Fisher: I resent that I love Han and he knows …
Kershner: We’ve got to find a way of doing it so that we don’t say cliché things.
Fisher: Harrison was here while you were making changes and I always feel like it’s behind my back, that you’re rehearsing.
Kershner: No, no, no. This we haven’t rehearsed yet. This we’re going to rehearse.
Fisher: Yeah, but I don’t know that, I—
Williams, Hollis, Fisher, and Kershner, as the latter two discuss the scene.
Kershner: See, I couldn’t tell you before.
Fisher: I’m just talking about the other thing that you guys started to rewrite and I wasn’t there. I always I feel like, “It’s the bimbo again.” They can’t do anything with me, I guess.
Kershner: No, it’s not the bimbo. (“Harrison is a very fine actor,” Kershner says. “I regarded that scene as entirely his, which is why I gave him so much opportunity to tell me how he thought we should treat it. That led to a little tension with Carrie, who thought I was giving him too much head. Professional jealousy is very healthy, incidentally, and natural. But it was his scene.”)
Fisher: [irate tone] I would just like to be there. I don’t even need to say anything …
Kershner: You weren’t here, you weren’t here!
Fisher: You’ve got to know I’m here in the studio.
Kershner: Okay, alright, okay.
Fisher: And then I yelled at Harrison.
Kershner: Yeah, don’t yell at him, yell at me.
Fisher: I did and now Harrison’s angry at me.
Kershner: No, he’s not angry at you.
Fisher: Well, he thinks I’m angry at him for no reason and I’m not angry …
Kershner: See, I’ve worked on it for two days now and I have not been able to come to any conclusion. The scene is totally illogical unless we obfuscate.
Fisher: Alright, but there’s no reason for me to be mad at him and I got mad at him. Because he came to me with the changes and I thought, Wait!
Kershner: Because I had given to him the page first, and I hadn’t given it to Lando and I hadn’t given it to you. (“I think that Carrie began to feel that she had two directors,” Kershner says. “And finally I explained to her that I was giving Harrison his rein, his head, so that he could try everything on me and then I could, in a way, censor or encourage. Once she understood it, she calmed down, but there were a couple days of extreme tension. We were changing lines on the set.”)
Fisher: His assistant was coming to me, but I mean, it’s all because of a mistake. It’s like I’m a day worker.
Kershner: No, you’re not a day worker.
Fisher: I know that. But then I get mad at him and then it fucks us up.
Kershner: Okay. Where is Harrison?
Crew member: He’s right there. Harrison!
Fisher: So now he’s pissed off because I’m pissed off, because I have no right to be pissed off at him. And that’s totally valid.
Kershner: Because he feels very insecure about coming up with any ideas at all.
Fisher: He’s not insecure—I never even speak!
Kershner: No, he feels insecure. You can speak at any time, with any scene at any moment. You can stop a scene in the middle at any time.
Fisher: I don’t know. As you can see, he is very angry, as he has a total right to be because I would not speak to him. I’m sorry. So it may play well for the first part of the scene, but if we have to kiss each other, there might be trouble.
Kershner: No, I’ll fix it, I’ll fix it.
Fisher: He shouldn’t have to come to me; he can come to you.
Kershner: He was eager.
Stormtrooper, Fisher, and Kershner.
Fisher’s standin waits …
Fisher: I know he was.
Kershner: He was eager because he was worried about the scene.
Fisher: And I was stupid. But I …
Kershner: And I’ve been very worried about it, I’ve been so worried about this scene. I worked on it yesterday afternoon until I had such a headache. You know, I worked on it all day Saturday and Sunday. I came to no good conclusions because I realized the illogicality.
Fisher: There’s certain information I should at least have for myself, where I can at least come to the conclusion for myself while I’m watching you guys do a scene that may not center around me.
Kershner: Okay, okay, I’ll take care of that. Do you want me to do it now or later?
Fisher: It’s always been a precarious relationship anyway.
Kershner: Why?
Fisher: Because I do shit and because he was bored with everything. “When you’re older, we’ll all tell you about it.” (“But to Carrie’s credit, there is so much affection between her and Harrison that it was almost a love–hate thing,” Kershner says. “But she got overly anxious and carried away and angry and then was extremely sorry about it, which is very good. But I like when there’s a certain amount of tension on the set.”)
Crew member: We’ve got to put the steam in now and you’re in the firing line. [The stagehands prepare for the shot and the conversation is interrupted.]
While waiting—Suschitzky, Fisher, and Hollis, with stormtroopers (including stuntmen Peter Diamond, Colin Skeaping, Reg Harding, Tony Smart, Malcolm Weaver, and Bob Anderson) and hog men (Eileen Baker, John Gavam, Tony Frier, Mike Edmunds, Mike Cottrell, and John Lummis). In fact, Kenny Baker’s wife, Eileen, played “Hogman 1” (and a droid in the hangar scenes).
Tomblin: [speaking through a bullhorn] Has everyone got their heads on and you’re ready? Alright, Dave [Prowse], put your head on, please. Okay, start walking. Blow out the steam now.
Kershner: [speaking quietly to Tomblin] I don’t want to do this scene. Some of the actors are all angry at each other. [laughs] Everybody’s furious with each other. Carrie went crazy. (“Directing is a job Kersh attacked with great courage,” Ford says. “It’s an awesome responsibility, a difficult job, and a job in which you’re bound to catch a lot of flak sooner or later.”)
Tomblin: The only person we haven’t given a position yet is Vader.
Kershner: He can come in and we’ll give him a position on this one.
Suschitzky: It’s still too clean around here. Do we need some smoke as well?
Kershner: Yeah, it looks clean. It really looks clean. Yeah, with all that steam and everything, it still looks—I think we need …
Suschitzky: What do we need in the foreground?
Kershner: There’s nothing there. Yeah, we need a big pile of steam right there. There’s nothing there at all and I’ll be shooting the scene right there. You really need it. I want to see the CO2.
Tomblin: [on the bullhorn] Dave—he wants to see the CO2 in the foreground please. [Another test is performed.]
Kershner: Everything has to work now.
Tomblin: [on the bullhorn] Alright, here we go! Action! [More CO2 effects as the scene is blocked.]
Kershner: That’s better. Is Vader in the right spot? [They do a take.]
Tomblin: How did that work, timing-wise?
Kershner: Very well. [to Williams] What’s nice is when they get to the bottom of the steps, you just turn away.
Prowse, Kershner, Williams, and Ford.
Williams: Alright, now, when Han says something to me, do you want me to turn toward him?
Kershner: No, don’t turn to him in this shot, okay?
Williams: Okay.
Kershner: Because I want the shot only to work until the moment that Boba Fett walks over to him. Then I’m going to cut into the dialogue.
Williams: Okay. (“Kersh talks about flowing all the time,” Williams says. “He’s very much involved with Buddhism. I was very much at one point involved in Buddhism. And out of it, I think we acquired certain knowledge, understanding, and awareness, which makes it easier.”)
Ford: I come up behind him while that other scene goes on?
A momentarily estranged Ford and Fisher.
> Kershner: No, I’m taking it to the moment when Boba Fett walks away. As soon as Boba Fett walks away, you’re all standing back here and that’s when you say, “What are we doing now?”
Tomblin: It’s gone quite well.
Kershner: [to Fisher] Carrie, you’ve never been in this place, it’s something new.
Fisher: Alright.
Kershner: It’s an industrial complex of some sort. But why you’re here, you don’t know.
Fisher: Okay. Harrison and I will probably not be speaking with one another for another couple of hours. I tried to apologize and he just waved me away.
Kershner: That’s why I love him, because he’s sensitive [laughs].
Fisher: So am I.
Kershner: What are we gonna do. [laughs] Did I imply that you’re not?
Fisher: [amused] No.
Kershner: Okay, okay. We’ll work it out, we’ll work it out. [More scene prep.]
David Prowse: If I can just change the subject completely and take your mind off of it: Have I given you a copy of my book?
Kershner: No. What book is that?
David Prowse: I’ve written a book called Fitness Is Fun. I want to give you a copy. I brought one in, so sometime this afternoon.
Mayhew and Kershner.
Kershner: Just published? Oh, great.
David Prowse: Yeah, I’m doing a signing at Harrods on Saturday.
Kershner: Gee, that’s great, that’s lovely you took the time to do that.
David Prowse: Yeah, I worked on it every Sunday all the way through. It took me the best part of nine months to do. It’s a lot to do with exercising. Your son would love it, because it’s really a textbook on weight training.
Kershner: Okay, well, I’ll buy one and have you sign it and give it to him. Boy, this is some scene. [More stage prep.] Oh boy. [to Peter Mayhew] Now, Chewie, we’ve got to talk. Of course, you’re a Wookiee and you don’t know what this place is. When he says, “You’re going into a carbon freeze,” you don’t know what a carbon freeze is. All you know is it’s dangerous. Give us one of your reactions, then do the growl. When Vader says, “Put him in,” she says, “No!” And the two troopers will grab him. I want to work it out so that you will grab one of them, this one first, and—[yells across the stage] Peter! Peter Diamond!
Peter Diamond: Yes!
Kershner: While we’re waiting, let’s do some work! [laughs] This is going to be dangerous, yeah. You’ve got to work out something, so he can take you and start to tussle with you. The gun comes out of your hands, clunk, and wham!
Peter Mayhew: Do you want a backhanded swipe?
Kershner: It could be. Okay, you’ve got that. Now, David!—no, another David—I’ve got too many Davids. [to Prowse] Now, you’re here, he [Boba Fett] walks over to you, and he says two lines of dialogue. And then you say, “Put him in.” Okay, at that moment …
David Prowse: There’s a big melee going on, isn’t there?
Kershner: No, there’s no melee going on. When you finish the dialogue, you say, “Put him in.” At that moment, the realization that it’s about to happen takes place. Leia’s horrified, she holds on to him, he picks up his big clammy arm and goes wham because the two stormtroopers come forward. Now, Harrison, your position here, when he says, “Put him in,” these two guys come to grab you.
Ford: Okay. I still want to know some things about the first one. Will I hear Vader?
Mayhew, Fisher, Kershner, and Williams.
Audio element not supported.
On the carbon freeze chamber, Kershner discusses with Ford the logistics of the moment in which Chewbacca loses his temper—and how Solo should stop him before the Wookiee is blasted by stormtroopers. (Recorded by Arnold on June 21, 1979)
(1:17)
Kershner: Yeah. I haven’t done a rehearsal yet. I’m trying to get little pieces while they’re doing all this shit that has to be done.
Ford: All I’m asking is, when Vader is talking to Boba Fett, I’m standing here—
Kershner: You hear him.
Ford: I can hear what he’s saying?
Kershner: Yeah, you can hear it.
Ford: Then why do I ask him what’s going on? You just had them come in and play this little scene with me behind, then I say, “What’s going on?”
Kershner: No, no, no.
Ford: Are we going to rehearse it? I’m just trying to figure out how to make it work, too.
Kershner: Yeah, alright. I can’t work with this steam going on. I’ve got to shut all the steam off and do the rehearsal without the steam. We can go nuts with this; you can’t hear anything.
Ford: And we’re rehearsing from the very beginning?
Kershner: From the very beginning we’re going to rehearse, from the very beginning. [to Mayhew] So, you reach for him, wham! That’s it and now the others descend on you. We’ve got to find a place where he would stop you.
Ford: What keeps me—
Kershner: You’re shackled.
Ford: If I was going to be able to stop him with, “Stop, Chewbacca, stop,” then I would stop him before he killed any more guys and before the other guys had a chance to even get to him.
Kershner: First of all, why do they hit him? Why don’t they just pull their guns on him and blast him?
Ford: I’ve got to stop him so fast for it to work. The other guys won’t even have a chance to get over there.
Kershner: Yeah, maybe that’s right, maybe that’s true.
Peter Diamond: We’re going to need to do this fast-paced, yeah?
Kershner: Yeah, we’re going to do a rehearsal right through—I’ve never had one rehearsal with the dialogue and everything. Let’s just do one without the steam where we can actually hear everything and see that everything is working.
Peter Diamond: Okay. [Tomblin calls for the staging of the scene.]
Kershner: What’s that thing? I’ve never seen it all together without steam. Bob, Bob, whoa, whoa, what is that?
Bob: That’s just paint from the can, that’s all.
Kershner: You know, we’re breathing so much shit in here, I don’t think we need anymore, I really don’t think so. Yeah, we don’t want that there. Boy, they throw that propellant around like it’s candy. [More scene prep.]
Williams: At what point do you want me to turn?
Kershner: [to Fisher] What’s the matter?
Fisher: I apologized and he can’t even …
Kershner: He’ll calm down, don’t worry, he’ll calm down.
Williams: At what point do you want me to—is there any specific place you want me to turn? When they come to about the top of the stairs?
Kershner: No, when they’re halfway down, you look over. Give it about three beats and then look away. That reads nicely, you know. [to the crew] Alright, let’s go, this is a complete rehearsal.
Tomblin: Okay, let’s clear unless you’re acting, please.
Kershner: With all three cameras. [whispers to Tomblin] Now, is Lando’s aide clear in terms of not being right in back of …?
Tomblin: Yeah, that’s John Hollis.
Kershner: He can be a little bit more to the left, huh?
Tomblin: Right, okay, why don’t I move John Hollis?
Kershner: [to Hollis from across the stage] John Hollis, move half a step to your left. (Hollis played “Lobot”—short for lobotomy. Although in the fifth draft, he had at least one line, it had been decided that the assistant was a mute. “The idea of Lando communicating with Lobot through his headset did not exist in the script,” Kershner says. “I added that on the set.”)
Tomblin: That’s it.
Kershner: Right. [to the assembled crew] Okay, here we go. Alright, this is a rehearsal. We do everything, minus the steam. Alright—action! [Steam is released.] Minus the steam! No steam, no CO2! [Scene proceeds briefly.] Cut, cut, please cut!
Tomblin: Hold it. It doesn’t seem to be working properly.
Kershner: Not again. [Tomblin directs the crew to their places.]
&n
bsp; Tomblin: Alright, ready, here we go! Action! [Scene is played out as Tomblin directs the troopers and little people.]
Kershner: Cut! Okay. Kel, how did it work?
Kelvin Pike: Pretty good.
Kershner: Yeah, it looked alright for me. [to Williams] As Boba Fett walks away, he starts the dialogue.
Williams: Do you want me to continue with the dialogue?
Kershner: Yes, I want to do the dialogue.
Williams: Oh, I didn’t know that.
Kershner: We’re going to do the dialogue, yeah. I thought you understood.
Williams: I thought you wanted to wait until the cut.
Kershner: No, no, no. I want to do the dialogue right there. Yes, Harrison, he misunderstood that. [whispers to Williams] Okay, we do the dialogue in a long shot and then we’ll overlap it.
Williams: You didn’t tell me.
Kershner: Okay, I’m a fool. [laughs; he then turns to Tomblin] Okay, now, precisely when Vader is about here, that claw should be coming up. (“My feeling is that when you’re shooting, the first thing you do is put up the camera on a wide shot and get the entire scene,” says Lucas. “You block it and shoot it in one big, wide master. You can do it very quickly—and what it does is, it makes the DP light the entire set and the cast go through the entire scene, so everybody knows what’s going on. What Kersh would do is he would shoot a piece of someone coming in and sitting down or he would shoot the fight and then have him go out the door. Those are two different masters, so the cast and crew sometimes wouldn’t see the whole thing played through in one piece—so they often never understood how it all went together.”)
Ford: Are we continuing?
Kershner: Which?
Williams: Dialogue. That’s what I asked you.
Kershner: We’re doing the dialogue, yes, you’re doing the dialogue.
The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Enhanced Edition) Page 34
