As The Empire Strikes Back cruises past its 42nd birthday, The Hollywood Reporter looks back to a fascinating, rarely seen interview with director Irvin Kershner, who delves into the ending of the film and how its ending – of course, three years before the stories conclusion in Return of the Jedi – divided viewers of the time.
“This was the ending,” the director began, before laying out how A New Hope ended on a “triumphant” note, so some viewers expected that to happen again in his sequel. And therein lies the problem.
“The heroic figures of the first one don’t exist in this one because, in this one, they’re lucky to have survived this dastardly creature called Lord Darth Vader,” Kershner explained. “And to just have survived is to get pretty far in this life sometimes. And that’s why I feel they say they’re not as satisfied.”
Continued Kershner, “Well, if you don’t expect the triumphant ending, then you’re perfectly well satisfied. If you expect it, then you’re not. And it’s the same in life. If you expect certain things to happen, they never will happen the way you expect them. I always expect the unexpected.”
I had the good fortune to interview Kershner back in 2007, an interview you can read here.
- Hardcover Book
- Silverman, Riley (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 48 Pages - 09/06/2022 (Publication Date) - Insight Editions (Publisher)
