Memories of Empire - Celebrating 30 Years!

AT-AT Luvah

AT-AT Luvah

Sr Member
Okay, gang.

Tomorrow is the 30th Anniversary of the release of 'The Empire Strikes Back', my favorite movie of all time and I'm sure for some of you.

Please share your memories of seeing the film, your reactions, your vintage pics, and the place it holds for you in your life and your all-time list.

My memory of going to see the film is limited to a hazy recollection of standing in line at Brighton Park Theater in Chicago. The line was around the block! I had never seen anything like that at my ripe old age of six.

I remember Empire not being my favorite as a kid, but as I grew up, this film clearly jumped to the top. In the past 15 years or so, as my palate for movies has evolved, this film not only holds its spot as my favorite of all time, but it also continues to put distance between itself and others.

I wish I had pictures of myself at the time with anything Empire related, but I only have one. I'll post it tonight. It was of me with my youngest brother wearing an Empire iron-on t-shirt. You can barely make it out, but it's there.

My favorite toy that I had related to Empire was a Taun-Taun. I loved the little spring hatch in its back where you could put your action figure's legs into, very clever. Of course, my biggest dream was the AT-AT, which I never got as my parents could not afford it. I now have the Master Replicas version and I love it.

This film is everything movies should be.

Your turn.

Hector
 
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I remember staying up late to watch TV show Film 80 on the BBC with Barry Norman presenting in the run up to the release. They showed the clip of Han and Leia getting loved up and it looked pretty dull (to a 9 year old anyway).

Less than a week later saw the first showing at the local cinema and could hardly believe that is was as good if not better than seeing STAR WARS back in 1977.

It never had the big impact of STAR WARS for me as obviously I already knew characters, plot lines, space ships etc from the first movie.

The Snowtroopers definitely looked amazing and Fett also stood out from characters we had not already seen before.
 
Great idea for a thread!

Before the movie came out, I remember walking from a friend's house to a small local grocery store abotu once a week just to read the ESB movie booklet in the magazine section. I got shivers seeing the pics of what they did to Han in the end. It was weeks before I saved up enough to buy the magazine (still have it!).

Got to see the movie in my hometown theater a few days afterwards.

I made a blaster out of a metal Band-Aids box (remember those?), toilet paper tubes, cardboard, and copious amounts of black electrical tape (my Dad wouldn't let me near the spray-paints, but was even more upset when he noticed I used up all his electrical tape).

I even made a set of macrobinoculars out of a small Kleenex box, complete with a Crayoned panorama of an AT-AT attack on the back wall of the box.

Ah, the memories.
 
I did have the Boba Fett costume that year. Here's a pic. Sadly, I do not have pictures of myself in this outfit.

BobaFett.jpg
 
Oh I forgot to mention that back in the day both The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of The Jedi paperback novels were released prior to the films release in the UK. The UK cinema release was always an age after the US release - it felt like that anyway :)

So a lot of fans had read the books prior to the cinema. I don't think it made any real big difference to going to the cinema already knowing the story as the visuals were so huge.

Chris
 
I remember going with my Aunt Maggie to the Showcase Cinemas in Milan, IL. Very fond memories! She ended up taking me twice as I remember it.
 
I remember going to see it at the old Fox Theaters behind Northway Mall in Albany NY when I was 5. Now the theater is gone, the mall is a ghost town and I live 2000 miles away haha. I remember being disturbed by the succession of bad things that happened to the heroes, culminating in Luke finding out Darth Vader was his father. I distinctly remember a woman literally screamed in horror when Vader said the line. Awesome. I remember walking out of the theater stunned by the ending and in utter disbelief that I'd have to wait god-knew how long before the next one.

My grandparents had an old well in their front yard that had been filled in with cement, and the grass grew around it so long that I remember sculpting it to make a little cave for Yoda to sit in and train Luke in the ways of the Force--three looooooong years of training Luke (too damn long for a kid to wait between the ages of 5 and 8 when ROTJ came out). And my friend Corey had an AT-AT and I was so jealous I couldn't deal--it ruined our friendship hahaha. The best Xmas present I ever got was the Millennium Falcon in 1980. I have a picture of that day somewhere--that gift has never been surpassed and is absolutely my 'Ralphie-BB-gun-Christmas-Story' gift.

Like Hector, I liked ESB the least of the three films for a long time, but as I got older I came to appreciate it so much more. My favorite of all time.
 
I remember stop motion, puppets, and the downer ending. I guess that's why I only saw it twice. :lol
 
Wow, I was just out of High School, had a great job, was living on my own for the first time, got my first car. Life was grand.

Plus the sequel to STAR WARS was about to come out.

Our group stayed in line overnight. A buddy and I showed up about 24 before the opening and got in line. About 10AM. Half hour later, this guy staggers out of his car. He had been there since 6AM. He wanted to be first in line. But with no one there that early he fell asleep in his car. We beat him to it. He was pissed and left. Years later we ended up working at the same model shop and became friends.

I already had the soundtrack and had been listening to it for a week or so.

Was totally pumped to see it.

It was a great time. But I was initially disappointed.

Yes, I said it. TESB is not the greatest movie ever.

So sue me.
 
I also remember the first time I saw the Han/Leia advertisement poster, on the back of the TV Guide. I was horrified to think that Han stole Leia away from Luke, and I went into the movie with a grudge.

Of course, I know better now. :)
 
I played hooky from second grade. Mom wrote an excuse note about "intestinal virus". But my teacher knew me too well to fall for that. The next day she came up to me and said, "Well.... how was it?" :lol
 
Ended up going by myself, as all my friends couldn't make it until a later showing/day. I wasn't going to wait. I was blown away. Jaw hit the floor after Vader's line.
 
My first real introduction to Star Wars was watching Empire Strikes Back first and then Return of the Jedi right after it on rental VHS. I was 8 and had pleaded and begged with my parents for about six months to let me see them... and of course... we couldn't find A New Hope ANYWHERE... so I had to wait an additional 3-5 years to finally watch that, when it finally aired on TV and soon after came out on VHS to buy.

Empire was such an amazing movie... I got it. I lived it. There's nothing like a film where the heroes gets beaten to ****, but still keep going, still keep trying, and don't bow down to oppression and terror. And the ice monster, when you didn't see it, only heard it was so much scarier than it is now.

Man. Still get a smile on my face when I pop in ESB.
 
AT-AT Luvah said:
I did have the Boba Fett costume that year. Here's a pic. Sadly, I do not have pictures of myself in this outfit.

BobaFett.jpg
Click to expand...


I have a polaroid of myself in this costume that year!! I'll have to see if I can find it to scan.:lol

ESB gave me the most "play time" mileage since I was in fourth grade. I got most toys related to that movie and the LP of the movie which I listened to constantly and acted it out with friends and my brother. I can remember wanting the TaunTaun more than anything! We ALWAYS played "Star Wars" whenever we got together, whether we dressed up or played with our toys.

It's still my favorite movie for above reasons and just how well it holds up even today.
 
Cenobyte said:
I had the pleasure of being the Darth Vader at the Hollywood ESB premiere last night with Harrison Ford, Peter Mayhew, Billy Dee Williams and Ewan McGregor.QUOTE]

Great stuff, Cenobyte!

I think I saw pics of you with Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson over at starwars.com

Awesome! Did you get any posed pictures with Ford?
Click to expand...
 
I saw it when I was four years old in 1980 in Lewisham, London. I remember the local BHS (a UK dept store) had a cut out cardboard yoda in the window. It made no sense seeing it in the window - until I saw the film, then I loved walking past it while out shopping with my mum. I can remember not believing Vader was Luke's dad..... years spent wondering until 1983. I would also spend a lot of time in the garden purposely getting muddy, pretending to be on Degoba. I loved the dark tone, even then as a kid, at seven ROTJ seemed pretty weak in comparison. Respect to John Barry for making it look so amazing.

Happy 30th ESB!
 
That was me with Pete Lentz and Aslee Simpson. They were very nice.

Ford basically did not want anything to do with us. He really did not want to be there. You should have seen the faces he made off camera :(
 
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