The film Empire Strikes Back in the Star Wars series is one of the most endearing films of the trilogy and a lot of that has to go to the vision of Irvin Kershner. He directed Episode V and really sealed the role Star Wars had in culture. It is rare that one can take a middle of sequence film which had no beginning and no end and turn it into one that is fondly remembered as the best.
George Lucas knew that in order for Episode V to work, it would have to rely more on emotions than action and special effects. After all, this is where Luke would learn of his true nature and what it meant to help his friends. The story just oozed character interaction and George wanted someone who knew what he was doing, but wasn’t tainted by Hollywood’s push for special effects at the expense of its actors.
That is when the name Irvin Kershner came up. Kershner had a reputation for being very passionate about character development and human interaction. This is what George wanted. Unfortunately, that same passion made his choice quite hesitant to join the proceedings. Kershner couldn’t understand why he would pick someone like him, an old man with his classical ways to a hot shot special effects director who was more suited to the role. But Lucas wouldn’t give up and after some prodding from the director’s agent, Kershner signed on to direct, but only if he could create the environment that he wanted.
His classical training in art and music gave him a unique perspective and directing style in all of his films. He was once quoted as saying that he liked to fill up each frame with the character’s faces as there is nothing more interesting than the landscape of the human face. So to him, it didn’t matter if there were fantastical sets, light sabers, strange robots and creatures. The idea was that ESB was a drama piece, a middle of a three part opera. And a chance to explore these characters and their motivations, which would give us closure on the first film and a setup for the third. The concept worked. ESB tore at our heartstrings, made us cheer and made us angry. Exactly what a good movie should do.
Of course Irvin Kershner is known for other films and TV shows, most notably directing Robocop 2 and Never Say Never Again, part of the James Bond series, as well as episodes of the undersea super submarine drama “SeaQuest DSV” with Roy Scheider. He even tried his hand at acting in such roles as the father of apostles John and James in The Last Temptation of Christ and as a director (good casting) in On Deadly Ground which starred Steven Seagal.
In his personal life, he was a still photographer, having taught photography classes and even doing documentaries on Iran, Greece and Turkey for the United States Information Service in his younger days. At his death on November 27th, 2010, he was still working as a photographer, on two films, and was on the faculty of the University of Southern California.
Irvin Kershner was a director that may not have made hundreds of films like some, but the ones he did make will live in our minds for a long, long time, allowing him to live on.
