “I love you” in the carbon-freeze chamber, so they just had Harrison Ford ad-lib a bunch of times. On one take, he said “I know,” and it went down in history as — depending on whom you ask — one of filmdom’s most romantic lines or one of its most badass lines.

In an interview with Lucasfilm Magazine for the 10th anniversary of “Empire,” Kershner said he would’ve made a different movie if he had it to do over again. When I read that statement, I was simultaneously fascinated to find out his alternate take and thankful that when the late-’70s rolled around, he was in the mood and mindset to make the “Empire” he made.

More evidence that “Empire” might be perfect: As Entertainment Weekly pointed out in a recent review, the “Family Guy” parody of “Empire” is more of a loving re-creation than it is a parody. No surprise there. For one thing, Seth MacFarlane probably loved “Empire” too much to really go to town on it, and for another, there’s not that much to parody (when they make fun of Lando dipping into Han’s wardrobe, that’s really stretching, because it’s actually an in-movie detail that shows the costume designer was paying attention to the script).

When Lucas did his Special Editions in 1997, “Empire” had the fewest changes. It was the hardest one to mess up by second-guessing, although Lucas certainly tried. In the Special Edition, we see the wampa attacking Luke (there’s no mystery anymore), we see the Slave I up close as it chases the Falcon (now it seems too close), and Vader says “Alert the Star Destroyer to prepare for my arrival” instead of “Bring my shuttle” (“Bring my shuttle” was better). I do like the panoramic windows on Cloud City, though.

Then in the DVD edition from 2004, Boba Fett talks like the clones (it’s not a given that he would still have a Kamino accent as an adult) and the Emperor is re-shot with Ian McDiarmid (I always liked the creepy Clive Revill performance, and he looked close enough to the Emperor to me).

“Empire” was the springboard for not only “Return of the Jedi” (I mourn for all those Han Solo action figures that were frozen in ice-cube trays between 1980 and ’83), but also for the prequels. When Darth Vader said “No, I am your father,” it pretty much demanded that Episodes III and III be made.

In “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” we are now getting Darth’s backstory in depth. And also that of Fett, an instant fan favorite despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that he only has four lines in “Empire” (“As you wish,” “He’s no good to me dead,” “What if he doesn’t survive? He’s worth a lot to me” and “Put Captain Solo in the cargo hold.”).

Is it possible to have too much “Empire?” Yeah. The third time I went to it in ’97 — in an otherwise empty theater on a weekday afternoon — I was like, “Why am I bothering to watch this movie where I know every little detail about it?” That was my most recent viewing of “Empire,” I think. (Here’s how much of a “Star Wars” geek I am: I have no need to ever watch the movies again, because they are ingrained in the very fabric of my being. I’m not necessarily proud of that, but I don’t hide from it, either.)

I’m probably not going to watch “Empire” in 2010. (But if I do, it’ll be the original widescreen version on VHS that I got for my birthday circa 1992; no clone-sounding Fett for me. And not even George Lucas’ power extends far enough to stop me. I think.) Instead, I’m just going to write this blog post and talk with random “Star Wars” geeks about what a great movie it is, how maybe Lucas is an OK guy after all because at least he gave us “The Empire Strikes Back,” and how summer blockbusters were so much better back in the days when they didn’t suck. And when it comes out in October, I’ll obsess over R.W. Rinzler’s “The Making of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ “ and savor every minor new detail that he digs up.

I’m not going to throw a ceremony ala “A New Hope” or a bonfire ala “Return of the Jedi” or a parade ala “The Phantom Menace.” I could tell it “I love you,” but it’d just say “I know.”

Happy 30th, “Empire.”

Comments

Another Matt's GravatarExcellent post. I recently finished watch the Family Guy take on “Empire,” and I had kind of mixed feelings.

I really liked the jokes that played to people who are so familiar with every beat of the movie that it felt like a cool in-joke (eg: “And I thought they smelled bad … … … on the outside”, but some of the random stuff was kind of weak (Juicy Fruit commercial parody?)

“Empire” was always my favorite of the trilogy, although I’ve recently taken more of a shine the “A New Hope.” Still, it’s impossible to argue that “Empire” does not contain some of the most memorable moments in the series, and in movies in general.# Posted By Another Matt | 5/21/10 12:55 PM

John Hansen's GravatarAnother great “Family Guy” moment is:

Fett: “Put Captain Solo in the cargo hold.”
Imperial lackey: “Duh.”

It’s funny that we revere Boba Fett for not speaking much, but some of his lines are silly. When Vader says “No disintegrations,” Fett should say, “No shit. I’m professional bounty hunter.” And “He’s no good to me dead” and “He’s worth a lot to me” are redundant. Vader should tell him, “I heard you the first time. Just take a step back and let me do my job.”

An interesting quirk of “Empire” is that none of us ranked “Empire” as our favorite when we were kids. I was always vaguely scared of it. The Dagobah scenes seemed to go on forever. And I got the sense that nothing good happened to anyone in the movie. In my mind, it was just the episode that set up “Return of the Jedi,” which was clearly the best to me.

To me, “Star Wars” was good, “Empire” was filled with tedious stuff like characterization (although I didn’t know that term at the time), and “Jedi” was the one where it all came together with monsters, space battles and Ewoks, which then led to the two wonderful spinoff cartoons, “Ewoks” and “Droids.”

And yet among fans and critics around the world, “Empire” clearly ranks No. 1. This is because it’s the most adult movie of the six. Really, it’s the only adult movie. The other five (except perhaps Episode III) are kids movies that adults can love, too, because it taps into their inner child. But adults like “Empire” for adult reasons.

(Having said all that, obviously you were an exception, as you state that “Empire” was always your favorite.)

In late-’90s interviews, Lucas spent a lot of time warning us that Episode I would be a kids’ movie. Then when it was a kids’ movie, some people hated him for it. If “Empire” didn’t exist, this conflict would’ve never come up. People would’ve said, “Of course it’s a kids’ movie! It’s a ‘Star Wars’ movie!”

But, of course, “Empire’s” greatness goes beyond “kids’ movie vs. adult movie.” “Revenge of the Sith” is an adult movie, in terms of what transpires in it, but it falls far short of “Empire’s” quality. I think this is partly because everybody believed in what they were doing on “Empire” and Lucas was just distracted enough by building Skywalker Ranch that he didn’t meddle too much. Lucas was like a benign president.

For Episode III, Lucas was more of a dictator, and the people working on the film were more like employees on an assembly line than creative filmmakers. They took satisfaction in their contributions, I’m sure, but the finished product was a slave to Lucas’ locked-in vision; it feels a little stiff, whereas “Empire” seems to flow naturally.

And that’s also why “The Clone Wars” is good: Lucas has backed off a step — like he did for “Empire” — and the “Star Wars” fans running the show are free to let their minds wander and tell organic “Star Wars” stories.

“Empire” might’ve been the most chaotic filming experience (except for “A New Hope,” maybe), but it was also the most creative and collaborative experience. It’s part Lucas, part Kershner, part Kasdan, part McQuarrie, part Oz, part Fisher, part Ford and part Hamill. That’s why it’s brilliant.# Posted By John Hansen | 5/21/10 4:17 PM