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Star Wars Episode VI – Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary

£295.00

Film

Star Wars Episode VI – Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary

Additional information

Country of Origin

British / UK

Condition

Near Mint – Rolled, Flat & Unfolded (as issued)

Director

Richard Marquand

Actor/Actress

Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, Carrie Fisher, Frank Oz, Harrison Ford, Keith Prowse, Kenny Baker, Mark Hamill, Peter Mayhew

Year

2023 – 40th Anniversary Release

Size/Type

24″ x 36″ Single Sided, Limited Edition, Hand-Numbered #128/250 Art Print by Matt Ferguson

SOLD - this item is sold. Please browse our currently available stock

“The Empire Falls…”

For the 40th Anniversary 2023 re-release of the George Lucas sci fi classic sequel “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” Lucasfilm issued this amazing landscape format British quad featuring the artwork of Matt Ferguson, the hugely successful artist responsible for some of the most memorable recent Marvel cinematic releases and the award winning, fan favourite 40th Anniversary design for ‘Empire Strikes Back’. This ‘updated’ Return of the Jedi style features  some of the best imagery from this instalment of the original trilogy with Luke Skywalker (now a Jedi Knight) and like many of the 1980 posters a dominant Darth Vader and the iconic scout walkers. Unlike the cinematic quad equivalent there are no credits, just put artwork and title – It truly is spectacular. Presented here in original condition this beautiful 2023  rolled (as issued) example has deep unfaded vibrant colour tones and displays to excellent effect with the very minimal of handling wear. With an extremely limited release of only 250 this hand-numbered #128 is a truly scarce poster and highly sought after, especially in this full size 30″ x 40″ quad landscape format. Already firmly established as a fans favourite, this impressive art print represents a fine addition for any collector of movie posters or Star Wars fan memorabilia.

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Trivia: A reason for filming under the guise of non-descript horror movie title, “Blue Harvest” was partly to put off any snoopers, and also because the production found out that if they mentioned they were working on the next Star Wars movie, suppliers would automatically ramp up their prices, assuming that money was no object for Lucasfilm.

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Vintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria... read more +

Film Description

Star Wars Episode VI – Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Movie Poster

“Luke Skywalker battles horrible Jabba the Hut and cruel Darth Vader to save his comrades in the Rebel Alliance and triumph over the Galactic Empire. Han Solo and Princess Leia reaffirm their love and team with Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, the Ewoks and the androids C-3PO and R2-D2 to aid in the disruption of the Dark Side and the defeat of the evil emperor.”

It is understandable, when compared to The Empire Strikes Back, why Return of the Jedi gets some stick. Where the first sequel moved the story in exciting new directions, the closing chapter seemed derivative of the original film. But even if Return of the Jedi didn’t deliver in the same way as its predecessor, there is still plenty to love about it.

The rescue of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) at the beginning of the film is an excellent re-introduction of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who it demonstrated has mastered his skills. He wields the force casually as he enters Jabba’s Palace, and by the time he is chopping down henchmen on the Sail Barge the audience knows that Luke is now a humble and awesome Jedi. The way that he has implemented the whole plan in and of itself adds to the feeling that Luke has come a long way since he rushed into a bad situation of Cloud City.

The introduction of the second Death Star may not have the same impact due to the repetition, but with the incomplete portion the design of it is extra cool. The space station itself isn’t what has the impact for the dark side though, that’s down to meeting the Emperor in the flesh. From Admiral Motti’s fearful, “the Emperor’s coming here?”, the audience know this guy is going to be unpleasant. When he does arrive, on such a huge scale, the movie really kicks into gear with a very real threat established for the Rebellion.

The Speeder Bike chase is still an exhilarating sequence, showcasing Luke and Leia (Carrie Fisher) in some great action. It shows that George Lucas has always had a knack for knowing how to improve a slow sequence in the film with some action, as he demonstrated again twenty years later when he added the Droid Factory sequence to Attack of the Clones. The various ways that Luke and Leia dispatch the Scout Troopers are great fun.

The final battle in Return of the Jedi ticks all the boxes, and marks the first time that Lucas really got into inter cutting multiple battle sequences together. Aside from cuts back to the command room in A New Hope, the final battle is all based on the Alliance attacking the Death Star. By this film, Lucas was able to fulfill his ambitions and have the exciting thrills of a space battle interspersed with the dark, ominous temptation of Luke by the Emperor. Even though the Ewoks have their detractors, it’s hard to argue that the forest battle is well plotted as the audience watches the little fellows go from struggling to know how to combat an AT-ST to blowing the thing to pieces.

The emotions may not run as high in the film as they do in its predecessor, but it’s so full of awesome characters and action sequences that it still works. As a cohesive whole, Return of the Jedi does not work as well as A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back, however the different elements in it are all so much fun and well executed that it is hard to have anything but affection for the final chapter in the classic trilogy.

Vintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria

Mint
A poster that has never been used or displayed and may show the most minor signs of age and wear. The poster should have no holes or tears.

Near Mint
A generally unused poster with fresh, saturated colors. May have minimal tears at folds. Has no significant holes, no paper loss, may have minor tears along edges, may have fine pin holes.

Very Fine
A poster with bright colour and crisp overall appearance. It may have very general signs of use including slight fold separation and fold wear. It may have pin holes or very minor tears. This is the highest grade allowed for a poster that has been restored either on linen or on paper.

Fine
A poster with good colors and overall clean appearance. It may have minor tears small paper loss and minor stains. It may have some fold seperation.

Good
An average poster with overall fresh color. May have tears, minor paper loss, minor hazing. Paper may be brittle due to age, may have minor stains. May have a small amount of writing in an unobtrusive place. May have medium or major restoration.

Fair
A poster with faded colors and brittle paper, showing significant signs of use. May have tears and paper loss. May have tape, writing, stains in image area. In need of restoration or had major restoration.

Poor
A poster that is worn, torn, and/or damaged. May have staining, cracking, dry rot, and/or large tears. May be heavily soiled, may have pieces missing. In need of major restoration.

All photographs and images used on our site are photographs of the actual poster/item you are buying, we do not use stock photographs.

Most Popular Poster Types

US Posters

LOBBY CARD
11 x 14″ printed on heavy stock paper. Used as display in theatre lobbies. Originally made in sets of eight. Some sets have a title card, which contains credits and artwork, essentially a mini-poster. The remaining seven cards are coloured photographic credits and poster artwork showing different scenes from the movie.

WINDOW CARD
14 x 22″ printed on heavy stock paper with the top 4-6 inches usually left blank for the local cinema owner to fill in the cinema and the date it was due to play. Largely discontinued during the 1970’s.

HALF SHEET
22 x 28″ printed on heavy stock paper. The image displayed is normally a smaller version of the main poster, although some do have different artworks and sometimes come in two versions.

INSERT
14 x 36″ printed on heavy stock paper. Inserts usually have the same artwork as a one sheet. Popular with collectors since they are smaller and easier to frame. Normally come tri folded or rolled.

STYLE Y/FORTY BY SIXTY
40 x 60″ printed on heavy stock paper. Rare since they were primarily used for major motion pictures only. Designed to be used outside the theatre, on an easel, normally at a drive-in movie theatre.

ONE-SHEET
27 x 41″ printed on paper. This is the most common size of poster, intended to be displayed in a glass “marquee” case. It is the most sought after size by collectors. Since the 1980’s most posters are sent to the theatre rolled and maybe slightly smaller measuring 27″ by 40″ and with the advent of backlit light boxes a growing number of modern movie posters are available double-sided and the more traditional single-sided.

THREE-SHEET
41 x 81″ printed on paper. These were printed on two or three separate sheets designed to overlap, few survive. Used for larger advertising spaces, normally posted on walls, perfect for huge movie theatres the drive-in, where people could see them from a distance. From the 1970’s on, three-sheets were sometimes printed in one piece and issued as “international” versions to be used abroad.

BRITISH Posters

BRITISH QUAD
30 x 40″ Most common poster size used in the UK. British Quads are horizontal and may have different artwork to the US one sheet. Like a US one sheet they normally come in two versions. Like a US one sheet they are usually supplied single-sided or more commonly now as a double sided poster.

BRITISH ONE-SHEET
27 X 40″, printed on paper. Very rarely used size.

ITALIAN Posters

ITALIAN LOCANDINA
13 x 28″ six inches shorter than the US insert, very nice size to frame. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.

ITALIAN PHOTOBUSTA
18 x 26″ Glossy, high quality, used as lobby cards in Italy. Size may vary, either vertical or horizontal format. There are also double Photobusta or mini Photobusta.

2-FOGLIO (DUE)
(DUE): 39 x 55″ This is the standard poster size used in Italy. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.

4-FOGLIO
(QUATTRO) 55 x 79″ Very large Italian poster printed in two pieces, often contains very beautiful artwork.

FRENCH Posters

FRENCH
47 x 63″ (GRANDE) or 24 x 33″ (PETITE) French movie posters normally come with different artwork to either the US or the UK. Like the Italian’s some of the artwork is extrememly beautiful.