REBELS IN PERIL!

Within the control centre/briefing room area of one of the Yavin IV temples being used by the Rebel Alliance, a concerned Princess Leia with General Dodonna (Alex McCrindle) and a key Rebel technician (Burnell Tucker) will soon monitor their Gold and Red Squadrons' flight to the Death Star, in a memorable photo from Star Wars.

I was sorry to hear the news that accomplished British/Canadian actor Burnell Tucker passed away earlier in the year at the age of 91. Tucker was a mainstay of all the mid-seventies blockbusters made in the UK whenever a supporting player was needed for an American role, including such greats as Rollerball, The Omen, Superman the Movie (plus Superman II), Flash Gordon, and, of course, returning as a Rebel for The Empire Strikes Back. Sadly, I'm not aware of the late Mister Tucker ever doing any signings, appearances or interviews for some unknown reason. Regardless, R.I.P., and thank you for your contributions to both Star Wars and movie history.

CLASSIC McQUARRIE: SENTINELS OF HOTH!

With their heavy weaponry and regular Tauntaun patrols, the Rebels maintain constant vigilance across the blue-tinted Hoth landscape, ready for action, in this lovely Thailand poster art from 1980 promoting The Empire Strikes Back, using the great Production Painting work of Ralph McQuarrie that helped make the film such a uniquely different entity to the original Star Wars.

It was an image that was also adapted and used in the Al Williamson and Carlos Garzon Marvel Comics adaptation of the iconic saga entry.  

BEHIND THE SCENES: ARRIVAL AT THE YAVIN IV BASE

Image: Ann Skinner/ BFI.

Outside the immense Shed One at the former airship construction hangar at Cardington in Summer 1976, the main cast (minus Harrison Ford (his filming schedule prior completed, and now returned to the US) and Anthony Daniels (back at Elstree where he is needed for other filming)- replaced by unknown British stand- ins) film their arrival at Yavin IV's Massassi Temple for the original Star Wars, of which a matte painting would be superimposed over the background in post production. Also shot was an ultimately deleted sequence where our heroes board transportation vehicles to head into the temple's fighter bay interior.

Filming in 1976.

A modern shot of the Cardington sheds now often used for studio filming. Image: Wikipedia.

BEHIND THE SCENES: A FORD IN PLAIN SIGHT?

We know that on the busy, newly built Star Wars Stage back during Summer, 1979, the impressive site comprising the Rebel hangar base on Hoth had a lot of visitors eager to see The Empire Strikes Back's stars at work in front of and behind the camera. Some of these visitors were journalists, some were studio 'suits' eager to find out what was going on with the over schedule and budget first sequel, whilst others were friends and colleagues to the main stars. Carrie Fisher had numerous pals see her during filming on the Rebel Base set, including fellow actor Treat Williams, the pair making a brief cameo together as barely noticeable on screen Rebel soldiers rushing out of the hangar bay and onto the snowy surface. It was clearly a lot of fun for the duo, mixed in with lots of background artists playing Rebel ground soldiers, but is it also possible that Harrison Ford was eager to get in on the act too in playing a background crowd officer?. It certainly looks like it could be Ford seen in these screen captures, wearing the blight brown gilay, soon raising his hand with the exciting news (via tannoy provided in one version of the film by Mark Hamill himself) that his Rebel colleagues have scored a victory with the escaping first transport? 

If anyone can confirm this is Ford, please get in touch...

ILM BEHIND THE SCENES: PAINTING THE COLD CLIMES OF HOTH!

An ILM technician feels the cold in this humorous image.

Bringing to life at ILM the many establishing scenes set during the opening stages of battle and drama on the ice planet of Hoth would take all kinds of skillsets and techniques from a variety of in-house talents, most notably by the superb use of background paintings and matte work achieved by the likes of veteran artist Ralph McQuarrie and newcomers like Michael Pangrazio, whose impressive work was notably showcased in enhancing the model filming/ stop motion work then underway for The Empire Strikes Back.

Here's a showcase look at the behind the scenes work involved...

Harrison Ellenshaw pulls out a matte painting used at the start of the snow battle.

As seen in the film from the Walker cockpit. Image: Star Wars Screen Caps.

Another backdrop piece for the snow battle.

Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett with the Tauntaun snowscape, with Mike Pangrazio's painted backdrop.

Two shots of Michael Pangrazio at work.

Backdrop used for the Snowspeeder search for the missing Luke and Han on Hoth.

Ralph McQuarrie at work on a Rebel base ice cave exterior.

Work continues on the painting.

It looks like a revised or alternate/similar matte painting design was used in the final film for the Rebel base entrance, placed over establishing footage at the Norway-filmed glacier trench. Image: Star Wars Screen Caps.

And on an overall Hoth location backdrop.

CLASSIC IMAGE: THE WEAK SPOT!

In an unused angle not seen in the film, General Dodonna (Alex McCrindle) goes through the Death Star schematics with his Rebel pilots, to show the battle station's weakness point, in a scene filmed at Shepperton Studios for the original Star Wars. This shot is also further interesting as it shows a moment from what available computer generated image footage (created by Larry Cuba) could be back projected live on-set, presumably during filming on May 17th, 1976- the last day of filming on the briefing room.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: TO STOP THE FALCON!

Stalled by mechanical problems, our heroes inside the Millennium Falcon rush to fix things. Meanwhile, Imperial Snowtroopers equally rush to stop the vessel within the evacuated hangar, readying their heavy-duty laser cannon at the vessel in this terrific B/W posed image.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: BREAKAGES AT BREAK TIME!

Suffering unrelenting attacks from Imperial Walkers, the Hoth Rebel base's command centre has fallen to pieces around Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, the actress seen here in a filming break- note Jerry Harte (playing a Rebel Force Head Controller) in the background getting in a quick snack! A great behind the scenes image at Elstree, from The Empire Strikes Back.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: ARTOO KEEPS BACK!

He's a formidable little fellow when he needs to be, but not even Artoo Detoo is foolish enough to singularly challenge the towering brute force of a Wampa snow beast that's just broken into one of the darkened ice halls of the Rebel base caverns, and a formidable creature that has only just been defeated by a concentration of human troops, in this deleted scene from The Empire Strikes Back that eventually made its way in truncated form onto 2011 Blu-ray.

Artoo shows his wariness at the Wama's fallen body.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE 'FALCON' AT ELSTREE!

The star vehicle in all its glory at Elstree: the Millennium Falcon.

It had previously only been built as a half-size wooden prop for filming on the original Star Wars back in 1976, but The Empire Strikes Back, being the film that would showcase the Millennium Falcon more than ever before, required the necessity for a full-size build, specially farmed out for creation by a team of Welsh shipbuilding team at Pembrokeshire Docks under top secret conditions, nicknamed 'The Flying Saucer' or 'UFO' by puzzled local residents, then shipped in sections for refitting at Elstree studios on their newly built, biggest soundstage, The Star Wars Stage. The incredibly detailed craft was an amazing site during filming in June 1979 and even had the ability to be moved into position via compressed air supports, an ability that was used for an ultimately deleted scene with Han and Leia prior to the Rebels evacuation.

The Falcon moving into position on stage.

Deleted scene featuring the moving Falcon:

https://starwarsaficionado.blogspot.com/2014/02/deleted-scene-han-and-lifters.html

A selection of superb behind the scenes images...

On the Echo Base hangar bay, after the Rebels evacuation.

Referred to as the 'UFO', built in top secret conditions at a Pembrokeshire Dock in Wales, the Millennium Falcon full-size exterior was built in assembly sections and transported to Elstree Studios, London.

Reassembled at Elstree Studios.

The UK Production Design Department, with the diorama showing the Falcon in the hangar bay.

Image: via John Daly collection.

Image via John Daly collection.

The Falcon being positioned for later filming on the stage with the Bespin Landing platform scenes.