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Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

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Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi 1983 poster 6

Return of the Jedi (also known as Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi) is a 1983 American epic space opera action film directed by George Lucas and co-directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay was by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who was also the executive producer. It is the third installment in the original Star Wars trilogy, the third film to be produced, the sixth film in the "Star Wars saga" and the first film to use THX technology. It takes place one year after The Empire Strikes Back. The film stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew and Frank Oz.

In the film, the Galactic Empire, under the direction of the ruthless Emperor, is constructing a second Death Star in order to crush the Rebel Alliance once and for all. Since the Emperor plans to personally oversee the final stages of its construction, the Rebel Fleet launches a full-scale attack on the Death Star in order to prevent its completion and kill the Emperor, effectively bringing an end to his hold over the galaxy. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker, now a Jedi Knight, struggles to bring his father Darth Vader back to the light side of the Force.

Steven Spielberg, David Lynch and David Cronenberg were considered to direct the project before Marquand signed on as director. The production team relied on Lucas' storyboards during pre-production. While writing the shooting script, Lucas, Kasdan, Marquand, and producer Howard Kazanjian spent two weeks in conference discussing ideas to construct it. Kazanjian's schedule pushed shooting to begin a few weeks early to allow Industrial Light and Magic more time to work on the film's effects in post-production. Filming took place in England, California, and Arizona from January to May 1982. Strict secrecy surrounded the production.

The film was released in theaters on May 25, 1983, six years to the day of the release of the first film, receiving mostly positive reviews. It grossed $374 million during its initial theatrical run, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1983. Several re-releases and revisions to the film have followed over the decades, which has also brought its total gross to $475 million.

Storyline[]

Plot[]

After a daring mission to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, the Rebels dispatch to Endor to destroy the second Death Star. Meanwhile, Luke struggles to help Darth Vader back from the dark side without falling into the Emperor's trap.

Genres[]

  • Action
  • Adventure
  • Sci-Fi
  • Narrative

Motion Picture Rating[]

  • 13 (Argentina)
  • M (Australia)
  • 12 (Brazil)
  • PG (Canada)
  • 12 (Denmark) (original rating)
  • 11 (Denmark) (special edition)
  • K-12 (Finland) (1983, original rating)
  • K-8 (Finland) (1997, re-rating)
  • Tous publics (France)
  • 12 (Germany)
  • IIA (Hong Kong)
  • 12 (Hungary)
  • 10 (Iceland) (original rating)
  • 12 (Iceland) (special edition)
  • U (India)
  • 12 (Ireland)
  • T (Italy)
  • PG-12 (Japan)
  • U (Malaysia)
  • A (Mexico)
  • 12 (Netherlands) (VHS / DVD / Blu-Ray rating)
  • M (New Zealand)
  • 11 (Norway) (1983, cinema rating)
  • 12 (Norway) (1997, cinema rating, special edition)
  • 12 (Norway) (2015, re-rating)
  • 12 (Poland)
  • M/12 (Portugal)
  • 12+ (Russia)
  • PG13 (Singapore)
  • 10 (South Africa)
  • All (South Korea)
  • 7 (Spain)
  • 11 (Sweden)
  • PG-12 (Taiwan)
  • 12A (UK)
  • 12 (UK) (DVD rating)
  • PG-13 (USA)
  • TV-14 (USA) (ABC Family Worldwide)
  • PG-15 (United Arab Emirates)
  • C13 (Vietnam)

Images[]

Cast and Crew[]

Directors[]

  • George Lucas
  • Richard Marquand (co-director)

Writing Credits[]

  • Lawrence Kasdan (screenplay by) and
  • George Lucas (screenplay by)
  • George Lucas (story by)

Cast[]

  • Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker
  • Harrison Ford - Han Solo
  • Carrie Fisher - Princess Leia
  • Billy Dee Williams - Lando Calrissian
  • Anthony Daniels - C-3PO
  • Peter Mayhew - Chewbacca
  • Kenny Baker - R2-D2 / Paploo
  • Ian McDiarmid - The Emperor
  • Frank Oz - Yoda (voice)
  • David Prowse - Darth Vader
  • James Earl Jones - Darth Vader (voice)
  • Sebastian Shaw - Anakin Skywalker
  • Alec Guinness - Ben 'Obi-Wan' Kenobi
  • Denis Lawson - Wedge
  • Kenneth Colley - Admiral Piett
  • Jeremy Bulloch - Boba Fett
  • Michael Pennington - Moff Jerjerrod
  • Warwick Davis - Wicket
  • Caroline Blakiston - Mon Mothma
  • Michael Carter - Bib Fortuna
  • Femi Taylor - Oola
  • Claire Davenport - Fat Dancer
  • Tim Rose - Admiral Ackbar
  • Mark Dodson - Salacious Crumb (voice) (uncredited)

Producers[]

  • Jim Bloom (co-producer)
  • Howard G. Kazanjian (producer) (as Howard Kazanjian)
  • George Lucas (executive producer)
  • Rick McCallum (producer) (special edition)
  • Robert Watts (co-producer)

Details[]

Country[]

  • USA

Language[]

  • English

Release Dates[]

  • May 25, 1983 (USA)
  • June 2, 1983 (UK)
  • June 3, 1983 (Ireland)
  • June 17, 1983 (United Arab Emirates)
  • July 1, 1983 (Hong Kong)
  • July 2, 1983 (Japan)
  • August 19, 1983 (Finland)
  • September 3, 1983 (Italy) (Venice Film Festival)
  • September 16, 1983 (Norway)
  • September 30, 1983 (Sweden)
  • October 6, 1983 (Brazil)
  • October 13, 1983 (Netherlands)
  • October 14, 1983 (Denmark)
  • October 14, 1983 (Portugal)
  • October 19, 1983 (France)
  • October 21, 1983 (Italy)
  • October 27, 1983 (Australia)
  • November 10, 1983 (Belgium) (Gent)
  • November 21, 1983 (Spain)
  • November 24, 1983 (Colombia)
  • December 8, 1983 (Argentina)
  • December 8, 1983 (Greece)
  • December 16, 1983 (India)
  • December 16, 1983 (Mexico)
  • December 25, 1983 (Peru)
  • 1984 (Poland)
  • January 1, 1984 (Uruguay)
  • September 13, 1984 (Hungary)
  • March 29, 1985 (USA) (re-release)
  • January 1986 (Turkey)
  • April 21, 1986 (Bulgaria)
  • July 14, 1987 (South Korea)
  • March 14, 1997 (USA) (special edition)
  • April 5, 1997 (United Arab Emirates) (special edition)
  • April 18, 1997 (Norway) (special edition)
  • April 23, 1997 (France) (special edition)
  • April 24, 1997 (Australia) (special edition)
  • April 24, 1997 (Czech Republic) (special edition)
  • April 24, 1997 (Germany) (special edition)
  • April 24, 1997 (Hong Kong) (special edition)
  • April 24, 1997 (Hungary) (special edition)
  • April 24, 1997 (New Zealand) (special edition)
  • April 24, 1997 (Portugal) (special edition)
  • April 25, 1997 (Austria) (special edition)
  • April 25, 1997 (Brazil) (special edition)
  • April 25, 1997 (Switzerland) (German speaking region) (special edition)
  • April 25, 1997 (Finland) (special edition)
  • April 25, 1997 (UK) (special edition)
  • April 25, 1997 (Ireland) (special edition)
  • April 25, 1997 (Italy) (special edition)
  • April 25, 1997 (Mexico) (special edition)
  • April 25, 1997 (Turkey) (special edition)
  • April 26, 1997 (Greece) (special edition)
  • May 1, 1997 (South Africa) (special edition)
  • May 2, 1997 (Denmark) (special edition)
  • May 2, 1997 (Sweden) (special edition)
  • May 8, 1997 (Argentina) (special edition)
  • May 10, 1997 (South Korea) (special edition)
  • June 1997 (Italy) (special edition) (Fantafestival)
  • June 19, 1997 (Singapore) (special edition)
  • June 25, 1997 (Kuwait) (special edition)
  • June 27, 1997 (Estonia) (special edition)
  • July 26, 1997 (Japan) (special edition)
  • October 7, 2013 (USA) (Mill Valley Film Festival)
  • October 8, 2016 (USA) (Mill Valley Film Festival)

Home Media Release Dates[]

  • 1986 (UK) (VHS)
  • February 25, 1986 (USA) (VHS)
  • February 25, 1986 (USA) (Betamax)
  • 1988 (UK) (VHS re-release)
  • 1989 (UK) (VHS re-release)
  • 1990 (USA) (VHS re-release)
  • 1991 (UK) (VHS re-release)
  • 1992 (USA) (VHS re-release)
  • 1994 (UK) (VHS re-release)
  • August 29, 1995 (USA) (VHS re-release)
  • October 16, 1995 (UK) (VHS re-release)
  • August 26, 1997 (USA) (VHS re-release)
  • October 6, 1997 (UK) (VHS re-release)
  • 2004 (UK) (VHS)
  • 2004 (UK) (DVD)
  • September 11, 2006 (UK) (DVD re-release)
  • September 12, 2006 (USA) (DVD)
  • November 9, 2009 (UK) (DVD re-release)
  • September 12, 2011 (UK) (Blu-Ray)
  • September 16, 2011 (USA) (Blu-Ray)
  • June 1, 2015 (UK) (DVD re-release)
  • September 22, 2019 (USA) (DVD re-release)
  • September 22, 2019 (USA) (Blu-Ray)
  • March 31, 2020 (USA) (4K UHD Blu-Ray)
  • August 24, 2020 (UK) (DVD re-release)
  • August 24, 2020 (UK) (Blu-Ray)
  • August 24, 2020 (UK) (4K UHD Blu-Ray)

Also Known As[]

  • Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (original title)
  • Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (promotional title)
  • Return of the Jedi (short title)
  • Star Wars: Episode VI - Revenge of the Jedi (working title)
  • Revenge of the Jedi (working title)

Reception[]

Box office[]

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi grossed $475,347,111 worldwide on a $32.5 million budget.

Return of the Jedi grossed $309.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $166 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $475.3 million, against a production budget of about $32.5 million.

The film made $23 million from 1,002 theaters in its opening weekend and grossed a record $45.3 million in its opening week. It finished first at the box office for six of its first seven weeks of release, only coming in second once behind Superman III in its fourth weekend. Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 80 million tickets in the US in its initial theatrical run. When it was re-released in 1985, it made $11.2 million, which totaled its initial theatrical gross to $385.8 million worldwide.

Critical response[]

The film has an 8.3 rating on IMDb and an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Company Credits[]

Production Companies[]

Distributors[]

Special Effects[]

  • Industrial Light and Magic (miniature and optical effects unit)
  • Lookout Mountain Films (additional optical effects)
  • Pacific Title (additional optical effects)
  • Monaco Film Labs (additional optical effects)
  • California Film (additional optical effects)
  • Visual Concepts Engineering (additional optical effects)
  • Movie Magic (additional optical effects)
  • Van der Veer Photo Effects (additional optical effects)

Technical Specs[]

Runtime[]

  • 131 mins
  • 134 mins (special edition)

Color[]

  • Color

Aspect Ratio[]

  • 2.35:1

Connections[]

Follows[]

Followed by[]

Editing from[]

References[]

  • Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
  • Predator (1987)
  • Jurassic Park (1993) - When the Tyrannosaurus eats the goat, it swallows the carcass, closes its mouth and turns its head to the side to look at the children & Gennaro in the car. The movement of the Tyrannosaurus is almost identical to the movements made by the Rancor after it eats its victim, then turns its head to look at Luke.
  • The Mummy Returns (2001)
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) - During the Quidditch match, the scene inside the stands references the speeders in the forrest.
  • The Matrix Reloaded (2003) - When Morpheous exits the Nebuchadnezzar, on arrival in Zion, the camera angle and steam across the ramp is idental to Darth Vader when he arrives at the Death Star.
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - Theoden and Eowyn exchange lines almost exactly like Luke and Anakin: "I'm going to save you" "You already have."
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) - Voldemort tempts Harry to kill Bellatrix in the same way Palpatine tempts Luke to kill the helpless Vader.
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - Obi-Wan and Count Dooku visit Jabba's palace on Tatooine.
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Blue Shadow Virus (2009) (TV Episode) - Vindi torturing Padme and Jar Jar exactly Darth Sidious torturing Luke.

Referenced in[]

  • Clerks (1994) - Dante and Randal talk about this film.
  • Chasing Amy (1997) - Hooper X discusses the film at a convention.
  • The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror VIII (1997) (TV Episode) - Darth Sidious says "Now Young Skywalker, You will die."
  • Shrek 2 (2004) -
  • The Incredibles (2004) - The so-called "100-mile Dash" scene with Dash running through the island jungle and dodging trees, is highly reminiscent of the speeder bike chase from Jedi, including the same vehicle sound effects.
  • Clerks II (2006) - SW vs. LOTR discussion
  • Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) - Susan Murphy (Ginormica) asks General W.R. Monger if he is one of those half human/half machine/Darth Vader things.
  • Toy Story 3 (2010) -
  • Cars 2 (2011) - Luke yelling "Move Closer!"
  • The Lego Movie (2014) -
  • 8-Bit Christmas (2021) - Mentioned in dialogue.

Spoofed in[]

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