Thanks a lot, Harrison Ford. Between this and Raiders of the Lost Ark, the young Elisabeth Rappe was convinced adulthood would be filled with swashbuckling heroes and high romance. To this day, she has a weakness for a guy with a swagger and a crooked grin, who trusts his blaster more than the Force, and isn't afraid of tough girls who can repair spaceships.

In all seriousness, I don't think I'm alone on that -- how many of us young film fans were first introduced to romance (and sexual tension, though we didn't know what sex was) thanks to The Empire Strikes Back? Somehow, I think a lot of first kisses took place to clumsy re-enactments of this scene -- and probably a few first slaps too, come to think of it. I can think of no better scene to kick off Valentine's Day weekend with.*

And for some Han and Leia related trivia from IMDB:

  • When Lando is about to lead Han, Leia, and Chewie into the trap set by Darth Vader, Lando offers his arm to Leia, as a gesture to lead her down the hallway and she accepts it. Harrison Ford ad-libbed Han coming up behind Leia and offering his arm to her at the exact same moment to imply that Han was jealous.
  • Carrie Fisher stood on a box for many of her scenes with Harrison Ford in order to make up for the height difference and have her appear in the frame with him. Fisher is about a foot shorter than Ford.

* Actually, I can, but they're not on YouTube.