The Force lies at the heart of the films’ mythology: Obi-wan Kenobi describes it as an energy field that surrounds all living things and binds the galaxy together. Musical forceĪlthough the musical score has many functions, one of its most important roles might be to tell us something about the nature of “the Force”. Indeed, the famous title music for Star Wars uses many characteristics found in famous Western scores such as The Big Country (1958) or The Magnificent Seven (1960), including a chord sequence known by music theorists as “the cowboy half-cadence”. The sound of the score likewise drew upon the nostalgic idiom of Korngold – an early 20th-century romanticism spiced with an understanding of modernist harmony – combined with the acerbic spikiness of Prokofiev’s ballet scores, the grandeur of William Walton’s ceremonial marches, and the aural signature of the Western. Such was his desire to evoke something universal, Lucas even drew upon the mythological theory of Joseph Campbell.
Music wars empire movie#
His narrative design owed a great deal to episodic movie serials such as Flash Gordon, the aerial dogfight sequences of war films, and the swordplay of Errol Flynn swashbucklers. Just like Burtt, Williams has been involved from the beginning of the franchise, and his music plays a vital role in the film’s narrative strategies.ĭespite happening in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas rooted much of his story in the familiar. It rooted the drama firmly in the soundworld of the first trilogy (1977-1983).īut it’s John Williams’s score, that epic music that countless people know and love, that will have me most interested.
Even in the woeful prequel trilogy (1999-2005), Ben Burtt’s distinctive sound design – which encompasses the hum of lightsabers, the screech of laser blasts, and the electronic language of R2D2 – helped offset the deluge of CGI and dodgy dialogue. Although the initial trilogy was justly celebrated for its use of groundbreaking visual effects, for me, the sound of the films has always been more significant. When I finally see the new Star Wars film, I will be keeping my ears open.