The Making of Return of the Jedi

by John Phillip Peecher

Depicts the production and filming of the movie, Return of the Jedi, and discusses the creation of its special effects

Genres: Star Wars, Nonfiction, Film

298 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 12, 1983

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1983 to coincide with the release of the film, this is an old-school ‘making of’, a chunky paperback with a photo section (“32 pages of fabulous behind-the-scenes photos”) to accompany a thorough trek through the films production. Starting at the initial meetings in 1981, the book is laid out as a diary (though it’s not made clear who the writers are) and goes right up to the release (on hundreds of screens, rather than the thousands which are typical today). Clearly sanctioned by Lucasfilm, this does occasionally present a raw view (Anthony Daniels doesn’t come across particularly well and Harrison Ford, having taken the money, gives off an air of ‘can’t-be-bothered’) but it works well and the dynamic between Lucas and his director, Richard Marquand, is nicely played. Not skimping on special effects details, or the apparent boredom of working on such a big film, this is a great read for fans of behind the scenes volumes and I loved it. Highly recommended.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this out of my book collection and decided to reread it. More of a journal of some of the day to day goings on during the making of "Jedi" along with the usual profiles of the actors and major members of the crew. Some of the omissions are interesting. Ian McDiarmid only gets a passing mention in a photo. Looking back ,there are some entries that are interesting in hindsight, but if you're looking for any real in depth behind the scenes look at this film look elsewhere.

[Benjamin]

A fact-checking article from WFAA ABC Channel 8, addressing the question of "Did 'May the Fourth be with you' REALLY start with Maggie Thatcher?" on Star Wars Day 2021 traces the phrase to a congratulatory message in response to her election in May on 1978. The article goes on to say that "the first known published" use of the phrase wasn't until 1999's The Science of Star Wars. John Phillip Peecher would disagree, as he uses the phrase on page 204 as an example of a stale joke used as the cast and crew pushed forward through the last five days of principle filming. Which should also give ammunition to those who claim that May 25 *should* be Star Wars Day, as they can point to the fact that even those making the film thought the wordplay was a bit, well, played before the third film even came out. It's probably too late to swerve away from the pop culture embrace of the cheap pun, though.

[Jay Gabler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Far less fascinating and comprehensive than Alan Arnold's superficially similar Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of the Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, but nonetheless a crucial primary document from an author who had on-set access to the third film in the Star Wars saga.

[Tedi31]

Bought: March 24, 2013
Location: Books For Less (Cash & Carry)
Price: P37