Have you ever noticed the similarity between the movie poster for Gone with the Wind (1939) and the one for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)?
Well, as it turns out, it’s intentional.
When poster artist Roger Kastel (who had previously created the now iconic poster for Jaws) was asked to come up with a poster for the first Star Wars sequel, he had his sights set on making the image of Luke Skywalker riding his Tauntaun the main focus. He had been given some stills by the studio but knew nothing about the movie’s premise.
When he eventually met with the art director of the film to show him his poster idea he was told that George Lucas really liked the Gone with the Wind movie poster and the romance that it represented. Kastel was surprised but got back to the drawing board (pun intended) and reworked the poster to incorporate the Gone with the Wind element. He still managed to include his original vision of Luke sat astride his ill-fated Tauntaun.
“I thought they smelled bad on the outside.”