'AN EMPIRE' AT 45: FROM FINSE WITH LOVE!

UK art technician Alan Tomkins with the Tauntaun prop outside the Finse 1222 hotel in Norway. Image: Pamela Mann.

Filming of the desert realms of Tatooine, in Tunisia, for the original Star Wars back during March/April 1976, had brought its own unique problems that had to be overcome by the film crew, but those were nothing in comparison to the location work at Norway for the opening act of The Empire Strikes Back set on the ice planet of Hoth. Heavy ice, snowstorms, avalanches and 'white-outs' were constant, in the worst weather that the chosen location, Finse, had seen for decades. In such conditions it was a marvel that the main first unit, headed by Irvin Kershner, a frost-bitten Gary Kurtz, stalwart David Tomblin, and others, were able to accomplish so much. And thankfully, some material could even be shot literally outside the hotel! 

But the worsening weather would go on to heavily affect the second unit's eventual filming of the ground snow battle scenes against the AT-AT's going into April, 1979...

Gary Kurtz and Irvin Kershner brave the elements.

Mark Hamill gets sun sun and rest atop one of the special Empire snow vehicles.

Peter Mayhew and crew enjoy a warming meal on at one the location camp bases.

Filming Chewbacca's one and only scene on location.

Continuity Polaroid of Mayhew with Pamela Mann.

"That was fairly horrendous. It was cold and the wind was blowing. It was just a bit unpleasant, but the filming of that scene was only half a day."

Peter Mayhew - Star Wars Insider - Issue 28

Quickly abandoning filming as a dreaded 'white-out' arrives at the site.

Inside one of the two location camp huts, Irvin Kershner rehearses a scene with Mark Hamill atop the primary Tauntaun prop, watched and recorded by Michel Parbot and his documentary team.

Posing atop the full scale prop for publicity images.

Filming reaction shots with the head prop, also built by Stuart Freeborn and his team in London.

Some of the crew assemble at a base camp with the prop Tauntaun. Image: Pamela Mann.

Crewman Des Webb wears the heavy stilts whilst playing the Wampa snow monster.

The snow vehicles continue on throughout the location filming.

Lifted by helicopter (likely piloted by film-making veteran Marc Wolfe), Colin Skeaping doubles as Luke for his descent from the damaged Walker.

UK Script Supervisor and Continuity talent Pamela Mann enjoys the location.

Pamela even enjoys her own igloo as part of the location camraderie.

Harrison Ford, Kershner and crew prepare for the next Tauntaun sequence.

Moving the damaged Snowspeeder prop into location positioning.

Filming Luke's swift escape from the wrecked Snowspeeder.

Filming the Probot prop at varying sites on location.

The half Probot prop and tracks outside the Finse 1222 hotel.

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: 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...

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: BLOWN AWAY!

Resident Star Wars stuntman Colin Skeaping performs the scene where Luke goes flying out of the window, his gymnastics move through the window slowed down in post production amidst a blast of air and small bits of lightweight debris around him to simulate the release of air through the broken observation window. 

More on the scene:

https://starwarsaficionado.blogspot.com/2016/11/behind-scenes-window-crasher.html

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: POSITIONED INTO A TRAP!

"Your destiny lies with me, Skywalker."

Having avoided a near lethal lightsaber move from Vader, Luke ends up falling down the stairs of the Carbon Freezing Chamber and is now being maneuvered towards the central pit by his opponent...

"You'll find I'm full of surprises!" Luke valiantly fights one-handed against the bullying Vader.

Luke loses his lightsaber, as seen in one of the trailers for Empire. Note the practically lit lightsaber rods on set, not yet rotoscoped in post production.

Suspended on Kirby wires, Bob Anderson flies towards Luke, as seen in an earlier trailer.

Colin Skeaping performs Luke's fall down the platform stairs in this rare B/W image.

Skeaping next to Bob Anderson as Vader, who sends Luke into the pit!

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: CARBON DESIGN!

Colin Skeaping (holding mock lightsaber), Gary Kurtz and Peter Diamond stunt safety inspect the Carbon Freezing Chamber set prior to filming - Summer 1979.

Uniquely designed by Norman Reynolds at Elstree Studios, the superb Carbon Freezing Chamber facility set is a genuine nightmare spot for our captured heroes, amplified by superb lighting, steam and cinematography from Peter Suschitzky, as they are intimidated by Darth Vader and his forces, of which Han Solo faces a grim, uncertain future. 

The set would be a tricky one to film on. Playing a Stormtrooper extra on the set, Alan Flyng would recall to the Star Wars Interviews blog site: 

"On this particular set, you will have no doubt seen the images of the circular gantry surrounding the central lift platform. What you cannot see is that the area beneath was a tangle of steel scaffolding poles and heavy black electrical cables strewn all over the place. Lighting beneath the set was Spartan and moving through the area in armor was dangerous and difficult. In addition, the access route to the set was a planking and scaffolding staircase which was permanently blocked by members of the crew trying to remain as close as possible to the set in stand-by mode and the cameras and attendant crews! 

Inevitably, we, the lesser mortals in this situation, were directed to make our entrance to the gantry level by ladder! This was even more taxing than navigating the area below as the ladders were not easy to climb with helmet in one hand or on the head! Nevertheless, it was achieved and over a period of a few

days, as the action played out, it became necessary for us all to be brought into various pieces of interaction with the cast. We had marched them on on another set and we carried the action on down a flight of Perspex stairs, which were extremely slippery and we couldn’t see through our helmets! 

My action culminated in manhandling Harrison Ford with a stuntman into position. Others, supplemented by stunts fought with Chewbacca as he resisted the action."

Early concept work linked to Norman Reynolds design for the chamber, replacing an earlier idea conceived by Ralph McQuarrie.