Richard Alfred Marquand (22 September 1937 – 4 September 1987) was a Welsh film director best known for directing the blockbuster Star Wars film, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983).
Biography from TMDB.
- September 22, 1937
- September 4, 1987 (aged 49)
- Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Director and producer, also writer
- 8 on MovieCove · 20 credits in all
What are Richard Marquand's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
Light 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 2
A split, not a type: Grounded 6 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1
A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 2 · Intense 3
Steady 3 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 1
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet3
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Richard Marquand's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).
Subscription and free streaming for Richard Marquand's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
20 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Nowhere to Run(1993)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Hearts of Fire(1987)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Jagged Edge(1985)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Until September(1984)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Eye of the Needle(1981)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Birth of the Beatles(1979)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
The Legacy(1978)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Street of Joy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Pyramid Lake Is Dying (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Zap!! The Weapon Is Food (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
NBC Special Treat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
To Know Us Is To Love Us (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Mr Nixon's Secret Legacy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Between the Anvil and the Hammer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
The Iron Village (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
The Search for the Nile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Edward II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
E.M. Forster 1879-1970 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
One Pair of Eyes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Career shape
A full career of 20 titles from 1967 to 1993.
Biggest box office
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Highest rated
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Richard Marquand's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the atmosphere 64/100 and the pacing 43/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Richard Marquand's work okay for kids?
Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Richard Marquand work with?
People who share at least 2 of Richard Marquand's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sean Barton shares the most, 6.
Writers
- Joe EszterhasShared titles: Nowhere to Run (1993), Hearts of Fire (1987), Jagged Edge (1985)See all 3 shared titles with Joe Eszterhas
Actors
- Christopher CazenoveShared titles: Until September (1984), Eye of the Needle (1981)See all 2 shared titles with Christopher Cazenove
- Stephen MacKennaShared titles: Eye of the Needle (1981), Birth of the Beatles (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Stephen MacKenna
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Sean BartonShared titles: Hearts of Fire (1987), Jagged Edge (1985), Until September (1984), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Eye of the Needle (1981), Birth of the Beatles (1979)See all 6 shared titles with Sean Barton
- Alan HumeShared titles: Hearts of Fire (1987), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Eye of the Needle (1981), Birth of the Beatles (1979), The Legacy (1978)See all 5 shared titles with Alan Hume
- John BarryShared titles: Hearts of Fire (1987), Jagged Edge (1985), Until September (1984)See all 3 shared titles with John Barry
