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...

'VADER WEEK': DAY 7 - THE UNSTOPPABLE FORCE OF DARKNESS!

Our week-long celebration of Darth Vader ends full circle, leading into A New Hope: the Dark Lord's arrival on the damaged Profundity cruiser and his quickly unforgettable massacre of its brave Rebel troops buying escape time for a certain Blockade Runner to slip its moorings, during the superb and genuinely brutal ending to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. 

Suggested by editor Jabez Wilson, this last-minute sequence (in which stuntman Daniel Naprous was in the suit), shot and added to the film in its post production phase literally four months before release, would cement Vader's reputation anew as one baddie you don't want to run into!

ROGUE ONE: JUNGLE WARFARE!

Ready to make ten men look like a hundred, Cassian Andor's small but loyal band of Rebel soldier volunteers stealthily make their way through the Scarif Imperial Base's surrounding jungle, ready to cause maximum havoc in this great moment from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

CLASSIC IMAGE: HAN FIGHTS BACK!

Captured no more, thanks to the war-bringing arrival of the diminutive but tough Ewoks, our Rebel squad takes the surprise initiative against the Empire, led by Commander Solo, in this great action image from Return of the Jedi. 

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: REBELS IN RETREAT!

The evacuation code retreat is sounded and the surviving Rebel soldiers emerge from their wrecked emplacements to rush to the last escape transport vessel, though still in the sights of the advancing Imperial Walkers, in this epic moment from the film.

Storyboard for the memorable scene.

The scene as filmed on location circa April 1979, with Walkers added in ILM post production. 

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: A BRUTAL WAR!

In memorable on location photos that definitely captured the sense of hardship, comradeship and brutality of war seen with our very own real-life conflicts in the trenches of World War One, exhausted and injured Rebel soldiers gather whilst their comrades fight on against the walkers, Such near-realistic images weren't ultimately seen in the completed film (alongside shots of dead dummy Rebel soldiers littering the snowscape), perhaps considered too adult and realistic for the fantasy film, despite the overall darkness prevalent in this first sequel.

The above posed location photo would clearly be an inspiration for one of the rarer-seen Ralph McQuarrie production paintings for the film. 

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE OTHER 'BATTLE OF HOTH'!

Imperial Snowtroopers disembark a Walker in this great art by Joe Johnston.

The epic Battle of Hoth had many incredible action/visual moments to savour, but there were other intriguing ideas and planned geography for the conflict ultimately not used during the shaping of the sequence during its pre-production art and storyboarding phase. Some of the more graphic violence of the boards were not considered for filming (notably illustrations showing battle-retreating Rebel Soldiers being crushed to death by Walker feet!).

Early concept art by Joe Johnston for the Battle of Hoth, when it was originally to have had Imperial Tanks in conflict rather than Walkers.

Snowtroopers rush across the surface in a great unfilmed storyboard by Joe Johnston.

Repelling Imperial invaders!

Here's a further selection of intriguing art pieces to enjoy...

UK film talent Ivor Beddoes ideas for the movement and geography of the battle sequence.
 

A second Beddoes idea is pinned to the walls at Elstree during 1978/79.

Luke is trapped in the snow amidst a battlefield of dead soldiers, in an idea from Ivor Beddoes, working on action ideas for Irvin Kershner at Elstree.

Rebel Soldiers assist in blasting away at a fallen Walker in this storyboard idea.

Unused ground level idea of Rebel solders retreating from the Walkers legs, an action moment that was likely cut for being too ambitious and optically tricky to effectively realize.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: SNOW WARS!

The Battle of Hoth intensifies and the Rebel ground troops take a battering in these terrific film images and behind the scenes shots captured during second unit filming.

One of the specially made Rebel dummy bodies amidst the battle carnage on location.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: FIRE AND ICE!

Cool under fire for the moment, the Rebel soldiers entrenched on the surface of Hoth take a heavy laser pounding from Imperial Walkers, in this superbly composed action image taken during the second unit crew's work on the Battle of Hoth sequence.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: WALKERS INCOMING!

On the surface of Hoth, a Rebel scout and his Tauntaun mount (either back in its more hairy reptile visual development days or just a creature concept generally liked by artist Ralph McQuarrie) are racing to avoid a grim fate from approaching Imperial Walkers, in this great thumbnail piece that was the basis point for a sensational production painting. It was such a shame that there wasn't a way it couldn't have been made a reality in the finished film.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: READY TO FILM TRENCH WARFARE

Image: Alan Tomkins. 

The numerous international crew playing Rebel Soldiers (including members from the 32 Red Cross Norwegian volunteers) pose for a private image on location at the Hardangerjokulen Glacier location in Finse, Norway. Before the explosions and firings start!

Here's a selection of behind the scenes images linked to the Second Unit filming.

The numerous weapons props including a dish cannon and varying background size turrets are kept in location storage. 

As well as the Norwegian Red Cross, other members of the tight-knit second unit team who'd become Rebel ground soldiers for filming would include producer Jim Bloom, and stunt man Peter Diamond, playing the leader who informs Echo Base of the Imperial Walkers arrival (though his voice was dubbed for his two lines of dialogue: "Echo Station Three-T-8, we've spotted Imperial Walkers", whist his later "Rogue Leader, incoming" line was lost, replaced with ultimately different dialogue.

Bob Anderson as the Rebel solider leader. The stunt performer was also on hand to supervise some of the location stunt work. Image: Kurtz/Joiner Archive.

Bob Anderson, as seen in the film.

Producer Jim Bloom as a Rebel.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: TREAT WILLIAMS - REBEL SOLDIER!

New recruits: Treat Williams and Carrie Fisher!

It takes all sorts to win a war against the Empire, both in front of and behind the camera, as the soldier ranks within the Rebels of Hoth include two distinctive names for a crowd scene set in their hangar bay- American actor Treat Williams, a visitor (amongst other famous on-set guests) to the then newly opened Star Wars Stage over in the UK (presumably on a Fox related movie project, and no stranger to this country's film work in the mid-seventies, having appeared in spy thriller The Eagle Has Landed) and Carrie Fisher, who, even though busy enough playing Princess Leia again, sneaked in a fun background cameo to further swell the ranks. 

If anyone has been able to find Williams and Fisher in the hangar bay scene, please get in touch. It is likely the moment where Luke is racing to his speeder as Rebel soldiers rush past.

Williams and the smaller Fisher might be the departing Rebel soldiers here... Image: StarWarsScreenCaps.com.

https://poddtoppen.se/podcast/883308059/gilbert-gottfrieds-amazing-colossal-podcast/treat-williams

Letting her hair down on set.

Fisher with Williams and an unknown face (right).

UPDATE 13/6/23

Sad news. RIP: Treat Williams, 'Everwood' and 'Deep Rising' star, dead at 71 | CNN

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: TRENCH WAR READINESS!

Out on the surface of Hoth to resist the heavily armed Imperial forces for as long as possible, and buy needed escape time for the evacuation transports, the Rebel soldiers man their defensive positions and trenches ready for battle, in these terrific on-location captured images. The people playing the Rebels would prove a diverse bunch on location, including a group of Norwegian Red Cross members who barely spoke any English, numerous behind the scenes UK crew members, and apparently even the local tea lady, who'd enthusiastically daily deliver food, soup and hot treats to the site. Varying weather conditions would prove problematic, and only a section of the Second Unit footage was in the can before filming was ultimately abandoned - the Editors' cleverly using and re-using different angle footage from what they had to create a spectacular ground battle.

The Rebel tank seen on location and as a set detail at Elstree.

A behind the scene moment. In the film we never see any close-up shots of a Rebel soldier peering out from the turret.