The third and final chapter in the wondrous STAR WARS saga is RETURN OF THE JEDI. Luke (Mark Hamill) must save Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from the clutches of the monstrous Jabba the Hut, and bring down the newly reconstructed--and even more powerful--Death Star. With Solo imprisoned, Luke accompanies his faithful droids R2D2 (Kenny Baker) and C3PO (Anthony Daniels) in a rescue bid, with Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) also lending a hand. After they valiantly disentangle their friends from Jabba's clutches, Luke returns to his Jedi Knight training with Yoda. Meanwhile, the Rebel Troops amass in an attempt to see off the impending threat from Darth Vader (played by David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones) and his new Death Star, with the operation being lead by Han Solo. But Luke must face Vader himself if he is to become a true Jedi Knight, and as he enters into a spirited battle with his light saber-wielding enemy, some surprising revelations await the young warrior.
Luke Skywalker embarks on a mission to find out if arch-villain Darth Vader is really his long-lost father, as Vader claimed in the cliff-hanger ending of "The Empire Strikes Back." Along for the ride are Princess Leia, Han Solo and other familiar faces from the first two movies. Jabba the Hut and the furry, adorable Ewoks are just some of the bizarre new creatures they encounter in this third action-packed, special effects-filled installment of the phenomenally popular "Star Wars" series.
Color by Rank.
Rated BBFC U by the British Board Film Censors.
Estimated budget of $32.5 million.
Released in the USA May 25, 1983.
Additional distribution company: MH Medien Handels (Germany/Austria/Switzerland -- TV)
Additional credits: Arthur Repola, visual effects editor supervisor; Kim Knowlton, animation effects supervisor; Michael Pangrazio, matte artist supervisor; James C. Keefer, animation supervisor; Joe Johnston, animation effects art director; Kit West, mechanical effects supervisor; and Stuart Freeborn, makeup and creature design.
The third installment in George Lucas' enormously successful space opera which began in 1977 with "Star Wars" and was followed in 1980 by "The Empire Strikes Back." Intended as a nine-part series, the next installment will reportedly be a prequel to "Star Wars." Like Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones" series (for which Lucas wrote the story), "Stars Wars" was inspired by the Saturday matinee serials that Lucas enjoyed as a boy.
The "Star Wars" series ushered in a whole new era of high-tech special effects in film, as well as a sci-fi movie craze that spawned countless "Star Wars" imitations. With the billions he raked in from the "Star Wars" films ("Star Wars" was the highest grossing films of all time until the release of "E.T."), George Lucas started the state-of-the-art special effects company Industrial Light & Magic, which produces the effects for numerous films and TV shows, including "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
Though directed by Richard Marquand, the director of the television epic "Search for the Nile," George Lucas was constantly present on the set during the making of "Return of the Jedi." Marquand said it was "like directing 'King Lear' with Shakespeare in the next room."
Working titles for the film were "Star Wars: Episode 6: Return of the Jedi" and "Star Wars: Episode 6: Revenge of the Jedi."
DVD Features:
Note: This release features both the original theatrical version and the enhanced version released later.
2-Disc Set - Keep Case
Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
Subtitles - English, Spanish, French - Optional
Disc 1: STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI - Widescreen; Enhanced Trilogy
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 EX - English
Dolby Digital 2.0 - Spanish, French
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - George Lucas - Executive Producer; Ben Burtt - Sound Designer (Enhanced Trilogy); Lawrence Kasdan - Screenwriter; Dennis Muren - Special Effects (Miniatures); Carrie Fisher - Star
Interactive Features:
Hidden Features - Easter Egg
Disc 2: STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI - Widescreen; Original Theatrical
Audio:
Dolby Digital 2.0 - English, Spanish, French
Additional Release Material:
Trailers- Product Trailer - Lego Game Trailer
Interactive Features:
Games - XBox Playable Game Demo
Executive Producer
George Lucas: Director/Producer, STAR WARS (1977)
Sound Design
Ben Burtt: Sound Designer - Star Wars films
Review 1:
"...George Lucas & Co. have perfected the technical magic to a point where almost anything and everything -- no matter how bizarre -- is believable..."
Source: Variety
05/18/1983
Review 2:
"...The film has a tone of its own....RETURN OF THE JEDI is a riot of character invention..."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.33 03/14/1997
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