So Luke has escaped Vader's clutches, both literally and spiritually...but also he's dangling from a flimsy metal vane, so let's not relax just yet. He calls for Ben, but his old master already warned him he wouldn't be able to help. So what does Luke try next? Reaching out to Leia.

It's a curious thing, the way the Force can form bonds across vast distances. How do you portray that with visuals? With very particular editing and framing. Cut from Luke to the Falcon, where everything and everyone is in desperate motion, planning their final escape from Bespin...except for Leia. Slowly the camera pans to center her, in stark contrast to all that is around her. Stock still, focused on something no one else can sense. A cut back to Luke, then Leia again, and we understand their mystic connection, as real as the physical hug they share after his rescue.

But there are other bonds. Vader calls to Luke, and Luke cannot help but respond. Father, he says, without hesitation. His conscious brain may deny it, but his deepest self knows it. Lots of great face-acting to make this sequence work. Even, somehow, from a masked Vader.

Next time, a bittersweet finish...

The duel continues, and for a while it looks like Luke might be holding his own. Even Vader acknowledges Impressive...most impressive after Luke's apparent fall and defeat into the chamber is reversed by leaping out and retaliating at his foe.

So of course Luke gets cocky. Rather than breaking away to find his friends, the purported reason for coming to Bespin, he continues to pursue Vader. Down ominous passages, into dark and eerie spaces. Much like the cave on Dagobah, this is a further journey into Luke's psyche. Into the places that are as much a part of him as his goodness and heroism, though he hasn't yet allowed himself to acknowledge them. The parts that tend toward vengeance, violence, anger. The very fact that Vader encourages Luke to attack him, to release his anger, shows the inward battle that's far more important than the outward fight.

And it is a fight that Luke is ill-prepared for. Now that Vader has finished testing his abilities, the simple sparring changes into a brutal, no-holds-barred assault. He doesn't play fair; why would he? Luke must reckon with an array of heavy objects being flung at him while still fending off Vader's blows. He tries to maintain his strength and resolve, but ultimately he's fighting the very forces of nature, and nature wins.

Does this mean his defeat is inevitable? That he'll eventually have no choice but to yield to the Dark Side? Obviously anyone familiar with Episode VI knows that's not the case. But the real possibility of failure has to be there; otherwise victory just isn't that meaningful. And Luke must learn to enact a very different strategy in order to overcome both the outward evil and the potential evil within. Fighting will not save him. Next time, we'll see what does...

Even with Leia's desperate warning that it's a trap, Luke goes ahead and walks right into the trap. The truth is, Luke isn't necessarily ignorant of Vader's ploy. His problem isn't ignorance; it's overconfidence and recklessness. Sure, Vader is trying to ensnare him, but Luke can handle it. He's had training now. And he is totally ready, even eager, to face his father's killer and avenge him.

Oops.

Talk about spooky. The chamber, just minutes ago, was busy and noisy and full of people. Now it's apparently empty, with Luke standing there like the victim in a horror movie, knowing something is off but unsure what to do. Then we hear the ominous breathing. Slowly Luke turns. And there Darth Vader stands as if he materialized from nowhere.

So what does Luke do? Boldly walks right up to him and draws his saber. Vader takes his time responding. We've already seen in his confrontation with Obi-Wan from Episode IV that Vader likes to do a little grandstanding, a little monologuing. He does the same here, and even lets Luke make the first attack.

What Luke doesn't realize is that Vader is testing him, probing him, deliberately getting under his skin to see how he responds. He could easily whip out his weapon and slice Luke in half before he had time to put up any defense. But he doesn't want Luke dead; he wants him under the power of the Dark Side. And that's the actual trap Luke is falling prey to.

Luke shows off a little fancy footwork, probably pretty pleased with himself. But Vader is toying with him. He's not using nearly his full strength yet. He's not even using both hands.

Next time, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering...

I love reading up on the making of the carbon freezing scene. It was an absolute nightmare to film, getting the steam effect without obscuring everything and making sure no one fell off the edge, trying to refine the dialogue so there was enough exposition without too much heavy-handed infodumping...and yet the scene turned out so incredible, all those difficulties somehow resolved into a near-perfect bit of cinema. And the visuals tell us so much more than just the dialogue.

This wide shot shows us the whole of it: our heroes entering warily, Han with his arms bound. Lando stands like a sinner in contrition. And Imperial officers and troopers stand guard impassively, unfeeling.

Han leans toward Lando to ask, in bitter sarcasm, what's happening. Note the light on our heroes, while Lando stands in shadow. Lando mutters an answer, his mouth barely moving, as he knows the Empire is always watching. With a callous exchange between Vader and Fett, equating human life with a sum of money, we see Han and Leia react. No words are necessary. Their faces say everything.

Chewie, of course, can't stand idly while their enemies calmly discuss Han's demise. Amidst the drama we get a bit of comedy from the hapless, partly-assembled Threepio, but also a poingant plea from Han. Take care of the princess. Again, a look is all we need from Leia.

Then we have their famous kiss, and the even more-famous exchange of lines, I love you, I know. I've analyzed that bit plenty in my previous series on SW dialogue. There's no smirk on Han's face. More than any words, his expression, and Leia's, tell us all we need.

I find there's so much richness in this scene, I'll need multiple entries to explore it all! Next time, the power of tight editing. Trust me, it's more exciting than you might think...

Back in the prison cell, Chewie sets aside Threepio to help Han, whose usual swagger has been so obliterated that he can only hang there limply and offer no greater witticism than I feel terrible.

Leia joins him, and we can only guess what tortures she has endured. Perhaps like Luke, she suffers most to see her friends suffer. As she wonders what point there could be to the torture, Han notes that they didn't even ask him any questions.

Lando arrives to provide the answer, though he's not exactly a welcome presence. Turns out they're nothing more than bait for Luke.

It's notable that when Han furiously lashes out with the last of his stretch, Lando doesn't attack in return. His guards leap forward to defend him and knock Han back into submission, because, well, they're loyal to Lando. Can't really fault them for that. Lando continues to be unhappy with his choice (note the shadows across his face, like indecision and divided loyalties) and I think Han's sarcastic barb You're a real hero lands with quite a sting.

Next, a glimpse of hell (metaphorically, at least)...

Into this juxtaposition of beauty and destruction comes Lando, inviting them all for some 'refreshment.' With a last ominous visual reminder of Threepio, we return to the bustling but lovely halls of the city. In an apparently casual conversation, Lando leads up to a recent 'deal' that ensures his city's protection from the influence of the Empire.

There's some excellent, subtle acting from Billy Dee. You can imagine him thinking, perhaps, 'This is the last time Han will look at me without hatred.' Or even a silent 'It's an entire city of people. I had to choose between them and you. Can you ever forgive me?' Yeah, I'm reading a lot into a little expression. But I love Lando, and I think he was tortured every single second leading up to this betrayal.

There's an image you'd never want to experience in person. Entering a dining hall for a relaxing meal only to find the Empire's fearsome symbol waiting for you. Han, too, has a very expressive silent moment, turning to Lando as if hoping he'll burst into laughter at the prank, then fake-Vader will remove his helmet to reveal Lobot, perhaps, and they'll all have a good chuckle. No such luck. In further desperation, Han fires a few blaster shots, and how devastatingly easy it is for Vader, with a simple gesture, to fend him off and snatch the weapon straight from his hand.

The awful tableau forms: the dark Lord and the successful bounty hunter before them, stormtroopers behind them. Lando's stiff, miserable apology. And the door closes on the doomed trio.

Next time, captives in pain...

Another beautiful wide shot of Cloud City, after which we follow a cloud car through the city (thanks to the advancing technology of the special editions) until we finally come to the window where Leia is visible. This rather long establishing moment gives us a sense of the urgency and worry simmering below the surface of the pretty scenery.

Leia is pacing restlessly, and even when Han comes along and tries to reassure her, they remain mostly at a distance or at least distanced from the audience. When we finally end with a closer shot, its potential romance is abrogated by the dialogue -- even if things work out and nothing sinister is lurking below, Han will be leaving. There's nothing more they can say.

Next time, a first full look at the uglier side...

It's been a bit, hasn't it? Here we are in the new year, and probably the final year of this series. I've really enjoyed this extended exploration of the saga's compelling visuals, and I will also be glad to have a break. But in the meantime, let's continuing looking at Episode V!

As Lando leads the group through the halls of the city, we're treated with a fascinating shift in colors. We leave the muted pinks and orange outside and enter a building with bright white walls, a high tech-environment that also allows for artful, aesthetically-pleasing designs. Then there's this hallway, contributing a new shade of golden yellow. It's all very pretty and striking, but something unsettling still lurks beneath, demonstrated when Threepio wanders off in search of an Artoo-ish sound and ends up in a darker, less friendly environment...

...only to be blasted into pieces. Clearly, the shiny façade is hiding something very grim.

Next, an interplay of shadows...

Once again Luke is engaged in training with physical and metaphysical components, which means that he's upside-down while striving to meditate. The multitasking continues, and he lifts quite a few items telepathically. Artoo seems rather distressed about being included among the items.

But far worse distress is coming. As Yoda encourages Luke to reach out through the Force into the future and past, his trainee suddenly envisions something awful. Once again he loses concentration and crashes, bringing everything else down with him.

We don't see Luke's vision ourselves. We're about to see it in real time anyway, and it's sufficiently chilling to see his confusion and anguish. His friends were in a 'city in the clouds' and they were suffering. Yoda cannot give a clear answer to his concerns for their safety, since the future is always in motion, but more importantly he warns that going to rescue them would jeopardize everything. We're left with Luke's face as he contemplates this awful news, even as he's swallowed up by the very city in the clouds of his vision.

Next, an unsettling arrival...

More strange scenarios from Luke's Jedi training. This is the second time Luke is pictured upside-down in this film, and not the last. Once again we're reminded of how all his preconceptions will be overturned in this episode.

Yoda is pushing him to extend his abilities beyond what he thinks is possible. Even in a discombobulated position, with the added weight of Yoda himself, he must learn to find balance, serenity in the Force. Granting him remarkable skills of telekinesis that, if you recall, he hadn't quite mastered in trying to retrieve his lightsaber on Hoth.

But Luke is still a long way from mastery. As Artoo beeps a warning, we see the ship sink. Luke's concentration vanishes along with the ship, sinking into the murk of dismay and doubt. (I have to highlight this quick glimpse of Yoda because it's hilarious, and easy to forget it's still just a puppet!) Then Yoda asserts that the same power of lifting rocks can be used to lift the ship. Luke is skeptical, only willing to give it a try without much conviction.

The sequence of Luke's attempt, dialogue-free, is mostly cuts between Luke's face and Yoda's. Incredible how much is conveyed just with Luke's struggle to concentrate and Yoda's attentive observation and subsequent disappointment.

Then, in response to Luke's claim that it's too big, Yoda embarks on an extraordinary discourse on the nature of the Force and how it transcends physical measures. Luke has learned not to judge Yoda by his size, hasn't he? As Yoda teaches, note how Luke is sitting beside him so they're roughly at the same height. Yet even after Yoda's compelling words, strengthened by the incredible quality of design and puppeteering that brings life to his expressions, Luke rejects the message. He stands, looking down at Yoda and dismissing his claims as impossible.

So Yoda has to teach him a different way. Wordlessly, as the music quietly builds in grandeur, he reaches out with the Force. Look at his hunched little body at the start. See him rise, and rise, and rise. The music swells, triumphant but never strident. Serene.

Luke, utterly astonished, has to physically touch the ship to assure himself it really happened. Even then he goes to Yoda and gasps that he doesn't believe it. Therein lies the root of his failure, for the Force user is nothing without conviction. And look at how he's standing in relation to Yoda now. Beneath him. No more looking down in contempt or disdain. He must be a humble pupil, willing to have unlearn what he has learned into order to be transformed as a Jedi.

Next time, sneaky shenanigans and the one person who isn't fooled...