matril

I love Lando's quick and quiet maneuvers. Once he's decided to undermine the Empire and rescue the hostages, everything happens very efficiently. He's got his own contingent of loyal citizens. Look at that baffled Imperial officer; he never saw it coming. And even in the quiet, unobtrusive moment, Lando still shows a little flair with his billowing cape.

Leia and Chewie, though, aren't so impressed. They just watched Han get turned into a slab of carbonite, so their emotions are just a teensy bit raw.

All that misery and fear they just endured, it's too painful. You can see how Leia has driven it back with a wave of anger. Look at the disgust on her face. Fear...anger...hatred.

And suffering? Oh, yes. Lando is the obvious victim, but consider how Leia, exulting in Chewie's attack on Lando, allowed just a few moments of delay before he could tell them they might still have Han. Those crucial moments might just have been enough to stop Boba Fett's ship, but nope, there it goes. And Leia's face becomes a perfect mask of suffering.

Of course I can't be too harsh on Leia. It's easy for me to trust Lando; I know the whole story. I know Han will be just fine in the end. We all have moments of anguish that lead to intense and sometimes destructive behavior. Nevertheless, Yoda's warning holds true. If we can instead learn to acknowledge and process our fear and anger before it goes so far, we can avoid a great deal of suffering.

Next time, we go deeper into Luke's subconscious...

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.

In a bit of visual humor that is also foreshadowing, Han's torso is cut by the image of the carbon-freezing chamber. What is this place? Lurid oranges, a smoky pit -- it's strikingly reminiscent of the traditional view of hell. A dark, fiery place filled with sinister figures, where Lando learns that his bargain has enabled such awful cruelty that he can hardly bear it.

In another artful use of contrasts, as Luke enters the world's atmosphere we see pale blues and fluffy whites traditionally associated with depictions of heaven. The loveliness is no longer comforting, now that we know of the lurking horrors that await our hero. The next moment we return to the brutal hellish setting for one of the most visually-powerful scenes of the film.

Next time, faces speak louder than words...

One by one our heroes are shown being tormented by their captors. First we have Chewbacca, howling in pain from a high-pitched siren. Then the torture inexplicably stops, which is a form of torture in itself. When will it come back? What are they planning? Why won't they explain anything?

In any case, Chewie uses the brief respite to examine Threepio's sad condition. There's a surprisingly tender moment as he holds the droid's head in his hands. For all of Threepio's obnoxiousness, his friends really are fond of him. Which makes it all the more painful when he's reactivated and appears to suffer a series of flashbacks; the realization that Imperial troops are in the city right before he gets shot.

Han's torture is similarly brutal, and once again it's a friend (or former friend, anyway) having to witness his pain that makes it all the worse. Just as Han is about to be lowered to the electric tormentor, we cut to Lando standing outside, trying not to visibly wince at the screams.

Vader has an awful knack for knowing just how to extract maximum anguish from his victims. And why wouldn't he, considering his past? He knows precisely what caused him the most acute agonies, driving him to desperation and darkness. Exquisite pain can drive one to empathy and active care for others, or it can drive one to hardened indifference and cruelty. Alas, Vader chose the latter. His reaction to Lando's protests is cold and unfeeling. Of course, he doesn't realize that all his snares to draw in Luke are also laying the groundwork for Lando to shift his allegiances and directly oppose the Empire's power. Evil is inherently self-destructive.

Next time, a bitter confrontation...

The first shot of the next scene bears a strong resemblance to the interior of the Jawa sandcrawler from the previous film. It's quite a shock to be reminded of the grit and grunge of Tatooine in this pretty place. But even worse than our pair of anxious droids, we have pieces of Threepio. Looks like Chewbacca found him in the very nick of time.

After a boisterous confrontation with the Ugnaughts, Chewie manages to escape with the droid's parts, and we have yet more juxtaposition -- amid the gleaming chamber where our friends are staying, Threepio's grim destruction.

Next time, the shattering of any final illusions...

Luke's friends are in trouble, and he has to rescue them. An unambiguous duty, right? Well...not according to Yoda. Even as Luke is on the verge of departing, Yoda continues to urge him not to leave. It's a painful conundrum. If he honors the very cause that Han and Leia fight for, he must be willing to sacrifice anything, even his loved ones. It's so crucial that more than just a disembodied voice, Obi-Wan's ghostly form shows up to bolster Yoda's argument. (Though interestingly, he's not 'life-sized,' instead a smaller version that doesn't overshadow Yoda.)

They warn him of the dangerous temptations he faces during this period of his training. No doubt they have his father's mistakes very much in mind here. But Luke seems to hardly hear them, so troubled is he by the vision he's seen.

So off he goes, which leads to a curious collection of shots featuring the two Jedi Masters. The X-Wing's lights shift in colors and tone, making them almost seem to fade and vanish. This pairs with Obi-Wan sadly claiming That boy is our last hope.

But then Yoda is briefly illuminated by a bright light from the ship, which just as quickly changes to a dreamy red, as Yoda declares There is another.

You could probably create the over-extended analysis that since the bad guy's lightsaber is red, red is always evil and therefore Yoda's claim is ominous and bodes something sinister. But let's not be ridiculous. The vibe here is more mysterious and mystical than anything else. I remember it always used to give me goosebumps as a little kid. One brief phrase, unexplained, left for us to ponder and speculate.

Next time, blue skies and cloudy circumstances...

I just adore the design of Cloud City, the dreamy orange color palette and the glittering skyline. It's a first glimpse at something beautiful and warm in contrast to the Empire's cold sterility, or the Rebellion's grungy makeshift necessities.

But there's an ominous undertone as well. Our heroes are given a rather hostile welcome at first, and even after Lando's severe demeanor switches to playful teasing, we see a wariness in Leia's expression that keeps us from relaxing.

Now the peachy horizon could be seen as an eternal sunset, the beginning of the end. That liminal space where nothing is certain or settled. Even without the warning of Luke's vision, we would know something is troubling about this apparent slice of paradise.

Next time, a study in contrasts...

The Falcon has disappeared, and we get a shorthand visual for Vader's reaction -- another officer summarily executed by Force-strangling. With cold sarcasm Vader dismisses the dead Needa's apology, then orders a renewed search for the missing ship with the assumption that it has gone somewhere far distant by the means of hyperspace.

And now for an edition of Where's Waldo, Millennium Falcon edition! Can you find it? Like a little bug hiding on the back of a giant animal's head.

We get a humorous shot at the sideways view from the cockpit, as all the Star Destroyers disperse and unwittingly leave behind their prey. Adding to the humor is how Leia summarily deactivates Threepio and the droid slumps into an inanimate object. Nice physical acting from Anthony Daniels. And a nice choice to show Leia and Han absorbed in an unseen starmap, indicated simply by the shifting blue light reflecting on their faces.

But alas. Just as we're thinking our heroes' cleverness has succeeded, letting the Falcon drift off with the trash, another little ship emerges from the garbage, piloted by a familiar bounty hunter. No dialogue needed. We know that serious trouble is coming. (And from the prequels, we know why Boba isn't fooled by the Han's game of hide-and-seek, having it seen it before from Obi-Wan!)

Next time, visions of pain...

Back out of the asteroid and into worse trouble, Han and company discover that their repairs haven't been quite effective. Han's expression is an amusing mixture of confusion and indignation, but I especially like how Leia has a sort of weary resignation, as if she's come to expect the Falcon's failure.

So Han charges forward into an utterly insane idea. Fly directly at a Star Destroyer, so convincingly that even the Imperial officers believe it's coming in for an attack and duck down as if to avoid the collision...

Then vanish. For now, all we get is the Imperials' bafflement as they find no trace of the Falcon. Only later will we find out where Han actually took the ship. It's a tantalizing little cliffhanger.

Next time, a masterful arrangement of visuals, music and theme...

Till now, the only Jedi training we've seen is a brief session with Obi-Wan teaching Luke with a lightsaber, a floaty ball remote, and a helmet. What does it look like for Yoda? An intense physical routine, to start with. Not only is Luke expected to run through the swamp, swinging on vines and executing flips through the air, but he's carrying the Jedi Master on his back the entire time. How does this bodily exercise provide a spiritual training? It's not that unusual if you look at various religious traditions which require some process of exerting the body in order to achieve higher awareness.

All the while, however, Yoda is teaching Luke vital doctrine as well. The difference between the Dark Side and the good, the crucial importance of being mindful of one's emotions and the weaknesses that can lead to darkness. Yoda emphasizes a certain stillness of mind even while the body is in constant motion. You will only have discernment, he tells Luke, when you are calm, at peace. Luke is trying his best to achieve this state, but it's so counter to what he's used to. He's always been energetic, impulsive, eager to act and move forward, impatient with waiting. While those inclinations aren't evil of themselves, they can be twisted into temptation.

His first test occurs when he senses something unsettling nearby. (Note how his face is half shadow, half light.) Yoda explains it is a place of the Dark Side, and Luke must go there. Curiously, when Luke asks what it holds, the Jedi Master replies Only what you take with you. This is a journey of the mind, not the body. Yet even when Yoda tells Luke he won't need his weapons, he misses the warning and takes them anyway. He practically scoffs at the notion of danger that can't be fought through physical means.

We're given multiple visual clues that this isn't a place of grounded reality. A descent into the underrealm, a cave of mist and shadows. Then most tellingly, the action shifts into slow motion, I believe the only instance in the entire saga. This is a personal preference of mine, I admit, but I have very little patience for frequent use of slo-mo. It's heavy-handed, unsubtle and practically ubiquitous in most action-oriented movies nowadays. In contrast, when it shows up so rarely as in these films, you can be sure there's a very deliberate reason for it.

This is a dream. Whether it's all in Luke's head or some outward manifestation that the cave creates, I don't know and I don't really worry about it. The metaphor is the meaning. The important thing is that when Darth Vader himself shows up, we quickly realize it's not real. The Imperial March that has played at his every appearance in the film is now decidedly absent. Everything feels odd, like it's being viewed through water or a blurry mirror. The clashing lightsabers seems more like a dance than a battle. Then, if anyone is left doubting, Luke beheads the Sith Lord. No one would expect such a towering villain to be taken down so quickly and easily.

And of course he wasn't. Instead, a baffled Luke watches as the helmet bursts apart to reveal a chillingly familiar face. The symbolism of this image is perfect because it works on multiple levels. Luke is in danger of becoming the very monster he despises. Lashing out with violence destroys himself just as much as his enemy. And then there is the foreshadowing of his secret parentage.

It changes the stakes dramatically. Didn't we want Luke to kill Vader? Isn't that how we get a happy ending? Now we have to wonder if it's possible to vanquish evil without becoming evil yourself. Luke is no longer facing just a straightforward battle against the bad buy. He must battle with his own inner darkness as well.

Next, a bit of scum and villainy...