A Tribute To Irvin Kershner

Irvin KershnerToday, as we wait for the next installment in our favorite saga, we’d like to take a moment to pay tribute to the director that gave us what most consider to the best Star Wars movie to this day, The Empire Strikes Back.

 

 

When Irvin Kershner met George Lucas he was actually an instructor and eventually became a mentor to George at the USC Film School. When George’s fledgling career skyrocketed in1977 after the release of Star Wars: A New Hope, George set his sights on Kershner to helm his next movie.

Lucas felt that, after reflecting on his seemingly dismal relationship with the Hollywood machine, that for his next installment of the Star Wars saga he would ask his former mentor to direct, and Kershner responded:

“Of all the younger guys around, all the hot shots, why me?”

Lucas promptly responded:

“Well, because you know everything a Hollywood director is supposed to know, but you’re not Hollywood.”

Despite initially turning down Lucas’ request, Kershner relented and agreed to join the production.

Of all of the great things that we remember from the Empire Strikes Back, it is Irvin Kershner that is responsible for one of the most iconic Star Wars lines from the saga…the “I love you” & “I know” exchange between Han and Leia during the carbonite freezing scene.

kershKershner didn’t actually direct the line, but after repeated takes of the scene because Ford didn’t like the line and take after take “it just wasn’t right”, he told Ford to “do whatever comes to mind” and then we got the iconic line from Han Solo.

Now Kershner knew after he wrapped the shot that Lucas wasn’t going to like the line because he didn’t approve it and it certainly wasn’t in the script, but after showing George the scene in comparison to the alternate “I Love You Too” line, George conceded and allowed the line to continue, and the rest is Star Wars history.

After directing “Empire”, Kersh next directed Sean Connery in Never Say Never Again, and then the sequel Robocop 2. In all, Irvin Kershner directed at least 25 movies during his career as well as acting in and producing various others.

 

One of the most remembered things that Kershner said of his own directorial method was this:

“I like to fill up the frame with the characters’ faces. There’s nothing more interesting than the landscape of the human face.”

carrie-fisher-as-princess-leia-in-star-warsIf you’re not sure of that, watch Empire again and you’ll see his method time after time in such a manner that it seems to make it a more personal journey for the viewer… which is what makes The Empire Strikes Back so great.

With all of that being said, Irvin left this world on November 27th 2010 at the age of 87. He is remembered as a quirky director of independent films that was a visionary, and by the people that he directed and worked with, he was loved and simply known as “Kersh”.

Irvin Kershner

Irvin Kershner

Today We salute Irvin as a figure that, in his own right, is as iconic as any of the Star Wars characters that he directed to life in our beloved Star Wars universe.

Irvin Kershner, the Force will be with him… always.

 

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29 thoughts on “A Tribute To Irvin Kershner

  • November 27, 2015 at 6:27 pm
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    This is amazing. I’m so glad that someone’s paying tribute to him, because IMO he’s what really made Star Wars the powerhouse it is today. He showed the world that sequels can be better than the original.

    Which is kinda ironic, since that’s why he turned down the job the first time. He didn’t think he could direct a sequel that could be as good or successful as the first film. In fact, it was his agent that told him to take the job offer. The rest is history.

    • November 27, 2015 at 10:49 pm
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      It’s true. Before him it was just a homage to cheesy serials but after him they started looking at the series with serious eyes.

  • November 27, 2015 at 6:34 pm
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    Hmm, Strong he was with the Force. (using my best Yoda impression ) But on a more serious side, what I have seen, heard and read about him, he was a true Gentleman and a scholar. May the Force be with you… always Sir.

  • November 27, 2015 at 6:48 pm
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    Is it five years already. As I began to explore Star Wars behind the scenes, I quickly became a fan of Irvin’s work on ESB, and yes, there are so many good close-up shots of the characters that made them more human, and added to the mythical quality of the film somehow. One of my favorite shots is a close-up of Leia as she watches Slave I take off with Han.

  • November 27, 2015 at 7:07 pm
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    Here’s something interesting I read the other day in ESB’s Wikipedia entry; apparently when ESB was initially released, it received mixed reviews and it wasn’t till over time, it gained more appreciation (to the point that there were enough positive reviews to boost its Rotten Tomatoes score by the time the Special Editions came out). Check out what it’s RT score would’ve been at initial theatrical release if RT were around back in the day.

    • November 27, 2015 at 7:24 pm
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      Epsiode II 67% vs Episode V 63%?! Are you fcking serious? Where did you find this shit? Did you photoshop this? Everybody with functioning brain knows that EP V is better than Ep II… This isnt even subjective. Or do you like sand so much?

    • November 27, 2015 at 10:07 pm
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      Do you really belive Episode II is better than Ep V? And what is your theory about the EP IV rating? That movie had the best possible reception, won 7 oscars and 4 nominations (including best picture, best original screenplay) so why would it have a lesser response than its real version (94%)?

      • November 27, 2015 at 10:36 pm
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        Made the most money adjusted for inflation too. Higher than any film in world history save Gone With The Wind.

        • November 27, 2015 at 11:34 pm
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          Yea 2,5 billion dollars. Where did this guy found that article about the RT rating? Is it photoshopped or real? Im curious who would write such a stupid nonsense. Probably some PT fanboy webpage.

          • November 27, 2015 at 11:42 pm
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            Ever noticed how it’s always the same five posters on here that are constantly butthurt about how poorly the Prequels were recieved? They don’t even bother to hide their identical IP either.

    • November 28, 2015 at 6:37 am
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      The early days of RT was a crapshoot.

      They had Ebert, NYT and LA TImes as their Top Critics, and a bunch of random movie bloggers as the rest, so it really skewed their early meta-ratings.

  • November 27, 2015 at 7:08 pm
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    Let’s hope directors who initially turn down the spot… and then take it keep on their track record of awesome =D

    • November 27, 2015 at 10:38 pm
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      Blomkamp should do the CG on all of them too.

  • November 27, 2015 at 7:13 pm
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    He truly was an actor’s director which none of the other ones honestly really were and why Empire has the best acting of all them. Not much happens in the film compared to the other episodes but everything was done perfectly largely due to him which is why it’s always at the top of most fan’s lists. It’s impossible to deny that it is the best crafted film of the saga from start to middle to finish.

    • November 27, 2015 at 8:34 pm
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      What do you think about this though?

      • November 27, 2015 at 9:36 pm
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        Nostalgia goggles are fun to wear, my friend.

        • November 27, 2015 at 10:33 pm
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          Just the opposite with the PT. I think most were “entertained” by them upon theatrical release but unlike the OT, They don’t hold up with repeat viewings. OT fans who hate the PT exist but not PT fans who hate the OT.

          • November 28, 2015 at 6:35 am
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            There are plenty of fans who think the PT is better.

            I’m sick to have just written that, BTW.

          • November 28, 2015 at 10:20 pm
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            Plenty of people believe that the planet is runned by reptellian lizard people, that it’s only 4000 years old, and it’s completely flat too. There’s actually more evidence to suggest all of that then there is that the PT is better than the OT actually.

      • November 27, 2015 at 10:27 pm
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        I wasn’t one of them and neither was anyone I saw it with in 1980. Probably has more to do with the fact sequels were still fairly rare back then wheras now they make up most of the summer fare. The idea of a sequel that wasn’t a straight up remake was fairly novel at the time.

      • November 28, 2015 at 6:34 am
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        I remember when RT first started, it was hit and miss. Its a bit more consistent today. There were a lot of start-up movie bloggers that got quoted as part of RT. Its so different now.

        RT recently posted a list this week of the 7 SW films. They do rank ROTS and ROTJ equal at around 80 or something. But ANH and ESB are also equal at 94%. CW is at like….10% lol.

        And Empire just gets better with age when we realized how difficult it really is to create a sequel. Back then, it was Godfather Part II and…..the Jaws sequels LMAO.

        But in the days of serialized movie franchises, we refer to one movie when it comes to sequels, and that movie is Empire Strikes Back.

      • November 28, 2015 at 9:37 am
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        Yeah, but considering that all three prequels went down (56%, 65%, and 79% respectively*) and all three of the originals went up (94%, 94%, and 79% respectively*), it shows how the prequels don’t hold up. As I’ve said many times, I enjoyed the prequels when I saw them as a kid, yet they haven’t held up well. The originals, however, are still great movies to me and have impressively stood up, both from the past eighteen years from when I saw them for the first time as well as the 32-38 years since their initial release.
        Also, don’t forget that many critics were and still can be very elitist and Empire was a different beast of a sequel, especially one to a film like A New Hope.

        *as of 28 November 2015

  • November 27, 2015 at 10:44 pm
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    I honestly think this is part of what broke George Lucas long before the internet came about. He so deeply resented that Empire was better than any he ever directed that he insisted on hiring a puppet like Marquand for the next and himself for the other three.

    “It doesn’t have to be that good”.

    • November 28, 2015 at 3:58 pm
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      Which is why we should be eternally grateful to Kersh & Kurtz for going for and achieving a result that was far above the average “it’s good enough”. 😉

      Very nice tribute, Kersh riding the Tauntaun is one I never saw before. I would very much love to see “Riding the Tauntaun” become the opposite of “Riding the shark”.

  • November 28, 2015 at 1:39 am
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    An amazing visionary. I think this is what Lucas needed: an experienced veteran with a feeling for actors who could make the interpersonal stuff work. That’s why Empire is by far the best of them all. The chemistry is there, even between Luke and a muppet.

  • November 28, 2015 at 6:39 am
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    The few redeeming features of my day-to-day are due to that film.

    Thank you, Kersh, Kurtz, Lucas, Oz and Hamill.

  • November 30, 2015 at 7:15 pm
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    He directed the BEST of the best. I think that summarizes it properly. He gave the characters the depth and the personal drama they needed in order to have a better film than the previous one. And, at least up to now, nothing has surpassed TESB. Even though I am confident that TFA will be an awesome movie (and may even get in the top 3 of the saga, in time), the magic of Empire will be never achieved.

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