The Empire Strikes Back

by Rebecca Harrison

The Empire Strikes Back (1980) , the second film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is often cited as the 'best' and most popular Star Wars movie. In her compelling study, Rebecca Harrison draws on previously unpublished archival research to reveal a variety of original and often surprising perspectives on the film, from the cast and crew who worked on its production through to the audiences who watched it in cinemas.
Harrison guides readers on a journey that begins with the film's production in 1979 and ends with a discussion about its contemporary status as an object of reverence and nostalgia. She demonstrates how Empire 's meaning and significance has continually shifted over the past 40 years not only within the franchise, but also in broader conversations about film authorship, genre, and identity.

Offering new insights and original analysis of Empire via its cultural context, production history, textual analysis, exhibition, reception, and post-1980 re-evaluations of the film, the book provides a timely and relevant reassessment of this enduringly popular film.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Star Wars, Essays

112 pages, Paperback

Published October 29, 2020

About the author

Rebecca Harrison was born and raised in Oregon, USA. She spends time traveling around the world writing and working. Her first book, Child Abuse: A Guide For Professionals, was co-authored with Dr. Jean Edwards and published in 1983. Her academic credits include an M.S. in Education from Portland State University. Harrison now works and writes, while living with her husband in Oregon.
Rebecca has added a revision of Child Abuse: A Guide for Teachers and Professionals both as a paperback and Kindle. Also her Deep Dark and Dangerous: On the Bottom with the Northwest Salvage Divers is available as both a paperback and Kindle.

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just for fun: The Empire Strikes Back (or TESB) is not my favourite movie of the original trilogy. That's reserved for Return of the Jedi - yes, the one with the talking teddy bears (what does that make Chewbacca, a lanky dog-man?). All that said, it has no effect on my appreciation of this book.

The book is a thought provoking reappraisal of TESB through today's lense - that is to say, it asks what the place is of women and people of colour in the film. Quite methodically Harrison works through the film itself, but also through the production of the film, and how it was reviewed at release. While it is no surprise that women and POC are consistently sidelined, and Harrison doesn't want to take anything away from the film's place as "the people's Star Wars", it is still an eyeopening read, and an interesting take on the film.

(Kindly received an ARC from Bloomsbury Academic through NetGalley)

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief non-fiction critical examination of Episode 5 as a cultural phenomenon, looking at the publicity around its production, its reception among the public and critics, and examining it with a feminist, multicultural, and queer lens. Written by a fan who recognizes that Empire and its times weren't perfect, it is both loving and critical about its issues. Generally a good read, although the queer reading of Empire didn't really make any coherent sense to me.

**Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[J. Else · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry for the long review, but I speak from a perspective of growing up in the 80s and watching the trilogy throughout my life. I can practically quote all the lines. Thus, I had a heavy Star Wars background going into this critique.

This novel puts into perspective the impact of the film on a cultural and social level. It highlights the anticipation, the reviews, the impact on sex, race, and sexual orientation. However, while compelling points were raised, they weren't always followed through on and thus came across as half-formed ideas. And some analogies were based on incorrect scene choreography which rendered the analogy false. Harrison states that she loves this film and watched it growing up, but the startling inaccuracies of how scenes and dialogue played out caused her arguments to lose validity in my eyes.

For example:
(1) According to Harrison, in a clash of old versus young, there is a moment when Luke attempts to wrestle away a torch from Yoda symbolizing "a tug of war between the generations." This is simply not true. Luke swipes for it, but Yoda holds it away from him. Then it is R2 that struggles to get back the torch with Luke reprimanding R2 (twice) to "let him have it." If anything, its a battle against 'man/alien' versus machine or organic versus synthetic.

(2) After Leia "remonstrates" Lando for giving away their location to the Empire, according to Harrison, Lando reassures Leia that "Vader is only interested in Luke and Han." This is to reinforce the argument that the black-coded male villain only wants men and is queer. However, that's not how the scene plays out at all. Lando responds to Leia that Vader is after "someone called Skywalker" (which, ironically, does include Leia after the ROTJ reveal). Leia's response is "And we're the bait." We're. Lando agrees. Vader isn't after Luke and Han, only Luke. That's why they are both being tortured, to lure Luke to their rescue. If Vader wanted Han, why wouldn't he just take him away instead of keeping him at Cloud City? The argument doesn't hold water.

Harrison also proposes this is due to the idea that the Dark Side is coded as queer with two homophobic stereotypes, "the two Sith Lords are notably older men who seek to lure the young handsome Luke to the Dark Side--the queer side--of the Force." Thus, Han and Luke are thrust by the Empire into 'queer time.' Sadly, I was completely lost at this point. Harrison didn't convey this point well, and I'm unsure what the disrupted 'queer time' and 'queer greed' mean. I don't see a strong argument of her point at all. To clarify why, let's sort this out.

The Jedi (the light side) have been eradicated by Vader and the Emperor (Order 66)...or so they thought. The light side of the Force is growing stronger, which can upset the balance of power. Notably because its Anakin Skywalker's, aka Darth Vader's (sorry if that was a spoiler), son. Vader until this point was under the impression that he had killed a pregnant Padme. Now he finds out his son is alive and learning the Force. (If he learned this earlier in a graphic novel or new-canon novel, apologies for my inaccuracy) Who's teaching Luke and how powerful is he?

Lucas did not create the empire to be 'queer' and turn people away from the 'straight path' in a disruptive way (and thus illustrates the empire as being "deviant"). This is about power and holding onto that power. And could Vader be turned back to the good side and thus turn against the Emperor now that his son is alive? The Emperor is on RED ALERT! So of course they're going after Luke instead of Leia and Han. They want the bigger fish who could potentially use the Force to take them down.

(3) I agree on the points of gender, sexual orientation, and racial inequality. There's an especially disturbing amount brought forth in 1980s movie reviews. However, to illustrate the film's racism, Harrison uses a scene on Cloud City where Leia takes Han's proffered arm over Lando's, which "makes her appear safe rather than endangered" in keeping with "white stereotypes of black men threatening racial purity."

In fact, the scene plays out with Leia taking Lando's proffered hand at first. When Han offers his arm, she takes it. Why? Probably because they're in a relationship. She also states with suspicion how "very friendly" Lando is acting and thus doesn't fully trust him yet. Additionally, Lando's attempts to garners Leia's attention is a way to illustrate Han and Lando's old rivalry. You can see it in Han's face too. He's not disturbed as this is just his old buddy Lando.

(4) Harrison points out that Leia's dialogue about kissing a Wookie and calling Han a scruffy-looking nerf herder are examples of racism and upper-class elitism as she attacks a racially 'other' species (meaning Wookies) and low-class laborers.

Yet, what about when, in that 'nerf herder' scene, Leia kisses Luke instead of Han? Which is extremely disturbing as they end up being siblings. This point is not touched upon. To that end, ignoring the odd sibling kiss but pointing out that Leia is elitist in itself disrupts Harrison's own argument. Yes, Leia tried to offend Han by calling him names. They've got sexual tension that's so thick you could cut it with a lightsaber. She's deflecting, just as Han does. Leia's good in political situations. In more personal situations, its difficult for her. So isn't this just an example of being an awkward human? Don't we all, as humans, call each other names at times? I struggle to see the argument here when so many things that can be easily explained are being minutely picked apart.

In summary:
Harrison's ultimate goal is to celebrate the fandom's diversity. That point is appreciated. It was also sad to read about the censoring of queer fanfic by Lucasfilm. Its not entirely surprising though as George Lucas had to approve all novelizations and adaptions of his work in the 80s and 90s.

For me, the first movies I saw in the theater were "E.T." and "Return of the Jedi." After that, I couldn't understand why so many women stood around and screamed while waiting for a man to rescue them. Carrie Fisher's role as Leia was groundbreaking for young girls like me. She gave many girls a look at a future where men and women could be on the same stage equally. I always wondered why Leia was the only strong female in the series, but she was groundbreaking for me and many others.

When "She-Ra" was being produced, writers and animators were told She-Ra could not punch anyone. The male characters could, but the women could not do that on TV. Thus, they invented She-Ra's famous roundhouse kick. This is just another example if 1980s sexism. And yet, look how far we've come since then. I had action figures of women not just male characters! Why do I bring this up? Because many arguments against "Empire" were not counterbalanced with a positive impact. Looking at and analyzing how far we've come is a great way to demonstrate why this film has been classified as a classic despite its flaws. This is absent in the book.

As a whole, Star Wars does offer a lot of diversity in its varied characters, both alien and human. While ROTJ did delete scenes of women in the space battle flying x-wings, the fact they were filmed was a small step in the right direction.

Overall, the book has a good foundation in historical mindsets and setting details. However, I found the points to be very loosely supported and not always based on correct movie scenes or dialogue. Thus Harrison's validity fell short for me. I learned a few things, but I don't believe this critique will stick with me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an early copy of the novel. This has no way affected my review.

[Bello Habeeb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow Iove this book

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brisk but rewarding new look at the beloved second film in this infernal franchise, primarily foregrounding creative contributions and critical perspectives from groups too often and too easily marginalized and overlooked. I would have liked to dig a little deeper with some of the observations that are seemingly made in passing, but it’s impressive how Harrison is able to mine the film for new, often urgent insights.

[Peter Baran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first BFI Classic about a sequel, though its not exactly the first time anyone has written about The Empire Strikes Back. There is a tension at the heart of the subject matter that Harrison grapples with, not always successfully. She is more than confident that it is a worthy subject of a book (she's right), she is certain that there should be more writing on this film saga from diverse writers (absolutely), though there is enough protesting in the intro that she might not be sure it should be her. Some of that nervousness comes across in the structure of the book. Its 25,000 words, which is not enough to cover everything, and she is much more interested in the marginalised voices and the fandom reception of the film than retreading some of the more well known byways of its gestation. So as we hang on the one female cinematographer there is a sense that her was a thread to be pulled, interogating queer and feminist themes equally could have possibly been teased more. But as is the case with any addition to Star Wars scholarship this is one that sits between canonicity, quality and fandom. Empire is many people's favourite Star Wars film, but to discuss this you need to talk about other films in the sequence and there just isn't room for that.

There is a lot of anecdotalage here, as you would expect from films which have been poured over. Talking about a sequel necessitates talking about its predecessor, talking about Star Wars also means talking about marketing strategies and toy sales. And I can't judge this monograph on what I would like to see in the book, my Empire Strikes Back experience is seeing it without having seen Star Wars, knowing the characters from how friends played with the toys, being shocked by the lack of ending (almost as much by the seeming lack of beginning). There is a moment where Harrison floats a theory about loving the trilogy that was yours as a child, and her being twenty years younger than me that's the prequels. There are fascinating threads there - and if there was every a BFI classic full of jumping off points for further study, this is one.

If there is a flaw to this Classic, it is that it is trying to be too much to too many people. It wants to defend its approach, which as someone who has read a lot of these books, is in no way controversial. But, like the Star Wars BFI Classic, its quite possible this will be the only one of the series that someone will read, you get gifted read the Classic of your favourite film, and Empire is a lot of peoples favourite film. In which case her handholding on the methodology makes a lot of sense, not least with the state of Star Wars fandom. I think she has added well to the texts out there, but there is more depth hinted in here, perhaps to be followed up in something with a bigger focus. I really want to read her book on The Phantom Menace after all...

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Empire Strikes Back is not what you might be expecting from the title of this book, which of course comes from the George Lucas sequel to Star Wars.  This book is a new release in the BFI (British Film Institute) Film Classics series published by Bloomsbury. It's the film equivalent of literary criticism.

I expressed an interest in reviewing The Empire Strikes Back because one of my English lecturers at the University of Melbourne discussed Star Wars (1977) as an example of a modern morality play.  We were studying early English drama, reading medieval miracle plays, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson and Cyril Tourneur before moving on to Shakespeare, Chekhov and Ibsen et al. So we were quite startled at the presence of Star Wars in this company but soon made sense of it as sharing the characteristics of medieval morality plays, i.e. a battle between good and evil in which the good guys win as they are supposed to.  His argument was a tad more sophisticated than that but hey, this was back in 1980 and no, I have not kept my lecture notes.  But it stuck in my mind and I was interested to see if Harrison's critique of the sequel would amplify the same idea.

The book turned out to be much better than that.  Some readers may recall that I reviewed Michael Wood's Film, a Very Short Introduction a while back, but I have to say that Harrison's book makes the VSI look rather old-fashioned.  An unabashed fan of Empire, she critiques the film through a variety of lenses including its politics, its historical context, and its representations of race, gender, identity and class.  The film has, apparently, been the subject of a great deal of scholarly interest, but Harrison goes further to explore fandom, marketing, divergent US and UK industrial relations and even colonialism.

I discovered from this book that I enjoyed an irreplaceable privilege when I took The Offspring to see it in 1977.  (He was only a little boy and had never been to the pictures before, and at the end he stood up and applauded).  We saw it in a cinema with a huge screen and surround sound, and this is not an experience that younger generations can have because it's not shown in cinemas any more.  They may get to see it in one of those home cinema setups, but are more likely to see it on an ordinary TV.  I'm no film aficionado but even I know that the cinema experience contributes to the impact of the film.  No one in that cinema will ever forget that opening crawl, that pounding fanfare and then the death star which emerges to take up the entire screen as if it were flying overhead.

But remarkable as it was, by comparison with Empire, Star Wars was quite old-fashioned.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2021/01/02/t...

[Jack Mansfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big fan of Rebecca Harrison taking some big swings here in her essay exploring The Empire Strikes Back, as it’s essential that films are viewed from as many cultural and societal standings as possible - these movies will mean so much to people in ways I for example can’t possibly imagine. However this does also mean that a lot of these big swings simply didn’t resonate with me at all, and there were a couple of readings of certain themes/characters that left me frankly baffled.

Landing on a definitive “Darth Vader is queer” stance after looking at one scene (which Harrison retells omitting key details/lines that would debunk the theory she’s posing) felt very wide of the mark, and to follow this with a wider view that the push and pull between the rebels and the empire was borne of sexually ideological differences completely fell flat for me. There were some points that I found really interesting, especially the racial allegories (the light and the dark representing good and evil, for example) that Harrison backed up with some eye-openingly racist critical receptions of the time later in the text, but these two points were largely separate due to the text’s structure.

I’m still very much enjoying the BFI Film Classics but I’m realising that I’m not going to have the consistently good time with them that I thought I would. That’s not to say these aren’t worthwhile (they absolutely are!), I’m just being presented with viewpoints and arguments that I feel could be a little tighter. Here’s hoping for the next one.

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Empire Strikes Back by Rebecca Harrison offers, if not a new avenue into the film, an underrepresented perspective on this iconic film.

Many of the points Harrison highlights I have considered before but usually in isolation. In other words, while thinking or discussing other aspects of the film or the franchise one or two of these things might get mentioned and given brief attention before continuing with the original focus. One of the strengths of this book is that these disruptive and/or exclusionary features are brought together into a coherent whole. Her inclusion of production, contemporary reception, and both professional and nonprofessional responses brings many of the nuances of her argument into better contrast.

One thing she mentions is the erasure of marginalized voices through a combination of who wrote the official or professional assessments as well as who was left out. It is the minimizing of any discussion of marginalized or neglected voices that has led to the current impression that Star Wars fandom is almost exclusively white male. One need look no further than any comments about this book that complain that the issues highlighted here, issues that have received far less attention than all of the conservative and common readings, take up too much space. That is exactly the way policing of discourse is done, through "allowing" as little space, if any, to alternative viewpoints and perspectives. And this is usually done while paying insincere lip service to the need of such viewpoints. Those are often referred to as dog whistles. If you notice any such disingenuous comments about this book, ignore them, they speak more to the character of the person making the comment than to the book itself.

I found her argument and presentation convincing and very well supported. Even a couple of small things I thought might have been stretches weren't, I think, so much wrong as just maybe weak. That type of thing was rare here and many readers would likely disagree with my opinion that they were a bit of a stretch.

There are many ways into any text, especially one as layered as this particular film and franchise. Whether this is the lens through which you regularly see Empire or not, the insights are valuable in helping us to broaden our understanding of the film, the franchise, and even society at large.

Highly recommended for those interested in film history and criticism as well as fans of Star Wars. I will give the warning that if you only want the mainstream interpretation regurgitated for your consumption and can't handle other views having the space to present themselves, you may not like this book as much. Open minded film and Star Wars fans, however, will gain new perspectives about this film. Also an appreciation for the internal conflict we all feel when we like something that we also find problematic.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Dean (Books.of.reverie) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting insight into the follow up film in the original Trilogy, putting across an under-represented view point.

I found it intriguing to read about some of the factors that nearly derailed production (the fire on the shining set and issues filming in Norway etc).

There were plenty of good points the author makes and some point which should have been delved into or fleshed out a bit more.

Interesting read but fell a bit flat for me.

[Lillian Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful little book celebrating a film clearly very dear to its author. So rare to read something original on Star Wars and this succeeds brilliantly.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and thought provoking critical look at the celebrated sequel to the cultural phenomenon that is Star Wars. There are also important explorations of race and gender in the film and how they were viewed and reported on by film critics at the time. I like that she connects that to the way some white men have become so attached to the films that they are resistant and in later years hostile and abusive towards characters that represent otherness. I really enjoyed the different gaze that she brought to the film being female and queer. This is a short essay that is well researched and it was good to be reminded of the social and political climate of when the film came out. I wanted more of her thoughts about the early and later trilogies, although I guess those films have benefited from having a different gaze and she is filling an important gap by examining one of the original films in this way.

With thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a review.

[Jeff Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's all a matter of perspective.

Rebecca Harrison comes at the this, the second, and widely regarded best, of the Star Wars franchise, from a number of angles. She was brought up with the franchise, but not at the time of the original releases, so she looks back on it from a historic point of view and brings the values of a time 40 years after the original release. That is not to diminish these values, by any means, but it always a difficult road to travel.

She writes accurately about the social and political world that these films were made and released in, but I read them from the viewpoint of someone who actually did grow up in these times and experienced it first hand. I did see these films on the cinema screen when they were first released, and aged 10 when 'Empire' came out, I was bang on the target market. As a 'white privileged male' Harrison seems to be suggesting that I was in the 'gang' and that these films were for me and mine only, at the exclusion of all others. But that's not my experience...the Star Wars 'gang' at my school was made of everyone, and the biggest fans were often the outcasts - kids who were struggling for a multitude of reasons identified with the Rebellion - not because of Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill, but because of all of it. This was a time when racism, sexism, homophobia was a part of household entertainment - turn the TV on and watch 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum', 'Benny Hill show', even the 'Black and White Minstrals' were on the TV when I was a kid...I went to Star Wars because of the diversity, to feel at home in a galaxy far, far away...and it brought us together.

And this is where Rebecca Harrison agree - we both love these films and I respect the fact that although she has many issues with the film(s) from an academic / social aspect, she can still enjoy them for what they are - great story telling (albeit this is chipped away at every time Lucas decides to make an edit or water down the franchise).

She is right to bring up issues around how women have been marginalised in the roles they played in the making of the film. It is well known that some of the great Foley artists in cinema and TV history have been women, so to refer to them simply sound effect editors strips them of the recognition of their craft...but to highlight a sexist letter in a fanzine doesn't really sway me to think anything more than the fact that whoever wrote it was an idiot...as was the editor of the fanzine for publishing it. I am not convinced that the criticism of Billy Dee Williams by some critics shows racist intent, and to defend his inclusion as a 'talented and renowned' actor is a little stretching for my liking...he is talented, and I like his portrayal of Lando, but look at his IMDB profile...he hadn't done that much to be 'renowned' (or maybe I'm wrong, in which case apologies Mr Williams!). The fact that Lando is black meant, and continues to mean, absolutely nothing to me, because the entire Star Wars universe is filled with all sorts - Greedo is green, who knows what is under the hood of a Jawa or the mask of the Sandpeople. Han and Luke are white...but I never really identified them as 'human' specifically - they didn't come from earth, so I never attributed human values. They may sound a bit daft, but it's true...the variation of species in the Cantina alone means that you can't just state - 'oh they're white men therefore they're the good guys'. Chewbacca is case in point. Harrison states that he is a marginalised character, but for me Chewie is Han's equal - they're partners and many times in the original trilogy does this come across. Han loves Chewie more than anyone else, including Leia.

And of the cantina - I have no issue with the band playing 'Jazz'. I don't care if Threepio comes across a bit camp and I don't denigrate his role in the story because of it...and I simply don't get the Darth Vader queer argument, and stating that the rebellion exists in a queer time environment is, for me, just shoehorning an issue into the film for the sake of academia.

The world has changed, the 70's and 80's were really difficult times, and from that period came some great cinema, which includes the original Star Wars trilogy. It was an escape from huge social class disparity, poverty and violence, prejudice as an accepted form of entertainment and the never ending threat that we would all end up like Alderan - blown to pieces in a blink of an eye. We had heroes, we had villains and in the middle we had 'Empire', a film that helped a generation grow up and think a little differently.

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

◆ Thanks to NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆

Harrison sets out on a quest to detail the cultural and social presence the second (or fifth in story-order) Star Wars film offered the US, and a little on its UK impact. I'm very glad that Harrison was the one writing this, and she gives some startlingly relevant and overlooked points throughout the book. My reservation is that it feels awfully like a university essay, references crowding every paragraph, well-selected but leaving little space for Harrison to input herself. I also think there was some evidence that was in there 'because it fits' rather than because Harrison genuinely believed the point she was making with it (hence the essay-feeling - we've all done it). Overall, a good read from a fresh perspective, and a nice addition to the BFI Classics collection - though perhaps it would've been nice to have some comment on the actual film and its craft as well as the world's response to it.

[Stephen Birss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the analysis I was looking for.

Towards the end of the book, Harrison writes that “every time you think you see the film in its entirety and fix its meaning, the light shifts and casts a shadow and Empire appears different again”. I think this true, though I didn’t get a sense of it from her writing. I was hoping for a short book which surveyed some of the different dimensions to the movie’s enduring appeal, from a fan’s view. Instead, analysis is fairly superficial and one-note. I concede that the representation of women and minorities is a very significant discussion point, but it doesn’t need so much coverage as it gets here, to the detriment of any other more original takes.

The book provides a brief overview of the story’s film, from conception through production and release to reception. I was not particularly engaged by the writing and, on the topic of what makes Empire great, reached the last page no more enlightened than I was to begin with.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit frustrating, this one. The author fires out loads of ideas, some of which land and some of which don’t, and also teases out lots of threads for discussion. The problem for me is that most of these threads just don’t get tugged on enough. There are seeds of some really worthwhile discussion here, but it all gets passed over very quickly. It’s partly a failing of the monograph format, I guess, but I would have preferred a book of this length to concentrate on fewer things and follow through on them a bit more. It doesn’t help that the whole thing is written in an academic style, which a) brings back terrible memories of my own dissertation, and b) adds a layer of unnecessary verbiage to a book that’s already chafing against size restrictions. It's interesting, but not what it could be.

[Pixie 🍜 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this eARC in exchange of an honest review.

This academic paper is pretty interesting but repetitive. As an academic myself I’m used to this style of writing, but I found explaining the plot of the movies slightly redundant. Perhaps we are to assume the reader knows nothing of Star Wars but I feel that anyone reading an academic paper about it likely knows the plot. Or this could have been included as references. References were fairly light in my opinion, and I found some of the discussion points a little of a reach. At no point did we focus much on the sexualisation of Leïa in the second movie even though we acknowledged her increased role in the series.

Either way, still thought provoking but an academic paper I ultimately found repetitive and redundant in many ways.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Net alley for a Arc of the book.

The Empire Strikes Back by Rebecca Harrison, published by the British Film Institute is a far deeper examination of the second film in the original trilogy, considering the books small size. Harrison reaches deep into film archives finding other wise lost, ignored or just specialist articles and interviews describing the important roles or women and other marginal people in both production and reception of the film. Harrison approaches the movie with both fandom, her introduction to the film will be familiar to quite a few, and a strong view on what could be done to bring more diversity to coverage of the entire film series. A very interesting critique.

[Leona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m one of those Star Wars fans who hoover up with gusto anything to do with that galaxy from far, far away. But as a liberal feminist, I know that it has flaws. Harrison shines a light on possible deeper interpretations of the characters & storylines of one of the best sequels with discussions about the film’s content and production in an accessible way. It’s clear that she is a fan and it’s to her credit that mixes in comments about the fan experience of the impact of the film as well highlighting the names of the women that never properly received recognition for their work in the production.

An interesting read with delightful artwork on the cover

I received a copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well researched and thought out evaluation of Empire Strikes Back from a contemporary viewpoint. There are some very valid (and well established) points about how racism, sexism, and treatment of indigenous people are present in this film. However, this is true of most films produced during this time frame. So while the author’s perspective does give you something to think about, it doesn’t give the reader ways to address these important social justice issues. There were also some areas that seemed like a stretch (ex. Vader only wanting men?!). The book was informative but not necessarily enthralling. I wish there were more action points or suggestions - or even comparison to the more recent films.

[D L · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one of the best films in one of the most famous trilogies, Rebecca Harrison's study on The Empire Strikes Back is a brave undertaking. What Harrison manages to do is provide her perspective of the film, introducing themes and perspectives, not at the forefront of the film or even the trilogy as a whole. I found that there were leaps taken which felt a little tenuous but important all the same. This is a good book for anyone who wants to look at this famous film with a different type of gaze.

This book was provided by NetGalley for an honest review

[Lew Dominey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but nowhere near as good as the first BFI Star Wars book. I think it’s observations about Women and POC’s places in fandom of the time is interesting and necessary after the whole bullshit with The Last Jedi, but I just felt like it never came to a peak where it felt like a greater point was being made.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting approach to the film and to research.
When I hit the last page, I wanted more of it.

[Thomas Myers · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.

Must be sad for the author to be so miserable all the time.

Also, don't be corrupted by neo-Marxist ideology.