PUNTOELINEA BLOG STORY

An important component of the success of the Star Wars’ saga is its music. John Williams, the famous composer of renowned motion picture soundtracks, from “E.T.” to “Harry Potter”, is known first of all like the author of this epic music saga. At the start, in 1977, the legend narrates that the maker of the Star Wars universe, the director George Lucas, when he met Williams, told him to think a music for a film (the first “Star Wars”, right, editor’s note) without dialogues. Now, we don’t know if it’s the truth, but we prefer to think it.

However, from the first to the last film, we can count nine CD, six for the old trilogy and three for the last, for a total of 121 musical tracks.

I fact, we can’t think about these musical pieces like modern songs, because their frame is like a symphonic composition. For example, the most famous march of all the trilogy, the “Imperial March”, or also “Darth Vader’s Theme”, from “The Empire Strikes Back”, is present in others tracks, at the end of “Anakin’s Theme”, from “The Phantom Menace”, “Confrontation with Count Dooku and Finale”, from “Attack of the Clones” or in “Battle of the Heroes”, from “Revenge of the Sith”. It’s the same for “Binary Sunset” (the original Skywalker’s theme, Anakin and Luke, editor’s note), “Princess Leia’s Theme” (Anakin’s daughter and Luke’s sister, editor’s note), or the choral “Qui-Gon’s Funeral”, from The Phantom Menace”, with its homologue “Padmé’s Destiny”, from “Revenge of the Sith”.

In my humble opinion, I suggest the hearing of a small group of tracks that I consider more representative this musical saga.

From the “Episode I – The Phantom Menace”, “Star Wars Main Title at Arrival at Naboo” is a good introduction of the entire saga. Main title is the same of every episode, but the second part, the arrival at Naboo, precisely, has a perfect balance between the lights of the Galactic Repubblic’s planet and the dark of the new return of the Sith. “Duel of the Fates”, a suggestive choral, is the essence of the fight of the Force with its opposite, the Dark Side, and its all paladins. “Anakin’s Theme” is differently a short story about a good kid, the young Anakin Skywalker, and his nebulous, and just a little disturbing, future.

From the second episode, “Attack Of The Clones”, the most important track is surely “Across the Stars”, the Anakin’s and Padmé love theme, delicate but sad, an omen of  the impossible future of both the characters.

The third episode “The Revenge Of The Sith”, a clear metaphor of the war, with the track “Anakin Vs. Obi Wan” narrows the clash of the light sabres of Anakin, the fallen hero, against his ex Jedi master, and ex friend, Obi Wan Kenobi.

From “Episode IV – A New Hope”, the most important double piece is “The Hologram/Binary Sunset”, with an important link between Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker. The first is the romantic apparition of her, the second is the real theme of the male Skywalker, Luke, and of his father Anakin, first of him.

“The Imperial March”, or “Darth Vader’s Theme”, if you prefer, is the basically composition of this film and, probably, of the most popular piece of all episodes. It’s is the fascist manifesto of the galactic evil Empire, and of his black strong arm, the lord of the Sith Darth Vader.

At the end, in the sixth episode, “The Return Of The Jedi”, we meet “The Battle of Endor”, a suite with five tracks, “Leia is wounded”, “The Duel begins”, “Overtaking the Bunker”, “The Dark Side beckons” and “The Emperor Death”, five passage to the final counterattack of the Rebel Alliance against the Empire, with the death of the Emperor and the return, of the title, of the Jedi Anakin Skywalker. At last, the “Victory Celebration/End Title” are the ultimate tail of this saga.

Good hearing.

(Alex Miozzi)