A Thousand Stars: Episode V, Part 38

As the yearning strains of Leia and Han's love theme turn slowly into into something dark and sinister, ultimately resolving as the Imperial March, Han is lowered into the freezing chamber. No words necessary. Each cut tells a part of the story, of the intense emotions.

Again we set the scene with a wide shot, Han and Leia separated, troopers with their weapons fixed on Chewie, Lando watching unhappily. Chewie howls mournfully. Han's gaze never strays from Leia, as if he's determined that her face will be the last thing he sees. Leia watches, bracing herself for the worst. Cut to Lando, which implicitly includes him among the sufferers rather than the perpetrators.

After a few more close-ups of our heroes' pained faces, with Han slowly sinking, we get a look at Vader. How striking that, in spite of his covered face, we still have that dynamic sense of menace and intensity just from his mask. Perhaps it is the very fact that we've just seen so much emotion from the others, making its absence all the more sinister.

In the last instant before disappearing, Han flinches. It happens so fast, it's hard to get a good still shot of it. Just go ahead and watch the scene and you'll catch it. The wordless horror continues with reaction shots intercut with brutal machinery, till the block of frozen Han appears. Leia stands as an avatar for all of us when she jumps as the slab is knocked down. Han's heroic face has been replaced with a permanent rictus of pain.

It occurs to me that if I'd seen this in theaters as a kid (I was born a year after Episode V was released), it probably would have given me nightmares. I was pretty high-strung. (I'm still high-strung.) What a chilling image, apologies for the pun. Even after Lando confirms that Han survived, it's still like looking at a gruesome tomb.

Well, let's move on...to another scene in the same location. Next time, Luke steps directly into the trap.