The Empire Strikes Back Literary Elements

The Empire Strikes Back Literary Elements

Director

Irvin Kershner

Leading Actors/Actresses

Mark Hamill

Supporting Actors/Actresses

Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, James Earl Jones, Franz Oz, and Peter Mayhew

Genre

Science Fiction/Space Opera

Language

English

Awards

The Empire Strikes Back was nominated for the Best Original Score and Best Production Design Academy Awards. It won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing and won a Special Achievement Award.

Date of Release

May 21st, 1980

Producer

Gary Kurtz

Setting and Context

Three years after the events depicted in A New Hope

Narrator and Point of View

The film doesn't have a narrator and is told from a third-person point of view.

Tone and Mood

Violent, Mysterious, Harsh, and Hardened

Protagonist and Antagonist

Protagonist: Luke Skywalker. Antagonist: Darth Vader.

Major Conflict

Luke and his friends fight against the evil Empire, led by Darth Vader and the Emperor.

Climax

When it is revealed that Luke is Darth Vader's son.

Foreshadowing

Han being frozen in Carbonite is foreshadowed quite early on in the film.

Understatement

For much of the film, Darth Vader's devotion to his family is understated.

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

N/A

Allusions

To A New Hope, Lucas' other films (like American Graffiti, THX 1138, and the Indiana Jones series), popular culture, the work of Joseph Campbell, and famous science fiction serials of the time.

Paradox

N/A

Parallelism

In many ways, Han's story in the first film and Lando's story in this film are paralleled.

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