Dear JR,
As for the total of non dated Revenges out there, I was just making
the point of how rare they were when one NSS division only received 25 copies.
That is not normal. I believe you are correct in assuming there were probably
close to 2000 of the undated versions printed. The posters were printed at Gore
Graphics here in Los Angeles and even 2000 seems like a small run for a 20th
Century Fox order, but who knows on that one. You are correct about the
"Revenge" title. The word at the time was that Lucas decided, since most of his
audience were young kids, that the word "Revenge" was too strong and sent the
wrong message and that is why he changed it to "Return". So, sounds like
your thinking is on track. As for the "Revenge" fan club posters. These posters
were originally printed and intended for theatrical release. The only reason
they eventually were not released theatrically is because Lucas changed the
name. You have to remember, we as collectors have a whole different mentality
about these posters. They were meant for advertising, not collectables (even
though you are correct in assuming Lucas knew they would be in demand as a
collector himself). Most of the studio's still consider collectors a nuisance.
Believe me, I hear it everyday!! Many times runs of posters are done, then
recalled and destroyed for various reasons. I do the framing for a major
distribution house for Disney and I have stood and watched them put a pallet of
movie posters on the ground and turn a garden hose on them. Those destruction
orders come right down from the studio. They are like a huge brick when
they dry and they are smashed up and thrown away. That's how much the studio's
don't want material getting into the hands of the public. Go figure, why not
give it away or use it as a promotional, it just more advertising for your
product. I guess, though, if they did that it would diminish the value of the
relatively few that do make their way out to the public.
Anyway, the bottom line is that if someone will pay "X" amount of dollars
for something, then I guess it doesn't really matter to them if it came from the
studio, theater or a fan club. Supply and demand, that's it!!
Sue
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004 11:24
PM
Subject: MoPo Revenge of Jedi pricing - 3
more questions
Great info, everyone, but I'd like to resolve
a few questions that these reports bring up:
1) Am I correct in interpreting Sue's post to say
that there were only 25 authentic undated posters ever printed -- total?
Everyone else has ventured guesses of anywhere from 500 to 2000. If there were
only 25 authentic undated REVENGE OF THE JEDI printed, then I would think that
would make a genuine one very rare and valuable. Also, since 2 of these
posters were actually sent to theaters before being recalled, than that makes
the undated version an actual "theatrical" poster, yes? Just as
obviously, if there were only 25 authentic undated posters ever printed, then
the vast majority of the undated ones floating around out there are bogus. How
certain is that number of only 25 total of the undated posters ever being
printed? Is there any known way to identify a reproduction of the undated
poster from an authentic one?
2) If there were about 8,000 of the dated version
sold through the fan club, that means the dated version of the poster is a
limited edition, but not really all that rare -- and since it was
never released to the theaters at all (not even one of them) -- then that
means that the dated version is NOT a theatrical poster at all and is, in
fact, a fan club item. Under those circumstances, doesn't the $300 to $600
that these dated fan club posters go for seem kind of
high?
3) Come to think of it, I've always wondered how
Lucas could have made such an apparently bone-headed mistake in printing
up "REVENGE" posters at all, when as the writer of STAR WARS he
clearly understood from day one that Jedi do not take "revenge" and must
have known that the film would never be released under that title. Was
this whole name-switcheroo a simple con-and-advance-publicity job,
deliberately calculated to create a "collector's item" and create a little
extra buzz in the media prior to the release? Seems to me that
Lucas reportedly keeping a couple hundred of the REVENGE posters for himself
lends a bit of credence to such a hypothesis. Lucas was, after all, a fan and
collector himself in the beginning and probably still considers himself one
and thinks like one.
Just wondering out loud,
-- JR
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004
17:58
Subject: Re: [MOPO] MoPo Revenge of
Jedi pricing
Dear Phil,
Here is the official word on the Revenge. This info comes
straight from Lucasfilm. The first version of the poster, the undated one,
was released at Christmas in 1982. At the NSS in Dallas, of the 25 copies
the service received, only two ended up going to theaters and the other 23
were stolen. The second release with the date May 25, 1983. Since both
variations of this poster were pulled so quickly, most of the copies were
never used. The fan club offered the rest for sale. The run of the
second version was 8800, 8000 of them being sold through the fan club and
sold out in 3 days. As I heard it Lucas kept a few hundred of this version
for himself. The posters sold through the fan club were $10 each and you
were allowed to order a maximum of 10 posters. I know as I did so, under
many friend's names. I have seen posters on this title both tri-folded and
NSS folded with the date. It is rare to see one without a date and I have
probably framed under 10 of those in 20 years. So, that's the scoop. Hope
the info helps.
Sue Heim
(800) 463-2994
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004 5:07
AM
Subject: Re: [MOPO] MoPo Revenge of
Jedi pricing
Sharon - How does one identify a fan club
issue to one that came from a theatre, other than possible signs of
theatre use?
Phil
Phil Edwards Cinema Arts Pty Ltd 26 Vista Avenue Soldiers
Point NSW 2317 AUSTRALIA Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Phone/Fax
(International Dial) 0011 61 2 49847233 Phone/Fax (Domestic Dial)
02 4984 7233 Website: www.cinemarts.com
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004
9:20 PM
Subject: Re: [MOPO] MoPo Revenge of
Jedi pricing
In my experience, the theatres were
sent folded one sheets. The fan club posters were rolled.
Don't think I've ever seen a tri-fold on this title. There seem to
have been some rolled one sheets that did not go thru Screen or thru the
fan club. Have absolutely no idea on quantities (in 25 years
I've handled about 10 of them, some theatrical and some fan
club).
Sharon Herndon
Remember When Shop
Dallas,
TX
rememberwhenshop.com
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