Alt + Poster is a (semi) regular feature where we, the SAW staff, share our favorite foreign and alternative movie posters with the Wasteland.
If you’ve unearthed a foreign or alternative movie poster that you think the rest of the Wasteoids need to see, please send it to us at info.screenagewasteland@gmail.com or on Twitter @SAWasteland.
Chances are you’ve seen the mostly red Drew Struzan Revenge of the Jedi poster at some point, but have you seen the second one by artist John Alvin? I hadn’t until I started digging around for posters for this month. I like how unique it is, but setting novelty aside, on its own merits, I’m not a big fan of the composition here. I’m not sure what the poster is depicting or what it’s trying to suggest about the film it represents.
Still, though, it’s cool to still be finding Star Wars posters I’ve never seen before in 2022.
Most people tied to the production have said the title was changed because George Lucas thought revenge was not something a Jedi would seek out. Producer Howard Kazanjian thought Revenge was the stronger title. Eventually, Lucas overrode him and switched the title to Return of the Jedi in the eleventh hour.
Curiously, though, Lucas’s version of why the title was changed is different than pretty much everyone else’s version. He claims the title was always meant to be Return and that Revenge was another decoy title, like Blue Harvest, meant to throw fans off the scent and to keep the production from being overcharged for equipment rentals. But this just doesn’t make any sense, and it seems like just another version of Lucas editing history to make it sound like he had everything planned out to the letter.
What do you think about John Alvin’s poster? Does it work for you or nah? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
