A Reel 40: STAR WARS - RETURN OF THE JEDI

“The Force is strong in my family…”

 

This month marks the 40^th anniversary of STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI. 

 

The third and final episode in the Original STAR WARS Trilogy that started in 1977, and continued with THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK in 1980, RETURN OF THE JEDI served as a grand finale and resolution to the Galactic Civil War, with the heroic Rebellion giving one last effort to topple the Evil Galactic Empire. 

 

Directed by Richard Marquand under the close supervision of series creator George Lucas, JEDI was swiftly put into production after the massive success of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Lucas was on the hunt for a director early on, considering names such as Steven Spielberg, David Lynch, and David Cronenberg. Richard Marquand was eventually selected. Lawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote EMPIRE, wrote the screenplay with Lucas. The film was originally to be called REVENGE OF THE JEDI, before Lucas re-thought it. 

 

Filming began in January of 1982 with a tight schedule to give more time for the amount of visual effects to be completed. Locations included Elstree Studios in England, Yuma Desert in California, and the redwood forests of California. The cast would include returnees Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, David Prowse, Alec Guinness, and Frank Oz. Ian McDiarmid would appear as the evil Emperor for the first time; a role that he would play in STAR WARS films for the next 35 years. John Williams would return to provide the score. 

 

RETURN OF THE JEDI was following up the many loose threads left hanging after THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, so anticipation was high, and it showed at the box office as it would finish as the highest grossing film of the year. After re-releases in 1985, 1997, and 2023, RETURN OF THE JEDI currently sits as the 91^sthighest grossing film in the United States and Canada. At the 56^th Academy Awards, it would be nominated for four Oscars, and would be honored with a Special Achievement Award for visual effects. 

 

*

 

This Blogger has many memories of RETURN OF THE JEDI. As a STAR WARS kid, the wait in-between EMPIRE and JEDI seemed like an eternity, especially with the many unanswered questions left out there. In an age where the internet was barely a dream, it was schoolyard discussions and debates that went over all the questions; was Vader really Luke’s father? What would happen to Han Solo? The debates were endless, and it was the massive task of JEDI to wrap it all up. 

 

RETURN OF THE JEDI does indeed answer the questions, and it also has the task of ending the period of Civil War. It was a galactic-sized conflict that was balanced out by the story of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader; father and son, rising Jedi and fallen Jedi. The conflict would move into a climax that would brilliantly be played out over three fronts: on the ground (the forest moon of Endor), in space (above Endor), and on board the second Death Star itself. The three-front battle would set a new standard for action films, and Lucas would borrow from himself for the climax of THE PHANTOM MENACE in 1999. 

 

RETURN OF THE JEDI would give action directors more to play with in technical and storytelling advancements, and even though it served as a trilogy capper, set STAR WARS on the path that continues today. Bloodlines through the Force, cute characters, galactic gangsters, and fearsome bounty hunters would all be themes that STAR WARS would continue to explore on the big and small screens. The Original Trilogy ended here, but the next generation also began. That is the true legacy of JEDI. 

 

“When gone am I, the last of the Jedi will you be..”