Countdown to Star Wars Episode VII, pt 2: The Famous Score by John Williams in Episodes 4&5

                     (The main title for the soundtrack or the famous overture courtesy of Ninja Doctor 9)

Watching Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope (1977) for the first time and the first thing that will hit you is the bombastic music of the overture by John Williams. The overture is bold and full of brass and it drives home the point about a grand adventure story that is to come as the written text, describing the situation,  moves or crawls  from the bottom of the screen out into the distance amongst the stars, highlighting the vast extent of the galaxy. The entire musical score is one of the greatest in film history and it has filtered down through the years and assumed an iconic status. A lot of the people know of the music even if they haven’t watched the Star Wars films. It should come as no surprise that score by John Williams was so effective when it first premiered along with Episode 4 in 1977. John Williams is one of the great film music composers having composed and conducted the musical score for  several great films like Jaws (1975), Superman (1978),  E.T: The Extra Terrestrial (1982), Indiana Jones: The Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)  and Schindler’s List (1993). In some of these films such as Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones series and Superman many people have left with a fond memory of the music because it sticks with you and becomes synonymous with the movie because of its various motifs.  Here I am just briefly highlighting how effective the musical score has been in Star Wars: Episodes 4&5: A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. I am no musical expert but I can certainly understand the effect a musical score has on a film. After falling in love with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) the first thing I did was to buy the musical score. I like musical scores for film and I am also referring to soundtracks. The soundtrack for Django Unchained (2012) should certainly be considered great for instance.

Apart from the bombastic intro that was first introduced in Episode 4 there are other elements in that musical score that make the idea about adventure become very vibrant in your mind. When we first meet Luke Skywalker he is living on a planet, Tatooine,  where not much happens in terms of action or development. A very dry and harsh looking place. It also happens to be the home of Luke’s father Anakin Skywalker who would later become known as Darth Vader. Luke is frustrated with the life he’s living because he want to go out and engage with the  vast galaxy as he aspires to train as a pilot. His uncle keeps putting off this engagement and this frustrates Luke who is reduced to being a farm boy. The score emphasizes his frustration as he looks at the sunset with 2 suns or a binary sunset. The themes for the force and that of Leia play and it suggests that there is a bigger world out there. There is also a watered down version of the music in the overture suggesting that the adventure is just on the horizon, just about to begin.

 He eventually meets Obi Wan Kenobi following the purchase of the two sidekick droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO. Obi Wan Kenobi eventually reveals his status as an exiled Jedi Knight and tells him about the power of the force and why he should learn it. Obi Wan also encourages Luke to come with him to help Princess Leia after the message transmitted by R2-D2 is played. Help him to deliver the plans of the Death Star to the rebel alliance. Princess Leia also has a theme that plays early on in the film especially when the message is being transmitted.  Her message sets off the beginning of the adventure and the departure from tatooine to a wider galaxy. Her theme suggests that all is not well and that everything now relies on the faintest of hopes. Leia’s motif is very gentle and conveys  a sense of urgency because with her capture someone must take on the responsibility of delivering the plans of the Death Star. This would explain why her motif is played alongside that of the theme for the force. It is her motif that provides the sense of urgency for Luke to take a step into the wider world and learn the ways of the force. The theme for the force also becomes much more effective after Luke returns home to discover that his foster parents or guardians have been murdered by imperial storm troopers that were on the hunt for the  2 droids. He must therefore assume a new responsibility by becoming a part of the rebel alliance and learning the ways of the force which both promise a whole new world of adventure throughout the galaxy.

 (This is the motif for the force and one can hear the motif for Princess Leia at 2:49. Courtesy of Ninja Doctor 9)

For Obi wan Kenobi the force motif has a touch of sadness because he is one of the few remaining Jedi Knights that have been forced into exile. Obi-Wan exiled himself to the very distant and desolate planet like tatooine particularly with keeping an eye on Luke (perhaps). It’s the same with Yoda whose planet of exile looks even more desolate. When the motif for the force is played for Obi-Wan it does signify that it once a great and powerful element utilized by the Jedi Knights although its power seems to be all but extinguished. ‘Seems to be’ because there is still hope with young Luke Skywalker.

For me the motifs for the force  and princess Leia really drive home the point about the grand adventure that awaits Luke Skywalker. These motifs demonstrate that there is a wider world out there and that one must be resigned to embrace it. The theme for the force also shows that one must be resigned to letting go of the old and embracing the new in terms of where you find yourself in the world. But it acknowledges that letting go is not so simple particularly as it is not so easy to let go of what you’re accustomed to. There is normally  a struggle until one blasts full speed ahead.

In Episode 5 the most significant addition to the music of Star Wars is ‘the imperial March’ that highlights the significant presence of Vader and the Empire. It is also a motif that has been identified with Vader and the dark side of the force.  The presence of the empire is felt through this motif as it makes several inroads in its fight against  the rebel alliance. The Empire really does strike back.

                                (The famous Imperial March courtesy of  Star Wars Fan!)

The score by john Williams in Episodes 4&5 set the tone for the rest of films that were to follow. It is inextricably linked with the Star Wars series and cannot be changed unless another score that is just as effective is adopted. In Episode 4 the various themes are effective in conveying the sense of adventure that awaits particularly a new hope for the rebel alliance and the Jedi knights in the form of Luke Skywalker. It suggests that the rebels will now be much more effective as it takes on the Empire. In Episode 5 the empire does strike back in the fight against the rebel alliance and this is reinforced with the famous ‘imperial march’ motif. The themes developed in these two films also highlight any moment in the series where there is a decisive break for the empire or for the Jedi Knights as was seen in Episode 3. Whenever there is the beginning of a new adventure awaiting the famous overture will always be played  and we expect to hear it when Episode 7 premieres in December. The fanfare will certainly be pleasing to the many followers of Star Wars.