Director
Irvin Kershner
Leading Actors/Actresses
Mark Hamill
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, James Earl Jones, Franz Oz, and Peter Mayhew
Genre
Science Fiction/Space Opera
Language
English
Awards
The Empire Strikes Back was nominated for the Best Original Score and Best Production Design Academy Awards. It won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing and won a Special Achievement Award.
Date of Release
May 21st, 1980
Producer
Gary Kurtz
Setting and Context
Three years after the events depicted in A New Hope
Narrator and Point of View
The film doesn't have a narrator and is told from a third-person point of view.
Tone and Mood
Violent, Mysterious, Harsh, and Hardened
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Luke Skywalker. Antagonist: Darth Vader.
Major Conflict
Luke and his friends fight against the evil Empire, led by Darth Vader and the Emperor.
Climax
When it is revealed that Luke is Darth Vader's son.
Foreshadowing
Han being frozen in Carbonite is foreshadowed quite early on in the film.
Understatement
For much of the film, Darth Vader's devotion to his family is understated.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
N/A
Allusions
To A New Hope, Lucas' other films (like American Graffiti, THX 1138, and the Indiana Jones series), popular culture, the work of Joseph Campbell, and famous science fiction serials of the time.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
In many ways, Han's story in the first film and Lando's story in this film are paralleled.
