'Empire Strikes Back' Director Irvin Kershner Has Died
Categories: Entertainment, National News, Culture
11:48 am
by Mark Memmott
Director Irvin Kershner.
Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP/Getty Images
Irvin Kershner, who directed The Empire Strikes Back.
Irvin Kershner, who directed 1980's Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back, has died at the age of 87, the Associated Press reports.
He also directed the 1983 James Bond movie Never Say Never Again and RoboCop2.
When The Empire Strikes Back was released, reviewer Tom Shames said on NPR that "the film can only be recommended to all human life forms existing in the universe."
It is, as many of you will surely recall, the film that ends with a frozen Han Solo in the clutches of bounty hunter Boba Fett. It's also the film where we meet Yoda. Of the three original Star Wars films, it's many fans' favorite. And we learn about Luke's father.
That sucks, especially with Leslie Nielsen passing this weekend as well.
RIP
Re: Irvin Kershner 1923-2010
Posted: 2010-11-29 06:06pm
by Vympel
Oh man, this sucks.
Re: Irvin Kershner 1923-2010
Posted: 2010-11-29 06:11pm
by Gandalf
Oh, gods damn it.
Another great film figure lost to us.
Re: Irvin Kershner 1923-2010
Posted: 2010-11-30 01:34pm
by g_core18
A legend has fallen.
Re: Irvin Kershner 1923-2010
Posted: 2010-11-30 11:40pm
by Raptor 597
He was in my thoughts the other day because he was the answer to a trivia question in the movie Fanboys; I didn't realize he was so old.
Rest in peace, Mr. Kershner
Re: Irvin Kershner 1923-2010
Posted: 2010-12-01 01:27pm
by Darth Yan
Wow. A great director has truly fallen. May he rest in peace.
Re: Irvin Kershner 1923-2010
Posted: 2010-12-02 11:58am
by Molyneux
A damn shame, and a loss to filmmaking.
Re: Irvin Kershner 1923-2010
Posted: 2010-12-02 11:59am
by Thanas
The best of the SW movies. RIP.
Re: Irvin Kershner 1923-2010
Posted: 2010-12-02 08:36pm
by Havok
Certainly the best of the SW movies. R.I.P.
One wonders how the rest of the movies would have been under his direction. Or maybe he was just the right guy for Empire and it's tone.
Re: Irvin Kershner 1923-2010
Posted: 2010-12-02 09:12pm
by Ghost Rider
Sad to hear him go. Empire was the highlight of the franchise and I dare say one of his best films. Certainly better then the other films they highlighted.
Re: Irvin Kershner 1923-2010
Posted: 2010-12-02 10:19pm
by Talhe
One of the first videos I owned was the Star Wars trilogy on VHS; I got it as a reward for doing well in elementary school. Watching Empire really made me fall in love with Star Wars and science fiction.
Rest in peace, Mr. Kershner.
Re: Irvin Kershner 1923-2010
Posted: 2010-12-03 01:06pm
by Elfdart
Ghost Rider wrote:Sad to hear him go. Empire was the highlight of the franchise and I dare say one of his best films. Certainly better then the other films they highlighted.
On a lighter note, he had this cameo in On Deadly Ground:
