Coming up on Saturday at the Described Movies: Star Wars Episode 6 Return of the Jedi, and Flash Gordon.

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From this Saturday at 12am Eastern, that’s 4pm Saturday in NZ, 2pm in Sydney and 5am in the UK, and repeated every four hours throughout the day, it’s the described movies Star Wars Episode 6 Return of the Jedi 1983, and Flash Gordon from 1980
Return of the Jedi (also known as Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi) is a 1983 American epic space opera film that is the sequel to Star Wars (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
It is the third instalment in the original Star Wars trilogy and the sixth chronological film in the " Skywalker Saga".
It is directed by Richard Marquand based on a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who was also the executive producer.
The film follows the ongoing struggle between the malevolent Galactic Empire and the freedom fighters of the Rebel Alliance.
As the Rebels attempt to destroy the Empire's second Death Star, Luke Skywalker hopes to bring his father, Darth Vader, back from the dark side of the Force.
The film stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, and Frank Oz.
Following Lucas and Kasdan's discussion on making Return of the Jedi, the film went into production.
Steven Spielberg, David Lynch, and David Cronenberg were considered to direct the project before Marquand signed on as director.
The production team relied on Lucas' storyboards during pre-production.
While writing the shooting script, Lucas, Kasdan, Marquand, and producer Howard Kazanjian spent two weeks in conference discussing ideas to construct it.
Kazanjian's schedule pushed shooting to begin a few weeks early to allow Industrial Light & Magic more time to work on the film's effects in post-production.
Filming took place in England, California, and Arizona from January to May 1982.
The film was released in theatres on 25 May 1983.
It grossed $374 million worldwide during its initial theatrical run, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1983.
The film was well received by critics, with strong praise going to the performances of the actors, John Williams's score, the special effects, and the action sequences.
Several re-releases and revisions to the film have followed over the decades, which have brought its total gross to $482 million.
The United States Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2021.
Directed by: Richard Marquand.
Screenplay by: Lawrence Kasdan, and George Lucas.
Story by: George Lucas.
Produced by: Howard Kazanjian.
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, and Frank Oz.
Cinematography: Alan Hume.
Edited by: Sean Barton, Marcia Lucas, and Duwayne Dunham.
Music by: John Williams.
Production company: Lucasfilm Ltd.
Distributed by 20th Century-Fox.
Release date: 25 May 1983.
File Length: 135 minutes.
Country: United States.
Language: English.
Budget: $32.5–42.7 million.
Box office: $482 million.
Flash Gordon is a 1980 space opera superhero film directed by Mike Hodges, based on the King Features comic strip of the same name created by Alex Raymond.
The film stars Sam J. Jones in the title role, Melody Anderson, Ornella Muti, Max von Sydow and Topol, with Timothy Dalton, Mariangela Melato, Brian Blessed, and Peter Wyngarde in supporting roles.
The film follows star football quarterback Flash Gordon (Jones) and his allies Dale Arden (Anderson) and Hans Zarkov (Topol) as they unite the warring factions of the planet Mongo against the oppression of Ming the Merciless (von Sydow), who is intent on destroying Earth.
Producer Dino De Laurentiis, who had previously overseen two other comic book adaptations, Danger: Diabolik and Barbarella (both 1968), had held an interest in making a Flash Gordon film since the 1960s.
After a directorial offer from George Lucas was declined (resulting in the creation of Star Wars) and a version that was to be directed by Federico Fellini did not enter production, De Laurentiis hired director Nicolas Roeg and Enter the Dragon writer Michael Allin to lead development on the film in 1977, but replaced them with Hodges and Lorenzo Semple Jr., who had scripted De Laurentiis' remake of King Kong, due to his dissatisfaction with Roeg's vision for the film.
Flash Gordon was primarily filmed in Britain, including on several soundstages at Elstree and Shepperton Studios, and uses a camp style like the 1960s TV series Batman (which Semple developed).
Due to a dispute with De Laurentiis, Jones left the film prior to the end of principal photography, resulting in much of his dialogue being dubbed by actor Peter Marinker; the circumstances of Jones' departure from the project and his career in the aftermath of its release serve as the key subjects of the documentary Life After Flash.
The film is notable for its musical score by the rock band Queen, featuring orchestral sections by Howard Blake.
Although a box office success in both the United Kingdom and Italy, Flash Gordon performed poorly in other markets.
Critical reception during and since the film's initial release has been generally favourable, and it has since gained a significant cult following.
Directed by: Mike Hodges.
Screenplay by: Lorenzo Semple Jr.
Adaptation by: Michael Allin.
Based on: Characters by Alex Raymond.
Produced by: Dino De Laurentiis.
Starring: Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Ornella Muti, Max von Sydow, Topol, Timothy Dalton, Mariangela Melato, Brian Blessed, Peter Wyngarde, and Peter Duncan.
Cinematography: Gilbert Taylor.
Edited by: Malcolm Cooke.
Music by: Queen, and Howard Blake.
Production Companies: Starling Productions, and Famous Films.
Distributed by: Columbia – EMI – Warner Distributors (United Kingdom), and Universal Pictures (United States).
Release dates: 5 December 1980 (United States), and 11 December 1980 (United Kingdom).
File Length: 103 minutes.
Countries: United Kingdom, and United States.
Language: English.
Budget: $20–27 million.
Box office: $46.5 million (UK & US).
Any questions, comments, or ideas for future described movies: e-mail me: anthony at mushroomfm dot com (e-mail address written that way to cut down on
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Enjoy the movies.