Symbolic environments of EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - It's still the best!! (film analysis by Rob Ager) 

Thanks for all the great feedback and additional thoughts folks. For those of you asking where my similar study on the first Star Wars film is, it's available to my Patreon supporters and on my website as a digital download. Links in video description. Rob :)

'Hoth' was the the name of the German commander of the Fourth Panzer Army who fought on the Eastern Front on World War Two. I don't know if that's where the planet's name derives, but to me it's a name that's evocative of ice-bound mechanised warfare.

I think the point of the million to one shot of Han finding Luke is that he was unknowingly lead there by Obi Wan's force spirit. To me it gives s a foreshadowing that Luke is never really alone and that he has a larger purpose. Great video by the way.

John Williams was in his TOP FORM for this film. He took all six films beyond next level.

Throughout all the years I've watched movies, I've never felt like a hero was more helpless than Luke upside down underneath Cloud City.

54:36 Nobody ever remarks that Luke always draws his saber first in Empire. And then loses, because of his impatience. In Jedi he never draws first, even turning it off mid fight at one point.

For me this film is still a example of a perfect film because of how well written it is, the incredible effects, the brilliant direction,the music, how well thought out everything Is it's just so well done and such an entertaining movie. Honestly the original trilogy has never been bettered or equalled and remains one of the greatest if not the greatest trilogy ever made

I’ve seen this film 500 times. And thanks to this, No. 501 will seem a bit different. Well done, sir!

Cloud City has always been my favorite section. I like that uneasy shot of the door after the Falcon lands and the heroes are speculating about what kind of welcome they're going to receive.

"Han found Luke riding a tauntaun during a blizzard...must've been a million to one shot"-Collative Learning "Never tell me the odds.."-Han Solo

That quick, meaningful look between Lando and Lobot accompanied by the swell and sudden stop of dramatic music has always been one of my favorite scenes.

Just when I thought I couldn’t love this movie any more, Rob provides a thousand more things to appreciate about it!

What you make me wonder is just how many of these symbols were done outright by genius filmmaking/filmmakers, and how many where subconscious even on their part, not even fully aware of how brilliant ideas each were and might be surprised at "how right they got it" by just following their gut.

Something I always felt was strong in this movie is the way it was structured around the way a day is broken up into. It starts with an evening moving into night with Luke and han. We have early morning with the search, late morning the battles on hoth and space. The we have mid day with Luke having lunch with Yoda. Late after noon for the training, cloud city it's set with a orange dusk glow to the end scene set at night.

Also, Vader doesn’t even question Han when he tortures him. He just tortures him. Evil!

Throughout the entire Cloud City sequence, the stormtroopers stand rigidly still. They're like statues. Keep an eye on them next time. You wouldn't suspect there were actual people in those costums until they do finally move. It's shocking to see what at first glance appear to be mannequins suddenly start walking around.

This was my first Star Wars movie, I went to the cinema with no idea about Star Wars in 1997 when the Special Edition was released. Didn’t know it was a trilogy back then, was one of my most memorable cinema experiences, became an instant fan but was quite confused by the story at first because had not seen “A new Hope” and the text in the beginning only explained so much. 😂

The snake transforming in yoda theory is interesting. Note that the vintage kenner yoda figure came with the snake as an accessory. I never thought much of it until you pointed it out. 48:33

I like how they used a word like HOTh..to describe an Arctic place...Brilliant. I always thought his lightsaber just fell off when he was being put upside down in the cave..I dont imagine the Wampa would know it was a weapon.

Dont know if it’s been commented on yet, but Han finding Luke was yet another foreshadowing of Leiha finding him at the end of the movie. I think the traumatic experience on Hoth unlocked his force ability to reach out to others (where as ObiWan was talking to Luke in New Hope, Luke hadn’t learned to communicate back yet), so his near death moment on Cloud City further magnified his abilities. Had never realized how much the end of the film really reflected the beginning.

I believe in his backstory Lobot's mind is directly tied to the Cloud City, so he basically could access any of its systems. I think it's great that a non-speaking character has a great screen presence just by a visual design alone. And I believe that's what Empire Strikes Back excels as well, we see a lot of details in the background that tell a lot of the story without being pointed out to us by the characters. There's a lot of them in the Rebel base especially during Leia's meeting with the pilots, there's that silhouette of Lando arguing with Lobot as the door opens when they first land in the hangar.

As a kid back in the 80s i visited Finse and I was in awe over being where the star wars film was shot. Some Norwegians got to be rebel extras in it too, which is awesome. Great film analysis, colour is so incredibly powerful to project mood.

Interesting note about the "bird chimes" on Bespin giving a "slight hippy feel": Between the charisma of Billy Dee Williams and the way that he describes the city as being essentially independant from the Empire, and the throwaway lines from the 1977 movie about Han "running spice" drawing this connection with Herbert's "Dune" series, I've always thought that Cloud City is supposed to stand in for this kind of libertarian utopia that would have been kind of the hope of a lot of countercultural people in the year 1980; and so the betrayal feels to the audience like a betrayal of their ideals. It's easy to forget but watching this movie from a fresh perspective if it weren't for Luke's premonition it would be very very surprising indeed that Vader had headed them off there. So Cloud City thematically represents this idea of paradise lost, and Lando's defection to the rebels is then a kind of redemption.

Something else: the score during the shootout in Cloud City (1:35:11 in the above video) features Yoda's theme even though Yoda does not physically appear in the scene. I thought that was oddly unlike John Williams until I realized that Yoda IS in the scene! He peered into the future at Luke's request during their discussion on the future (1:05:13), adding: "Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future." In short, thanks to John Williams, Yoda's musical presence in this scene is the best approximation we have of a character time-traveling from one scene to a later one in the original Star Wars trilogy!

I am halfway through watching this and would like to commend you for the years of analysis and your personal passion for the development of your ongoing narrative throughout your work. I must say that I found you about 5 or six years ago, when I was in the midst of becoming aware of my own research into film psychoanalysis and I am grateful for your interpretations. After hearing you state that you were six when you saw this, I can assume that we are around the same age and were influenced by similar media although you are in the UK and I in the US. The film, the television, the music, and the general zietgiest of our time created a context by which you have been able to make some great interpretations. That being said, as I watch this and remember the greater experience of being a child in the 80's, interpreting my world through media, using your analysis as well as the greater lexicon of other great research, I feel that we are all living in a time where we can further unpack the greater interpretation of our collective experiences to influence the greater understanding of "the uses of enchantment" to create a better world to propel our species to a greater evolution, (if that could be at all possible).

40:46 such an amazing shot, this has always been one of my favorites scenes in Empire. Also huge props for using the original theatrical releases during this video.

This is one of may favorite movies of all time as well. You pointed out things that I knew about but never really considered and things that I never knew about. You did a great job, thank you !!

Cloud City always reminded me of Emerald City from "Wizard of Oz".

Excellent video. Even as someone born post millennial, Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi remain my favourites of the franchise and some of my all time favourites. I rewatched the Non Disney movies last year, and with Empire, I found it interesting how my opinions shifted. My favourite stuff as a child was the Hoth battle and Cloud City, but this time, The Dagobah stuff was probably my favourite and most interesting part of the film. Today lifting the X Wing is truly one of the most magical moments in cinema for me. These are a couple of things I noticed that you hadn’t mentioned: First of all, In the scene where Chewie saves 3PO from being melted, you can spot the IG88 Droid dismantled in the corner. Whether it’s IG88, or a different droid of the same model is unclear, but if it’s the former, that’s a cool detail. Second, when Luke gets thrown out of the window by Vader in their duel, the web-like design and circular shape resembles the window of a TIE Fighter, a strong force in the Empire. The way I see it, it could be that their duel has transcended the fight between the Empire and the Rebellion, and is (literally) outside of that, becoming about the struggle between father and son as outside this window is where the big twist takes place

A school friend of mine has a cottage where Hoth scenes were filmed, at Finse, Norway. Snow storm, one of the worst in decades during the shoot.

I wanna thank you for this video, you summarized many thing i thought about in the last 30 years but never put into words. I really appreciate the length of you video. Long videos like this are getting a rarity. This movie inspired my imagination like no other movie. It not only told a fantastic story with fitting visuals, but created a distinc feeling in me. A feeling thats depicts what Star Wars is for me. Hard to put in words for me because im not an english speaker. This Star Wars Universe had a specific feeling for me. Everytime i saw this movie this cozy feeling immediately spiked my imagination. Everytime i wondered whats out there in this galaxy? The movie is deprived of huge civilisatory scenes. Like in the prequels. Those huge Cities and planets with huge facilities and temples. You get bombarded with all those CGI created bombastic worlds. And as kid, when i saw Empire Strikes back, i wanted to see this other planets like Coruscant. As a child you want it all. Not in this movie. This movie leaves so much space in your head for imagination. Its just beautiful how it sparked my fantasy. In this regard i am happy that George Lucas had not the tech and money at the time. This fantasy feeling those 3 movie created in me is a different feeling than all the newer movies caused. Its a different world. Maybe even a bit of an dissapointing world. With the prequels i got what i wished for as a child. The whole thing! The whole map was uncovered. But it looked different and felt!! different than what i imagined. But in hindsight i learned to love the Prequels. Something which i will never utter about VII, VIII and IX. Those last 3 movies reminds me on movies like The fast and the furios. Too put-on, lack of creativity, over the top comedic , a script which doesn't want to tell an adventure story but is written to fit into Special Effect scenes and in my case it feels extremly boring. Rogue One is the exception. So thank you for those 2 hours. You really described, what this feeling Star Wars created in me, is made of. I really apreciate the effort you put into this video.

One thing I'd like to add to your analysis of Vader's command of the cosmos and his Super Star Destroyer is that the new ship is utilizing the visual psychology of the first movie to establish his dominance in this one. In the first movie, the Star Destroyer was so huge it swallowed an entire Rebel cruiser. Well, we can see in this establishing shot that this Super Star Destroyer is so huge it could swallow multiple Star Destroyers. The visual message is clear: Darth Vader is more powerful than ever

About the carbon freezing scene in regards to Han's hands. His hands were shackled, and his upper arms bounded to his sides. The shackles were removed just before freezing, but the upper arm restraints were not, making it possible for him to move his hands and forearms into that pose we see him frozen in. Everyone always seems to miss this. On a side note, those arm restraints are also made from carbonite, which is why they're missing when the stuff is melted off him in the third film. Speaking of continuity errors in Han's carbon freezing scene... His shirt changes from the one with the flap before he's frozen to the v- neck shirt from the first film after he's frozen. Nobody seems to notice this either.

1:06:20 the twin pilot ships leading the way into Cloud City while also firing warning shots could be symbolic of Lando being “two-faced”

Wow.. Could you imagine if movies of this scale were still made with thought and care? They'd be good.. Which they don't have to be anymore.

Yes! Empire is the best star wars movie ever. Disney could spend every drop of money they currently have, use every resource at their disposal and never, never beat Empire. They don't have the skills, the creativity, the understanding of the material to put together an epic piece of film to match it. Empire is ingrained in our culture, its an icon of movie greatness. Sure it could be topped someday by Disney will not be the one to do it.

ANOTHER OUTSTANDING VIDEO! i really enjoyed your analysis and pointing out all those subtle details. It's fun to go through all these insights. Keep up the great work, Rob! You are a beacon of HOPE on the RU-vid landscape!

Rob is to movies as a lightbulb is to a film projector. He illuminates the poetry of moving pictures!

I think you’re right that all those incidences of Han being down in pits and/or surrounded by steam is foreshadowing his carbon freezing because there’s so few/near none incidences of it seen in the other 2 original films (just hiding in the smuggling floors is all I can think of).

1:02:09. Oh yes, great composers of symphonic music not only know how real world sounds work on an emotional level and what instruments best represent these, it goes much deeper. In this cue John Williams again employs the lydian scale (major scale with a raised 4th), the most uplifting of all, not to mention the harp and strings texture and the melody being played in various octaves by the woodwinds, giving it size and scope.

Luke seeing himself inside the mask of Vader was a representation of the “be careful not to become the monsters you hunt” in philosophy. It foreshadows a struggle within Luke, not the one between Luke and Vader. Having it take place in a location full of life, yet devoid of intelligence other than what Luke brought with him was absolutely brilliant.

52:57 I dont think he says "I feel cold" as if to then say "Pass me a coat", but in the sense that he feels the presence of Cold. So "I feel Cold, Death". He could have said "I feel evil", but that would not mean he was about to kick a puppy. At least that is how I always read it. I think the "Death" was inserted in post production to clarify that there is something supernatural that brings on feelings of Cold and Death rather than a simply chilly spot in the swamp.

Great analysis as always, Rob. All the attention to detail by the film makers and the psychological effects it has on audiences are why Star Wars was such a colossal hit and why people are still fascinated 40 years later. I don't think anything made in the last decade will have the same lasting appeal.

I can watch your videos a billion times and never be bored! Thank you so much, rob!!!

Not sure if you were intentionally avoiding the esoteric, but Luke hanging upside down could be a representation of the tarot's Hanging Man card. This can symbolize patience and someone with a different perspective. Which highlights the relationship of Luke and Yoda in this movie. Luke is being put in these upside down positions and forced to focus himself and use the force or to gain a different perspective in rough situations. As well as Yoda trying to get him to be patient and continue his training, rather than to rush into battle unprepared. I imagine with G. Lucas' fascination with eastern philosophy, he may have been privy to some form of esotericism. So, it may be relevant.

This was the first movie I got to see in a cinema, with Raiders not far behind. I’m grateful as to my growing up timing.

1:13:23 - that windchime like instrument is a celesta. It's very similar to a piano, but instead of strings, the hammers strike metal plates. It sounds very sweet and, as the name suggests, heavenly.

Full marks for using the theatrical version of the film. I wholeheartedly endorse your use of the original version. By the way, your reference to the carbonite pit being like descending into a pit of fire reminded me that just a few years later Lucas would be involved with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom which does include people being lowered into a pit of fire (but in that case Harrison Ford was spared the descent).

Empire was always my favorite Star Wars movie, not for its killer ending but for the Hoth sequences. The lengths the film goes to show how desolate and completely frozen and hostile this environment is always dragged me in as a child. It’s pretty much the only Star Wars movie I’ll revisit on a regular basis.

Thanks for this. Lots of analysis of Star Wars and film these days are deconstructive, so it's nice to see something appreciative and constructive.

This certainly gave me a different perception on the film. A lot deeper than my childhood mind imagined. Great video, btw.

Rob, I love how you pointed out things in this review that I thought I had imagined, like the Emperor's hologram appearance. I think with the change of the ceiling in Cloud City was symbolism for the Empire coming down on them.

As you were showing the Wampa cave stalagtites and stalagmites being like teeth, I immediately thought of the asteroid worm teeth. Then you cut to it. Well done!

The "prison" room in Cloud City where Leia and Han stay has got another interesting feature: the skylight above them looks like a giant eye spying on the protagonists, contrasting with the lack of windows on walls to symbolise their being kept ignorant of the trap they have walked into. The Empire is watching and well aware, but they are not.

As a kid who was born in 79 and watched ESD so so so many times and probably when I was 5 or 6, the cutting open of the Tantan with the intestines and fat was so utterly gross and visceral. Such a great shot. Absolutely didn’t need blood and this is the right call.

Beautifully illustrated why nothing tops this one! It's probably still my favorite movie of all time.

My step dad Greg told me one time that the middle part of a trilogy is always the best, or revered as the best. Empire, the Godfather 2, the Dark Knight, the Two Towers. This is because the creators don't have to worry about setting up any exposition nor tying everything up with a denouement. More focus on story, more nuance, darker, more serious.

When Yoda says "no, there is another" - with hindsight I always thought he was referring to Leia - but with even bigger hindsight could that have been foreshadowing for Anakin returning to the light at the end of ROTJ? in fact - isn't the title of "return of the Jedi" really referring to Vader?

Great job Rob! As always, you deliver a great amount of insight. Helpful and informative I learn something new each time. I was born in 1972, so I saw the original trilogy in the theater. Several times as well, and The Empire Strikes Back is without a doubt in my top 20 movies too. By the way, I felt the slab in the dungeon that slid out from the wall was much like the monolith from 2001. I felt a little Disney’s The Black Hole vibe in the Han Solo freezing in carbonite scene. Thanks Rob!😊

Unbelievable work done analyzing one of the greatest films of all time. Awesome job! Thanks.

Also love when Luke draws his pistol on Bespin..Boba Fett hears it as he and frozen Han walk by....1:28:54 ...he quickly moves his head towards the sound, but then continues to look forward...just a tiny thing but which adds to his badassery.

It’s always a good day when Rob uploads.

I've watched Empire upwards of 50 times and I've always thought it was Luke saying "death". Cold and death go hand in hand and I've interpreted as Luke's dread before he enters the cave.

An excellent analysis of the film! I'd never thought of it in those terms before - the continuing theme of isolation and the cold; the repeating imagery of jaws and teeth, the Empire ready to consume the heroes etc. Thank you 👍

I always thought Han broke out of his handcuffs in pain and fear just before being frozen. It's unlikely a human could do that but it ads and kind of horror to it and humans are capable of impressive feats near death, like Rasputin.

Your disclaimer said you recommend us purchasing the original copy of the film. Trust us, we agree. Han shot first..

As for the chess pieces being stop motion, it still works because even though they are meant to represent organic creatures, they are still a mechanical device being used with a mechanical game board.

Vader really took that "high ground" lesson from Obi-Wan to heart.

I always thought this film had a special attention paid to the atmosphere of the planets. Love this analysis

The scene where Han & Leia see Vader on Cloud City is another great 2001 homage. It does match the surreal dining session of the Beyond the Infinite section, which is why I think there were plates on the table. You failed to mention one cool thing about that scene, that Han Solo immediately pulls his laser and fires at Vader. Even in the menacing face of Vader, Solo doesn't cower in fear. The only other character who doesn't is Boba Fett when he talks back to Vader, which is another reason why both are considered so badass.

32:29 - the object at the "mouth" of this robot looks very much like the classic Shure 55 microphone. It very likely is the back half of an actual model 55. Excellent analysis as always!

The upside down hanging throughout the movie is also a nice symbolical reference to 'The Hanged Man' in the Tarot deck of cards.

I saw this movie upon it's theatrical release and it was the greatest movie experience of my life. To this day, this is my favorite movie, a perfect movie. In all these years and the thousands of movies I've seen, I can't think of one better

The Ugnaughts remove the bindings on Han Solo's hands before he is lowered down into the carbonite freezing pit.

Got so much enjoyment from these on your website, happy to watch this study again!

Not that I think this is intentional, but Luke always upside down reminds me of the the Hanged Man tarot card. In a general context, The Hanged Man Tarot card indicates that you are in a situation that you are not happy with. You may be feeling like you are stuck in a rut or trapped in a situation or frame of mind that is not making you happy but you have the power to release yourself.

Thanks Rob ,you're a legend.

One item of note: Vader's breathing sound effect comes from a Dacor SCUBA regulator breathing device. One wonders if the scuba device Luke uses in the Bacta Tank is of the same model used for Vader's breathing effects. In any event, I know the filmmakers were well aware of the image they were producing on screen and that Vader's breathing is a scuba device. I don't think it's an accident that they made the choice that Luke uses assisted breathing exactly like Vader is required to do. The fact that they didn't even hide the fact that Luke is using 20th century SCUBA rebreather seems like a wink to those in the know. They clearly use many man/machine metaphors to parallel Luke with Vader in Empire and later Jedi. His hand being cut off at the end of Empire and replaced with a machine hand is the most persistent metaphor of Luke's possible future as a Vader-like corrupted Jedi -- that he has begun his transition into someone "more machine than man". When Ben makes that "more machine than man" statement in Star Wars(Ep IV), he isn't referring to Anakin/Vader requiring a lot of robotic prostheses. He's referring to Vader as lacking any form of human conscience. After all, nobody insults the all-robot Droids in similar fashion -- because even Droids appear to be possessed of a conscience. People show nothing but affection to their Droids in the SW universe. To be sure, Luke's face shown in Vader's broken helmet is the most blatant foreshadowing of what's to come -- foreshadowing that Luke is the son of Vader and just as susceptible to the same inducements to the Dark Side as Anakin. But we don't know Luke is Vader's son by that point in the Trilogy. The image seems to only be a foreshadowing a spiritual battle -- that Luke's soul will be lost to the Dark side. The audience doesn't yet know that Luke is Vader's son -- but Yoda knows. It's both Ben's and Yoda's greatest fear. The image of the broken helmet confuses Luke because he doesn't fully understand the ramifications of what Yoda instructed before Luke entered that dark place to battle this phantom Vader -- you only take what's with you into that place. Luke isn't fighting Vader in that dark place, he's fighting his own susceptibility to the Dark side. His own darker predilections which caused Vader to turn -- and for the same reasons. What's revealed later is that Luke's possesses the same predilections as Anakin/Vader -- because he inherited them from his father. The son inherits the gifts and weaknesses of his father. When Luke's hand is replaced with a machine hand at the end of Empire, the emotion of the scene is clear and it's dark import is performed in Luke's face, "Am I my father's son? Am I going to eventually fall to the Dark Side of the force? Is this how it begins -- one step at a time until you're more machine than man." Rob, I'm not sure if you know the lore, but Anakin/Vader can't create force lightning like most Dark Force users because he has had his arms cut off and replaced with robot parts. What's more, the robot body he's within is also very susceptible to force lighting. Darth Sidious intended it that way so he could kill Vader if he became a threat. It's why Vader didn't survive attacking Sidious in Jedi. Vader's body could've been shielded against those attacks but he wasn't provided with that shielding. Vader knew that protecting Luke would absolutely cost him his life. When Vader finally breaks free of the influence of the Dark side, he knows the Emperor will kill him. When Vader is making that choice, he's finally choosing to become truly good -- to become Anakin again. To become more man than machine. The metaphor is powerful. Vader's body is the metaphor for his soul. Since he's "more machine than man", when he reclaims his soul and returns to being more man than machine, his life ceases to function. For his salvation to be sincere and permanent, he had choose the ultimate sacrifice -- his life. The helmet comes off. His breathing becomes labored. In a real sense, his robotic body was an unnatural support system -- a corrupt soul which wouldn't have been able to live but for support of soulless machinery. For the soul to become good once again, it had to shed the mockery which kept it alive. There can be only Anakin or only Vader. Never both. Vader had to die for Anakin and Luke to live. Vader had to choose to be Anakin... and with that choice, he had to sacrifice everything: absolute power, galactic hegemony, his delusions of righteousness, his certainty that he was never wrong. Lastly, his life. In one intense scene, we see Vader stripping his own ego away as he witnesses his son being tortured to death by the Emperor. Anakin/Vader was finally stripped of the self-denial which allowed the Emperor to corrupt him. In what the Emperor was doing to Luke, Vader saw what had been done to him and why. He finally saw through the Emperor's machinations that corrupted Anakin. He finally saw what he had denied to himself -- that the Emperor never cared for him at all and would've dispatched him the same as Luke if he hadn't fallen to the dark side. That he was manipulated and used and that, very likely, the Emperor lied about everything that led Anakin to choose the dark side. Anakin's corruption by the Emperor occurred when he was very young. He was gr00med -- to be a Dark Side apprentice and the Hand of the Emperor. Vader finally broke that conditioning because his humanity -- which had been buried deep -- was touched by his son. Luke was right all along -- "I sense the good in you Father". Vader was in deep denial. It wasn't until he witnessed his son's suffering that he was able to defeat the conditioning and see through the lies which created Vader. Even on Vader's emotionless visage we see his delusions being stripped away until he finally becomes Anakin once again and saves his son. He chooses to give up all his power, all his delusions, all his hate, all his fear, all his anger, and all of his suffering. One after the other, the emotions which enabled Sidious to corrupt Anakin gave way to love. Anakin finally takes responsibility for what he became in Vader by sacrificing everything so that his son will live. It's the inversion of Christianity -- God sacrifices himself so that his son will live. I saw all the Star Wars movies when I was a young kid. I was the perfect age when Star Wars came out. I was the demographic it was aimed at -- young boys. I was a pre-teen when Star Wars hit the theaters. Those stories hold a deep power over my mind because they were the foundation of my storytelling mythology as a young boy. But as I grew older, the deeper themes became visible and what once seemed merely good vs evil, became a vastly more impressive moral tale -- filled with powerful metaphors which resonate with the deepest human experiences and the archetypes which our minds were formed to utilize for living a proper life. Great stories are great because they appeal to the deepest human needs to be instructed on how to live an optimal life. It influenced pop culture more than anything which came before or since. It's a pity that the franchise has been stripped entirely of it's mythological power by being run by incompetent ideologues who have zero understanding of how and why humanity tells the stories it tells. They replaced the hero's journey with the narcissist's wish fulfilment. Instead of struggle of a hero who must build his success, we see the vain wish fulfillment of ingrate narcissists who have no struggles and everyone loves them. Their greatest struggle is in getting others to realize just how infallible and fantastic they already are. This isn't a journey, it's the daydream of an incompetent and untalented charlatan who lucks into good fortune and believes themselves worthy by virtue of being inherently better than everyone else and more deserving of everyone else. I weep for what the last decade has cost us in great storytelling. Life has been a little less brighter for having so few great stories to enjoy. We have been culturally robbed. Parasites are feasting upon our great modern mythologies. Thankfully, this is coming to a grinding halt. The people are finally no longer falling for spectacle without substance. They're increasingly rejecting the pap which has been produced by Hollywood for the last decade. The money spigot has been turned off. Not even the normies are overlooking this garbage anymore. They're punishing every company dumb enough to allow ideologues to steer their companies. Zaslov is among the first to act upon the market intelligently. He's saving the storytelling of the company he runs by shutting down these boring, expensive, and unprofitable narcissist power fantasies. Batwhamman -- canceled at a cost of $90M. Woke Superman -- cancelled. There will be more to come as he burns away the weeds so that he can grow healthy fruit bearing trees.

Speaking of symbolism, Luke spends time upside down on Hoth, Dagobah and Cloud City.

Great work once again, Rob! It's crazy to have seen this film countless times, yet not noticed so many of the elements you pointed out (my favorite being mouths and teeth). I guess the subconscious might pick up on them, which may be one reason so many of us name Empire as our favorite of all Star Wars films. I'd like to point out two things I noticed, the first of which happened while watching this. First, the ceiling of Chewie's Cloud City prison cell is not only reminiscent of the one in the 'lounge' - to me, it also looks a lot like a spider web, with a huge spider right in the middle. That would make Chewie the 'prey', except for that he 'captures' C-3PO (as in saves from ugnaughts), and later carries him around in a bundle of webbing. Second, right before Luke walks into that short lighted hallway, an odd fixture can be seen behind him on the wall - one that looks suspiciously like a hooked hand. I think this could be foreshadowing him getting/needing a mechanical hand.

Thank you for this. These films seem like a miracle of sorts. I like to credit the Jim Henson folks for adding that magic and perhaps their creativity was contagious to other departments. Folks, find a way to see the Despecialized editions. Look it up!

I'm so glad you're still doing these movies, somehow people think the prequels are actually better movies just because they grew up with them and I really just enjoy learning more about the thought filmmakers put in these original three that are very absent in every other Star Wars movies

Your interpretations are interesting and well thought out, with enough humor to keep it from being didactic and dry. I really enjoy your Kubrick videos but this one may be my favorite. Keep it up and thanks for all the entertainment!

I loved this one best out the trilogy as a kid and still haven’t changed that opinion. This was the one that I just didn’t expect and it blew me away. the other 2 were great too but this was always the one I would always watch if it was on tv as I still do today.

I really want the despecialised versions of these movies. I watched all three movies with my kids recently and the changes really annoyed me. If I'm not mistaken I think even the dialogue between Vader and Emperor was a little different in ESB.

Maybe the shot at 28:50 is actually a POV kind of shot suggested from inside Vaders helmet. Just the orientation of the 3 center glass panels combined with the eye like shape above them, as well as the two horizontal pillars suggesting the top part of the helmet. It could relate the viewer to Vader on a subconcious level.

1:02:00 It's the Lydian mode with the raised fourth being utilized that gives the literal and figurative uplifting feeling you're describing. Amazing job with the breakdowns, thank you!

I love your videos with all the analysis of the storytelling, opens my eyes to so many things I never saw or thought about, and provoked me to think further. I think the double pods and other subtle dualities in the Cloud City scenes (look at the sculpture he pointed out several times: there's a distinct visual duality, not unlike a Yin/Yang symbol) are metaphors for Lando's two-faced-ness, and the shifting sunlight angles in the approach scenes foreshadow Lando's shifting allegiance, from prank hostility, to patronizing friendliness, to betrayal (sorry I had no choice, business is business), to genuine concern and assistance. Also, I think Lobot was symbolic of Lando's conscience; the meaningful look they exchanged marked the point where Lando decided to assist their escape.

Rob comparing the Rebels treatment of the Tawn Ton's to the empire enslaving the galaxy... Ah, the sequel trilogy we never had, where the Ton Tawns learn the ways of the force and stage their own rebellion against the Jedi!

Restraint, style and atmosphere that effortlessly conveys environment and scale. Quite unlike other movies we could name. "It's so dense, every single image has so many things going on." ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qvc9_GDoWI4.html

Excellent video, I thought it might be dry but it was a lot of fun.

Oh look, Rob put up a video about 'Empire'... that should be worth watching for...... 103 minutes?!? Holy!!!! Thank you! 👍

I never noticed this before, but the wall art to the left and right of Vader's head at 1:18:20 is REALLY weird. It kind of looks like the distorted faces of Stormtrooper helmets. Maybe they needed something on the walls so that the room didn't look too empty, but it does a good job at conveying that Vader, although apparently alone, is surrounded by Stormtroopers.

@collativelearning could the "art installation" (the huge circular thing in cloud city at the end) be a representation of the death star? Fractured, but never completely destroyed- or more likely foreshadowing of the return in the 3rd film showing the audience the threat looming? Worth noting that it could be viewed as "incomplete" like the death star in ROTJ

One of the best videos I've watched in a long time.

I like the fact that the time between movie releases was analogous to the time passed in the movie world.

I know it's not quite Rob's style but I would love to hear an in depth analysis like this side by side with a script analysis, to see how many of these details are written directly into the script, and how many were added later on during production by the different set design teams and so forth. I guess that's a little homework for us! // Also I notice that Leia's hairstyle changes from the first installment. Instead of the classic two buns which we associate with her character. In many scenes here it seems to be one long braid around the circumference of her head. On the hand it seems foreign and alien, as people don't wear their hair like that on earth. But I think it gives her an appearance of a halo like a madonna, going along with the spiritual imagery interpretation

I never realized that parallel between hanging in the cave and hanging from the antenna thing. He used his right hand to grab the lightsaber in the cave. On the antenna, that same hand has been cut off. Not sure if it means anything, but the similarity of that is fascinating. I also never realized that was robot bounty hunter was IG88 from the Shadows of the Empire game that came out many years later. Neato.

Han was able to find Luke in the blizzard because of Obi-won. What you thought was the rebel base on Hoth was actually the power generators, the primary target of the Empire during the battle.

This video is outstanding. I've seen this film about 20 times and there are so many details I didn't ever notice 😂 Thank you and you have greatly enriched my understanding and appreciation for one of my favourite films.