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Long thought lost, this making-of documentary on The Empire Strikes Back is the bee’s knees. It features lots of never-before-seen footage of the Battle of Hoth, stuff with tauntauns and wampas, and Mark Hamill choreographing a lightsaber duel with the late great Bob Anderson. The footage was shot by French journalist Michel Parbot and reassembled by Star Wars Archives.
What’s most interesting about this documentary is hearing Gary Kurtz and Irvin Kirshner talk about their approach to making Empire Strikes Back. Both of them are dedicated to strong storytelling that creates a sense of adventurous fantasy and as well as grounded believability. Kirshner is very emphatic that they’re making a fairy tale set in space rather than a science fiction film.
Here’s to hoping the new Star Wars trilogy takes Kurtz’s and Kirshner’s ideas to heart.
[Star Wars Archives and Reddit via The Playlist]