Original acetate “crawl” used in the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back

Collections

Original acetate “crawl” used in the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back

Perhaps one of the most memorable film introductions of the 20th Century. As homage to the classic serial introductions that inspired George Lucas, the Star Wars saga featured a scrolling introduction of text that “crawled” from the bottom to the top of the screen. The text was printed onto a Kodalith, which was backlit and shot at an angle to give the illusion of the text receding into the distance. The white text was changed to yellow later in the optical process. This is an original 21 in. x 29 ½ in.Kodalith used in the production of that iconic sequence which opened the film. The text reads :

Episode V

The Empire Strikes Back

It is a dark time for the Rebellion. Although the Death Star has been destroyed, Imperial troops have driven the Rebel forces from their hidden base and pursued them across the galaxy.

Evading the dreaded Imperial Starfleet, a group of freedom fighters led by Luke Skywalker has established a new secret base on the remote ice world of Hoth.

The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space….”

Exhibits only trace of wear and tear. Reverse shows opaquing fluid marks, used to make sure the field is pure black. Truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the most instantly recognizable pieces from this beloved sci-fi series. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims.