Forty years ago today, the greatest sequel, the greatest "Star Wars" movie, maybe the greatest MOVIE PERIOD was released. Geeky hyperbole, I know. But the second installment in George Lucas' earth-shaking trilogy is THAT good. It's perfect, it's "The Godfather Part II" of blockbuster fantasy filmmaking. Without it, we probably wouldn't have "Aliens", "Back to the Future Part II", "Terminator 2", "Toy Story 2", or "The Dark Knight". Cinema was changing for the better, and it all started in May 1977. The original
How do you follow-up the most popular motion picture since "The Wizard of Oz"? First, you hide your heroes on an ice planet named Hoth, three years after their Death Star victory. Lucas hired Leigh Brackett, a Golden Age sci-fi writer to start a follow-up script(she died of cancer in March 1978), before turning to new discovery Lawrence Kasdan to finish most of the job. Kasdan wrote "Empire" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in the same year, which has to be considered one of the greatest screenwriting feats ever. Of course, Lucas oversaw story construction every step of the way and was working to insure total ownership of his empire and IP, a canny move that would ultimately make him one of the most powerful and influential figures in the history of the industry.
Lucas had too much behind-the-scenes business to handle to take on the daily stress of directing again(with the help of huge bank loans, he insisted on putting up the $30 million budget himself). After considering 100 directors, including Alan Parker and John Badham, he called on old friend and mentor from the University of Southern California, Irvin Kershner. Lucas needed an old, experienced hand that would respect his authority, but promised Kershner that he'd be allowed to put his own stamp on the film. He did so with intimate close-ups that increase our attachment to these characters. "Empire" is beautifully shot and lit by cinematographer Peter Suschitzky in a way that stylistically sets it apart from the rest of the franchise.
Han Solo bundles up and rescues Luke Skywalker in a blizzard after confronting Princess Leia in the base about her buried feelings for him. A car accident left Mark Hamill with facial scars, giving Luke a hardened, tougher look than he had in 1977- a bit of happenstance for Lucas who included this run-in with a Wampa creature to explain it. Destiny calls out to our hero in the form of Obi Wan Kenobi's Force ghost- he must seek out Yoda in the Dagobah system to begin his training.
No comments:
Post a Comment