AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: FUN WITH CARRIE AND PETER!

The Empire Strikes Back may often have had its gloomy and dramatic story moments for Princess Leia Organa, but behind the scenes in bringing her character to life, Carrie Fisher was clearly having a blast, enjoying the company of the veteran British technicians, especially director of photography Peter Suschitzky and his small camera team, as seen in these great images during shooting on the Medical Frigate set at Elstree in July,1979.

What's she pointing at? Fisher with Peter Suschitzky!

Further regular clowning about with camera operator Kelvin Pike.

More: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ledVnZOf24

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: CARBON REHEARSAL!

A busy day on the Carbon Freeze Chamber set, what with a huge amount of supporting extras alongside the main cast and a whole host of continuity and filming issues to be handled for each scene filmed within the hot and steamy Elstree Studios environment.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: ALAS, POOR THREEPIO...

In a true 'Hamlet considers Yoric' moment, Chewbacca looks towards the debris that was once their loyal if irritating protocol droid and decides to put Threepio back together, if only the wrong way round at first! One of the most sadly poignant but also charming scenes to showcase Peter Mayhew's performance as Chewbacca during The Empire Strikes Back,

Irvin Kershner works with Peter Mayhew on the scene.

Anthony Daniels provides the voice of the near destroyed Threepio from the floor speaking into a microphone set-up. 

Peter Suschitzky works on the scene's filming as Anthony Daniels (bottom right) rehearse works the C-3PO droid puppet.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: JUST HANGING AROUND!

Captured and held suspended as 'food storage' in the Wampa cave, Luke Skywalker uses the Force, in his first major onscreen practical application of his unique ability, to retrieve his nearby lightsaber and make an earthly return. And just as the Wampa can be heard approaching!

Luke surveys his surroundings and looks for his fallen lightsaber.

Originally, in an early script, the voice of his former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi was to have been subtly heard giving Luke the encouragement needed to use his abilities in retrieving the saber, but this was ultimately dropped, though the idea did make it into the novel adaptation by Donald F. Glut and the Marvel Comics adaptation of 1980.

Norman Reynolds production design for Luke in the Wampa cave.

Height/size reference of the Wampa cave.

Hamill in partial costume rehearsal for the scene with Irvin Kershner.

Hamill in a break between filming.

Cinematographer Peter Suschitzky holds on to Hamill as he reaches out to his lightsaber for filming.

Using his lightsaber to escape the ceiling snare.

The skeletal remains of a dead Tauntaun make effective set dressing in the cave.

Having spent several highly uncomfortable days hanging upside down- though aided and safely supervised by Stuntmen Peter Diamond and Colin Skeaping, Mark Hamill would be less than thrilled at having to re-film most of the sequence anew a short time later, this time second unit directed by Gary Kurtz.

Gary Kurtz and a second unit handle re-shoots of the Wampa Cave sequence.

The Wampa (Des Webb) approaches the upside down Luke in an unused angle. 

Peter Diamond and Colin Skeaping assist Hamill between takes.

No longer wearing the location filming-used stilt feet for the Elstree filming, Des Webb takes a break on the cave set, which was reduced in size to make the creature look even bigger on film.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: LACK OF LOVE, AND LACK OF DUTY!

What a surprise! Han Solo and the Princess are arguing again! This time, her 'highness-ness' is angry with the smuggler in finally making his decision to leave her and the Rebellion at its most critical time. To make things worse, Han can't help forcing the issue over their relationship, charging the Princess's mood even more, in this fun comedic sequence which was originally a much longer confrontational scene and was trimmed in half during editing- in the original version, Leia had the last comedic line instead of Han, making him even angrier when back repairing the Falcon. Also lost, part of an entire sub plot in itself, was a sequence showing a Wampa snow creature trying to scratch through the ice wall of the nearby base corridor whilst the pair are arguing.

As our duo argues, an unexpected visitors attempts a break-in

A Wampa paw tries to break the ice.

The bickering scene continues in another corridor.

"Enjoy your trip, Hotshot!'

Leia walks away in the final moments, as a droid goes past.

The full scene with Wampa moment, as captured in the official Marvel comics adaptation based on one of the revised shooting scripts.

Making an early visit to the film in late March/early April 1979 was George Lucas, along with Lawrence Kasdan, as the Rebel base scenes were being shot. They posed for numerous photographs on the corridor and Medical Bay set, with Kasdan getting a surprise when he saw that some of his Solo/Leia dialogue had been rewritten or changed by Ford without his knowledge.

Lucas confers with cinematographer Peter Suschitzky on the scene. Note the Leia/Han stand-ins in the corridor background.

Best of friends, or best of 'frenemies'? Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford between takes..

CLASSIC IMAGE: EVIL HANDIWORK!

A powerless Leia and Chewbacca can only look on in horror and repulsion at the fate of their beloved Han Solo, now encased in carbonite as part of a successful "test" in Darth Vader's unique plan to ensnare Luke Skywalker- his one true prey.

A scene of genuine atmosphere and dread, truly putting the heart of darkness into STAR WARS- a flavour that would be attempted in subsequent sequels but never quite equalled.

British Cinematographer Peter Suschitzky was one of the key creative forces behind the scenes on THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, helping director Irvin Kershner make it the visual classic it has become since its release in 1980. Find out more about his work on the film here: The Photography for The Empire Strikes Back

CLASSIC IMAGE: GOODBYE, HAN SOLO!

Here's another great image from EMPIRE-this one showing the terrible time Chewbacca and Princess Leia have whilst watching Han Solo become carbonised. Its an evocative image-and one not always seen in its entirety (often cropped to focus just on Leia and Chewie when used in magazines during the period of EMPIRE's 1980 theatrical release)- and shows what an incredible set the Carbon Freezing chamber was during the filming in the summer of 1979-full of atmosphere, heat and steam, brilliantly lit by the UK lighting team and filmed with strong, but beautifully haunting cinematography by Peter Suschitzky.