Irvin Kerschner, director of Empire Strikes Back, has died aged 87. He is in many ways a bit of an unsung hero of cinema, as while Star Wars is always thought of as George Lucas’ baby, it was Kerschner who took it from being a one-off phenomenon into an all-conquering behemoth franchise.
After serving in World War II, Kerschner taught at the University Of Southern California, where he first met Lucas when the furture Star Wars creator was a student there. At the same time Irvin was also active as a movie director, making the likes of The Return Of A Man Called Horse and the 1978 Faye Dunaway starrer Eyes Of Laura Mars. It was this film that convinced Lucas to give Kerschner the job directing Empire Strikes Back.
Between Irving no-nonsense directing and Leigh Bracket & Lawrence Kasdan’s script, it honed Lucas’ somewhat baggy style into something tighter, broader and ready to truly take over the world.
After Empire he helmed only two more feature-length movies, the unofficial Bond flick, Never Say Never Again and Robocop 2, with his last directing assignment being an episode of Seaquest DSV in 1993. He also made unexpected cameos in the likes of The Last Temptation Of Christ and On Deadly Ground.
However it is for his work on Empire Strikes Back that he will be remembered, from introducing us to Yoda, to the revelation of Luke’s parentage.
He died at home following a long illness.
Irvin Kerschner – April 29th, 1923-November 27th, 2010 – RIP.