AN 'EMPIRE' AT 45: THE DUEL BEGINS!

The moment has finally come for Luke Skywalker to face his demon, as personified by the brutal presence in the Dark Side of the Force that is his nemesis, Darth Vader, the man/creature who helped wipe the Jedi Knights out of existence and whom supposedly killed his father. This duel will not just be a test of Luke's skill, but also his character, physical and psychological strengths. He'll need all of that not just to stay alive against such an experienced and lethal duellist, but also for the disturbing and shocking revelation that the Sith Lord will impart to him at the worst possible time...

Superb Marvel Comics art by the legendary Daredevil writer/artist Frank Miller back in 1980, celebrating one of the The Empire Strikes Back's greatest and most intense-to-watch sequences.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 45: THE CARBON FREEZE NIGHTMARE!

The superb Carbon Freeze Chamber set designed by Norman Reynolds.

Darkness falls within the once beautiful Cloud City on Bespin, as our captured Rebel heroes face the worst of times under the brutal auspices of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, amidst his shocking plans to ensnare Luke Skywalker. But first off, as a trial run to the young Jedi's planned destiny at the captured hands of the fearsome Emperor, Han Solo must be put into a carbon freeze prison...

Ever loyal to his friends, Chewbacca must protect Leia in Han's absence.

Boba Fett and Darth Vader make their mark in this chilling sequence.

A last goodbye?

Leia prepares for the worst...

Han is prepared for Carbon Freeze by an Ugnaught.

The classic scene, which generated humour and sadness.

"It gave George pause. He had not written the scene with a laugh. But the laugh opens you up emotionally. You don't have another emotional outlet in that scene."

Harrison Ford on "I know" - Starlog interview - Issue 35, 1980

The terrifying process begins, as Chewbacca and Leia witness the fate of Han Solo...

The Carbon Frozen Solo is hauled up.

The shocking reveal...

"When the cast of Solo in carbon freeze was created the first time, he was standing straight up, looking normal. That's what the prop department thought I wanted. I said, 'No, he's got to be looking like he is fighting to get out; he has to look like he is in agony.' So we changed it to the way it looks in the film."

Irvin Kershner - Star Wars - The Annotated Screenplays - 1997

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 45: DELIVERANCE AT CLOUD CITY!

Having used all his skills to outwit the once pursuant Imperial fleet, Han Solo takes the damaged Millennium Falcon to the far-off realms of Bespin, where he hopes his old friend Lando Calrissian, now the administrator of a Tibanna Gas Mine colony, will take them in and provide a period of safety. Thankfully, old grudges between Lando towards Han have been seemingly forgotten as he enthusiastically escorts the fugitive group into the city.

The cast take a break between scene. Image: Mark Sennet.

Waiting for trouble between Han and Lando.

Anthony Daniels makes a point on the stage.

Filming at Elstree with the camera masking out unwanted background elements that will be later replaced with matte work.

CLASSIC IMAGE: SLAVE 1 DEPARTS!

 

Arriving too late at Cloud City's East Platform, Leia and Lando can only look on as Boba Fett makes his escape on Slave 1, with his 'special cargo' aboard in the carbonized Han Solo. A great storyboard for The Empire Strikes Back whose scene location would be altered visually by the time of Summer 1979 filming at Elstree Studios...

The shot has similarities to this exciting production painting done by Ralph McQuarrie for the scene, which shows Chewbacca and Leia breaking glass to shoot at the departing vessel.

Ralph McQuarrie's final painting from September 25th, 1978.

CLASSIC ART: DANGER AMONGST THE CLOUDS!

 

He has his prize in the carbon frozen visage of his former enemy and bounty Captain Han Solo, his money awaits for the capture task from a hungry Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine - the slimy crime boss eager to receive his soon favourite decoration for the wall of his throne room, and he has clearance from the Imperials to depart the now captured Cloud City on Bespin. Fortune clearly favours the bold skillsets of the dangerous Boba Fett, in this great art that graced the cover of an early eighties issue of the UK's Star Wars Monthly comic strip magazine.  

FALLEN EVIL!

Amongst the colorful sunset beauty of Bespin and its iconic Cloud City, a First Order Cruiser falls to its doom in this memorable scene from the near-end to The Rise of Skywalker, as first captured in conceptual art by James Clyne.

'VADER WEEK': DAY 4 - 'I AM YOUR FATHER!"

Young Luke Skywalker has recklessly travelled to Bespin's Cloud City in an ultimately futile attempt to save his captured friends from Darth Vader. Now Vader has unleashed the full power of the Dark Side, and his considerable lightsaber duelling skills, against the boy, slowly diminishing his confidence and strength, crippling him, then delivering a shocking revelation to the young Jedi-to-be that will change Luke's life and destiny forever, during the exciting, genuinely dark and often chillingly unnerving finale to the outstanding first sequel, The Empire Strikes Back.

A superb modern piece by Vincent Hie.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: BESPIN ESCAPE - THE SECOND ATTEMPT!

With Luke safely rescued, Lando and Chewbacca make a fast escape for the Millennium Falcon from the underside of Cloud City, briefly avoiding three TIE fighters before they then resume doggedly pursuing the freighter out from the planet's atmosphere...

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: LUKE'S RESCUE!

 

The deleted scene as rendered in spectacular art form by Hugh Fleming.

From The Empire Strikes Back Fifth Draft Script - 20/2/79:

SCENE 422: INT COCKPIT - MILLENNIUM FALCON - CLOUD CITY - DUSK

CLOSER POV out cockpit window of Luke getting bigger as the Falcon closes on him, until his falling body skims the cockpit window and we hear it land with a thud on the outside hull of the ship.

S423 EXT TIE FIGHTERS

The three TIE Fighters race to camera firing away.

423: INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON HATCH - CLOUD CITY - DUSK

The hatch pops open with a hiss of pressure. Lando reaches out to help the battered warrior inside the ship. Suddenly, there is a huge explosion near the ship, causing it to lurch wildly. Luke is almost thrown overboard, but Lando grabs his hand in time.

424: INT COCKPIT - MILLENNIUM FALCON - CLOUD CITY - POV

OVER THE SHOULDER POV - Clouds and flak burst as the Falcon banks away from the city. Leia and Chewie struggle with the controls.

425: EXTA UNDERSIDE OF CLOUD CITY - DUSK

The Falcon races over camera and away, followed by the three TIE fighters firing on the Falcon as they speed in pursuit.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: AT THE EDGE OF DEATH!

Luke continues to hang precariously on the under vane of Cloud City as the Millennium Falcon heads to rescue him. Can they reach him before its too late...

Matte Painting of the Cloud City lower point.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: 'BRING MY SHUTTLE!'

As Imperial Stormtroopers continue invading Cloud City, an angry Darth Vader (Dave Prowse), frustrated with Luke's sacrifice, makes ready to depart to his Star Destroyer in this outtake shot from the classic posed publicity image, alongside film extra Patrick Ginter as an Imperial Officer.  

As dictated in the original Fifth Draft script of 20/2/79, Vader walked onto the landing platform as the Falcon escaped into the air. Aware of Luke's dangerous predicament, Vader would say to himself: "Ben cannot help you now, young Jedi!" The scene was filmed as scripted (with Vader referring to one aide rather than the two in the script) but rearranged in the final cut with new dialogue as he instead angrily calls for his shuttle (James Earl Jones dialogue recorded in late post production). The scripted scene (5408) is, however, in the Marvel Comics adaptation, also released before the film in May 1980.

 

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: 'HEAR ME, LEIA...'

Perilously close to death, a near-powerless, seriously injured, psychologically broken Luke reaches out into the either of the Force to Leia, as captured in this great ILM storyboard art by Nilo Rodis-Jamero.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: HANGING AROUND!

With Colin Skeaping having handled the stunt exit descent, Mark Hamill takes over for Luke's perilous scene hanging under a control vane beneath Bespin.

Peter Suschitzky films the sequence of Luke's struggles on the control vane.

Waiting between filming set-ups.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: DEATH DESCENT!

Plummeting from the vent tunnel into the atmosphere of Bespin, has Luke Skywalker come to the end of his life and journey to Jedi-dom? It's more than likely that Star Wars stuntman regular Colin Skeaping performed this dangerous drop from above one of the Elstree sound stages, especially after Mark Hamill, tense from filming strains of the last few months, and worried for the upcoming arrival of his first child, had sprained his lightsaber hand thumb a few days prior, during a stunt accident.

Soon enough, whilst this scene's filming was being completed that Mark's wife, Marilou, would give birth to Nathan at the London Hospital.

The underside standalone section on one of the Elstree soundstages.

From the mini crane, Peter Diamond watches a Luke-wigged Colin Skeaping test the Cloud City underside section.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: VENTILATION TUNNEL DESCENT!

The injured Luke (Mark Hamill) captures in close-up in the ventilation tunnel

Caught in an unexpected air flow, Luke Skywalker is seemingly saved from death whilst propelled into a ventilation conduit at high speed, stopping to barely gather his bearings before then being propelled again - this time towards the underbelly exterior of Cloud City.

Originally shot on 31st July, 1979, the day's filming of the scene where Luke deliberately falls into Bespin’s bottomless shaft has to be re-filmed on 1st August, costing thousands of dollars, as the developed footage has been ruined in the laboratory.

Colin Skeaping doubles for Luke in the slide down, attached to a concealed skate board-esque panel. Skeaping uses the bloodied stump of Luke's hand to control his speed...

Early storyboard idea that would see a matte painting used for the descent sequence.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: A HERO FALLS, RISES, AND FALLS AGAIN!

Ivor Beddoes art for the air-floating Luke sequence.

He may have made the ultimate descent but the hot air currents below him soon send Luke high upwards above a watching Vader, as the young Jedi then falls once again, accelerating faster to his sure doom, in a deleted moment partially filmed at Elstree Studios in July, 1979.

Darth Vader (Dave Prowse) watches Luke fly upwards before descending again.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: A HERO FALLS...

Unable and unwilling to accept the incredible and shocking revelation, Luke chooses to commit suicide rather than be captured and forced to accept a life of evil and darkness alongside Darth Vader, as seen in this storyboard.

Vader looks down at the descending Luke.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: DARK LORD'S REVELATION...

The lead-in to one of the most memorable and classic moments in Star Wars and movie history captured in this striking production painting, used in a wealth of merchandise and an early teaser trailer for Empire in 1979, by Ralph McQuarrie. As seen here, in early story development, Luke had not lost his hand in the duel.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: TRAPPED IN PERSPECTIVE!

Luke's desperate situation is created in advance for the filmmakers, as seen in this pre-production set maquette (with A New Hope-era character cut outs), for the planning of the dramatic revelation scene to be shot at Elstree.

Ralph McQuarrie thumbnail ideas for the scene.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE DARK SIDE REACHES OUT...

A series of safety mattresses are laid out beneath Mark hamill at the gantry edge,

"You do not realise your importance. You have only begun to discover your powers." - Darth Vader

"I'll never join you." - Luke

"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side." - Darth Vader

Evading Darth Vader, the injured Luke tries to ignore his opponent's dark side temptations, before a shocking revelation ultimately sends the boy into an horrendous psychological ordeal...

Shooting some closer-in material of Hamill on the gantry set at Elstree.

Whereas Mark Hamill would hang over the ledge himself (the actor nervy about any height, especially within his new father status), it is likely that for the wide shot that Bob Anderson once again performed stunt duties as Vader, whilst Dave Prowse did reaction/clenched fist shots.

Outtake images from the establishing footage of the filming.

Colin Skeaping holds onto Mark Hamill as they rehearse the tricky scene.

Dave Prowse and Peter Diamond watch Hamill with Colin Skeaping.

Luke has nowhere else to go...