I AM the Movies: Two Decades of SITH
“He’s done a lot of horrible things in his life that he isn’t particularly proud of. Ultimately, he’s just a pathetic guy who’s had a very sad life.” — George Lucas, “George Lucas and the Cult of Darth Vader” (Rolling Stone, 2005)
Two decades later, the “Cult of Darth Vader” maintains a dominating presence among the Star Wars fan community and pop culture at large, thanks in no small part to the permanent power of the saga’s final Lucasian theatrical entry. So many threads are pulled together from all directions of the fictional and real life Star Wars timelines by Revenge of the Sith. It’s impacted every generation of fans unlike any other work in the franchise and stands alone as the most absurdly ambitious.
Just like ‘05, it’s time for this saga of Prequel 20th anniversary retrospectives to be complete. With that, enjoy this semi-sequential tour through Episode III’s global promotional effort with assistance from fellow collectors and the trusty Wayback Machine.
2003
Revenge of the Sith’s publicity lifecycle jumped to lightspeed with the Summer 2003 refresh of StarWars.com and the launch of Hyperspace, a subscription initiative intended to leverage “technology and innovation to bring fans closer to the Star Wars universe and — more importantly — to expand the definition of Internet entertainment."
From June 5-9th, 2003, all StarWars.com visitors got a “sneak preview” of the new service which, along with the redesigned website, officially lifted off on June 10th for an annual cost of $19.95.
A critical component of Hyperspace and the movie’s hype machine was Pablo Hidalgo’s Episode III Set Diary. An Internet Content Developer only three years into his Lucasfilm tenure, Hidalgo was tasked with creating and maintaining a continuous chronicle of the film’s production, resulting in an unprecedented inside look at the making of an insanely anticipated blockbuster.
Hyperspace subscribers would benefit from the Diary’s “organic ‘living document’ approach” and reports that were “true and not misheard Internet gossip or bogus news,” beginning with Pablo boarding his flight to Sydney, Australia on May 24th, 2003.
Paired with Hidalgo’s journaling was the epic Episode III Webcam (thoroughly re-capped on the official site’s message boards), allowing fans to “spy on the cast and crew as they make the new movie at Fox Studios Australia.”
Striving to avoid spoilers back then, I seriously regret not being tuned into this at the time. You just never knew what bizarre onset occurrence you might catch (such as the full-size Obi-Wan Kenobi dummy waving hello below).
Casting announcements began to trickle in, including Mon Mothma herself on June 19th.
Seeing Genevieve O’Reilly’s “first appearance” having recently witnessed her iconic performance in Andor is a mindbender, as is the 2003 casting headline referencing one of the most non-Mothma political personalities imaginable.
2004
Making Episode III Webdocs began publishing on StarWars.com February 13th, 2004, followed a week later by the introduction of mighty General Grievous on February 20th, where Rick McCallum described him as “part alien and part robot. Grievous is a master strategist and the greatest hand-to-hand Jedi killer the galaxy has ever known.” Fans were to mark their calendars for April 8th, where the General was set to debut in the finale of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars micro-series on Cartoon Network.
June 1st saw the Hyperspace-exclusive installation of “KnollVision,” a set of three-dimensional panoramic set images in QuickTime VR shot by ILM Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll (if anyone is able to recreate/emulate this, please tell me).
Saturday, July 24th, 2004 would go down as a landmark moment in San Diego Comic Con’s Hall H. Head of Fan Relations Steve Sansweet revealed Episode III’s title Revenge of the Sith to a raucous, t-shirt crazed crowd (as recounted in Episode 27 of the podcast).
Courtesy of Steve Sansweet
As summer rolled along, the weekly “Art of Revenge” feature kicked off on the official site on August 23rd.
Episode III’s austere teaser poster was officially unveiled online on October 28th, appearing in one sheet and banner form in theaters in North America and elsewhere the following week. This was also the first double-sided theatrical format poster fans could order directly on StarWarsShop.com.
On November 4th, Hyperspace members got an online-only sneak peek at Sith’s teaser trailer, as heralded on the StarWars.com landing page.
The teaser started running in theaters the next day on November 5th, brilliantly tying back to Alec Guinness’ lore-building talk with Luke from 1977 and bringing to life moving images that fans had been dreaming of for decades, even if they were mere glimpses.
If the big screen or your web browser weren’t enough, some even determined how to watch the teaser on their iPod Photos.
If that wasn’t mid-aughts enough for you, at some point between 2004-05 Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out” was adapted into an animated music video using character assets from the upcoming Revenge of the Sith video game from Lucas Arts. The video aired on MTV2’s Video Mods.
2005
Drew Struzan’s one sheet was published on StarWars.com on March 8th, 2005, completing a theatrical poster saga that he originated with the Special Editions 8 years prior. Vader’s dome appropriately looms large, and Padmé’s depiction is based on a costume from a cut scene where she confronts Palpatine.
Always two there are…a poster, and a trailer. Sith’s full theatrical trailer was first visible to viewers of The O.C. broadcast on FOX the evening of March 10th, with Hyperspace members and AOL subscribers (in partnership with Moviefone.com) gaining online access soon thereafter.
The astoundingly packed two-plus minutes of footage would make its way to cinemas on March 11th paired with the Ewan McGregor-starring animated film Robots, and to the wider Internet on March 14th.
Source: NBC News
April 2nd ushered in a barrage of Episode III promotional tie-ins, from Burger King kids meals and Kellogg’s breakfast cereals to Pepsi soda and Masterfoods’ candy, with M&Ms daring “to go to the Dark (Chocolate) Side.” Cingular Wireless even offered ringtones, screensavers and mobile games.
The heat was turned way up between April 21-24th for Celebration III in Indianapolis. One of my most vivid memories is walking the show floor and seeing the recently released “A Hero Falls” music video playing on repeat with groups of fans huddled around TV screens taking it in.
Attendees also had three opportunities to be in the same room as The Maker, with George Lucas gracing Celebration in person for the first time ever.
I was lucky enough to attend one of the Lucas panels (I couldn’t tell you which one).
Lucasfilm’s costume display for the new movie upheld a Celebration tradition for the ages and seemed to have a constant queue throughout the weekend.
Sith’s “trio” had a prominent position in the room, as expected. The Wookiee trio was even more impressive, and the use of correlating concept art as backdrops was a nice touch.
This shot from the Jedi Training Academy with Darth taking on a bunch of younglings ended up being an ominous bit of foreshadowing.
Courtesy of Pierre D'Ovidio
After a series of charity premieres the week prior (more on those later), Revenge of the Sith had a glamorous premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15th, along with being at the center of a concurrent “Star Wars Reunion” event taking place May 13-15th in Paris. While some critics were harsh, others were more melancholic. As a Reuters article noted at the time, “One reporter said he felt ‘empty’ after seeing the film. Because it was bad? ‘No, because it is over.’”
Others still were reacting quite positively compared to Episodes I & II. I distinctly recall visiting the Rotten Tomatoes website for the first time ever, anxiously awaiting and refreshing the results in the days leading up to May 19th and feeling a growing sense of optimism and excitement.
On opening night, that unchecked, pent up anticipation turned out to be my greatest enemy. However, the passage of time heals most wounds (even lava burns), and I’ve come to appreciate and adore the movie for exactly what it is.
Theatrical Artifacts
In line with its Prequel predecessors The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith provides fans ample collecting avenues on the theatrical front.
U.S. Press Kit
U.K. Pressbook - From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
The U.S. press kit contains writeups on the production, a “Guide to the Galaxy,” a Star Wars Family Tree and a digital press kit containing interviews and footage for news coverage.
In the U.K., a starker horizontal pressbook design (pictured above right) featured a spot-varnished visage of Vader on the cover. A foldout from 20th Century Fox’s division in Germany also listed Episode III among its tentpole titles of 2005.
U.S. Press Kit contents
U.S. Press Kit
U.S. Press Kit
Struzan’s poster art was in place for a traditional French pressbook, which included similar content to its American counterpart.
La Revanche des Sith French Pressbook - From the Collection of Stéphane Faucourt
Midnight Madness was an international affair, as demonstrated by these promo materials for the April 2005 event held at the largest Toys ‘R Us in France.
From the Collection of Stéphane Faucourt - Star Wars Collectors Archive
The Bay Area once again played host to Lucas Companies private screenings and a luncheon on Saturday, May 7th. A unique “negative” rendition of an Episode III Vader publicity pose presides on the front of the invitation.
From the Collection of Gus Lopez - Star Wars Collectors Archive
Badges for the company event at the Presidio utilized the “Lava Vader” key art found in several Sith marketing ventures, including Hasbro’s action figure cardbacks.
From the Collection of Gus Lopez - Star Wars Collectors Archive
Screening options were available in Marin County, Oakland and San Francisco, as designated on the ticket example below from the Loews Metreon in the city’s Yerba Buena arts and cultural district.
From the Collection of Gus Lopez - Star Wars Collectors Archive
A climactic MTV “Star Wars Party” went down at Skywalker Ranch around the same time and was aired as a special on Total Request Live on May 13th. In addition to a celebrity preview screening of Sith and a tour of the Ranch, guests witnessed a concert headlined by Maryland-based and Star Wars passionate band Good Charlotte.
Attendees also brought home an event print by “The Thinking Man’s Poster Artist” EMEK X.
Source: Julien’s
A U.K. preview screening transpired at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on Sunday, May 8th, as commemorated by this gripping invitation from Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox.
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
As with the Special Editions and other Prequels, a standard Struzan-style screening pass was produced for Episode III and used for various advance screenings. The art was also used on PR badges.
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Another tradition carried through the end was a set of charity premieres, with ten events taking place across the United States to “raise critical funds and awareness for issues affecting children and families.” A sampling of ephemera from some of the benefit screenings is below.
Boston, MA
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Chicago, IL
From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
Denver, CO
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Los Angeles, CA
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Miami, FL
From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
New York, NY
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Seattle, WA
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Washington DC
From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
Mentioned previously, Sith made a grand entrance at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15th, followed up by a 10:00pm afterparty at Le Baoli. Staff wore badges bearing the dastardly Droid General.
From the Collection of Pierre D'Ovidio
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
Episode III’s U.K. red carpet premiere followed the next day on May 16th and yielded specific badges.
From the Collection of Gus Lopez - Star Wars Collectors Archive
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
La Vengaza de los Sith premiered at the Cinépolis Perisur in Mexico City on May 17th.
From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
Denmark is the next international stop, as marked on this Yoda/Vader screening pass dated May 18th.
From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
Rarely seen in most countries by then, lobby cards could be found in French cinemas for the May 18th release. This example came with 8 images, but a 12 image set was also distributed.
A multi-page handbill was accessible to moviegoers in Spain for Episodio III’s May 19th opening.
From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
As announced on this clapper board invite, Red Bull Racing hosted a special Sith screening (and party “til late”) at the Grimaldi Forum on May 21st during the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo.
George Lucas, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid and Rick McCallum were among those in attendance. A flaming hot Sith-themed F1 car also burned rubber for the Red Bull Racing team on the track.
Source: Getty Images
Source: Red Bull
Returning to Stateside coverage, the Sith had hit the fans as reported in Variety on Monday, May 23rd. By that time it had been released in 115 territories, with 3,661 theaters and 9,000-plus prints running domestically alone. The movie’s box office supremacy in its initial few days garnered a Nielsen Gold Reel for surpassing $100,000,000, as saluted in the ad below from that same issue of Variety.
Lucasfilm ran a “thank you” ad with appreciation to 20th Century Fox and partners around the world for netting $351,500,000 at the global box office through its first six days.
Speaking of global reach, it might be noticeable from the items shared how condensed and concentrated the film’s international release dates have thus far lined up. The aforementioned Variety article comments that Revenge of the Sith’s immediately wide and record-setting overseas reach “underscores the ongoing shift in studio strategy to treat international and domestic as a single market for major releases,” a move “driven by the desire to take advantage of increased multiplexing” and “the need to close the window on pirating as tightly as possible.”
Asia’s release slate generated a number of nifty cinema collectibles, starting with this holographic Anakin-to-Vader ticket to an early screening on May 18th in Taiwan.
From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
The same transformational hologram was on the reverse of a set of Taiwanese collectible promo cards.
From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins
Two-sided flyers were printed for Thailand’s release on May 19th.
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
This ticket for a Thai premiere event lists a series of festivities leading up to the 8pm screening, including a performance from the Royal Thai Navy Symphony Orchestra, appearances from a Jedi Knight and “Strom Troopers” and an interview with the Thai language performers for Anakin and Padmé.
From the Collection of Erik Janniche
As advertised on this flyer, Episode III opened in South Korea a week later on May 26th.
South Korean audiences were also supplied with a multi-page foldout program.
From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
Like Episodes I & II, Sith would not arrive in Japanese cinemas until July. Chirashi handbills for each poster art style communicated the July 9th release date.
Japan upped the ante with each passing Prequel souvenir program, particularly in cover design. Episode III’s has a spectral apparition of the Dark Lord amidst the full starfield introduced with Attack of the Clones’ program.
From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins
Some examples include a “Souvenir Program Box,” and the embossed silver film title really pops compared to the subtler technique of its predecessors.
The program’s interior content mirrored that of the other two movies, with loads of imagery, production information, filmmaker profiles and an abundance of merchandising ads. Toggle through the slideshow below for a taste.
Back on American soil, the movie was given a boost with an (unrelated) “May the Fourth” ticket promotion for Independence Day weekend, as conveyed in this limited StarWarsShop.com poster that recreated a popular Internet ad.
From the Collection of Duncan Jenkins - Star Wars Collectors Archive
Though Sith sadly did not get an end-of-the-year IMAX Ben Burtt supercut release ala Attack of the Clones (thinking about it, that may have physiologically damaged audiences with audiovisual intensity), Lucasfilm did pursue an extensive “For Your Consideration” campaign for that year’s awards season.
An Awards Season Crafts Preview with a heavy Sith aura was put out by The Hollywood Reporter in December 2005, headlined by Vader’s mug on the cover.
Craft award categories were granted standalone pages to shine on their own. Best Visual Effects highlighted one of the movie’s most impressively detailed computer-generated shots, juxtaposed by an elegant collage of concept art and photography of Trisha Biggar’s work for Best Costume Design.
The supplement unfolds to reveal a full spread of the duel flanked by a lineup of additional award categories to consider.
Another two-page duel epic from a different trade publication represents the print version of a visual effects bakeoff before-and-after reel so common in the industry today.
Despite these efforts, Revenge of the Sith only received a solitary Academy Awards nomination for Makeup by Dave Elsey (who later won on Oscar for his collaboration with the legendary Rick Baker on The Wolfman in 2010) and Nikki Gooley (who worked on the likes of The Matrix and The Chronicles of Narnia, among others), ending the Prequel Trilogy’s disappointing lack of Academy recognition for its undeniably innovative technical artistry. But who cares about all of that? Let’s close it out with one last ridiculous bit of marketing:
There can only be one King of the (lava planet) Castle, and he shall be known as Darth….Vader.
Special thanks to Pierre D'Ovidio, Stéphane Faucourt, Erik Janniche, Duncan Jenkins, and Gus Lopez for their contributions to this post.
