Silence IS golden for 'Empire Strikes Back'

Posted Monday, August 23, 2010 at 4:10 PM Central
Last updated Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 8:47 AM Central

by John Couture

Don't forget, Lucas recently said the Blu-rays are coming!

While the original Star Wars trilogy was considered to be on the cutting edge of both film-making and special effects, it's a bit surprising then just how effective The Empire Strikes Back can be as a silent film. But thanks to JoBlo.com unearthing this gem on YouTube, we can all appreciate the subtlety of those first three movie in the Star Wars and how they can truly translate across any medium.

And really, is it a surprise that the ending of Empire is so striking as a silent film? I mean, we know that George Lucas was a huge fan of the movie serials and drew inspiration from them to shape his intergalactic soap opera.

And sure, as George Merchan rightly points out there are far too many dialog placards, but otherwise it's a quite compelling piece. The simple piano, while never a suitable replacement for John Williams' iconic score, more than adequately helps to build tension and set the scene.

My only complaint is that I'd love to see the whole trilogy get this treatment. What do you think?