10 Fantastic Behind The Scenes Photos From The Empire Strikes Back

I suppose technically the title of this article is incorrect since the fifth picture below (the one with Carrie Fisher giving a Gamorrean guard a smooth) is technically from Return of the Jedi, but even so, it’s still part of the same collection of photographs recently released by Lucasfilm. These ten pictures are a combination of some pictures from the archives and some pictures from the book The Making Of The Empire Strikes Back which Richard touched on in an article about a year ago.

The Empire Strikes back was filmed in 1979 (and released in 1980). At that time, it was the most expensive movie ever made. Of course, it was nothing like what is spent on movies these days. Part of the movie was shot in Norway during their worst snow storm in 50 years, and the other part was shot in London. In these wonderfully playful pictures, you can see Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and even director Irvin Kershner all having a great time despite the long hours, pressure to deliver, and extreme temperatures.

I’m sure at the time they created this, they had no idea they would be a part of a cultural phenomenon that would unite geeks around the world for generations to come. All they were trying to do was live up to Star Wars, which was released in 1977. I hope you enjoy these iconic pictures as much as I did!