Ozzel

There is no question about it: Darth Vader, the best villain in Star Wars and in cinema history.

In reference to Mr. Breakthmasks's original post, probably one of the reasons the complete score seems too big to fit the movie is because in reality so much of JW's material went unused -- moreso than the other two OT scores -- if I'm not mistaken. Beyond that, ESB's score wonderfully matches the darker moods prevalent in this film, which in effect may make it less fun to listen to than, say, the score for Star Wars, but that is not a weakness of the score. The score has no weaknesses IMO. And correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this score introduce the most themes than SW's and ROTJ's score? -Imperial/Vader's theme -Yoda's theme -Love theme -Boba Fett/bounty hunter theme (debatable) -A new droid theme -Lando's/Bespin theme Am I missing any?

Well, sure, it would've been nice if we had that scene on the Clones DVDs. Whether or not you think it's cheap to make that footage available only as part of a subscription service depends on your point of view. Personally, I don't mind so much. It's just offering "special" content in exchange for money, that's all. I don't begrudge Lucas any extra cash he makes. Furthermore, the content will include much more than just Ep III hype. Look here: http://www.theforce.net/episode3/index.shtml#21068. The old Bantha Tracks reprints alone makes the $20 (appoximate) annual charge more worth it than not for me. God bless the Holy Trilogy! But if your point of view is that Lucas is a cash whore and his movies suck, then why would you care about any new material, whether you have to pay or not? If it's so bad, do yourself a favor and quit looking at the free stuff, too. While you're at it, you should also boycott Ep III in 2005.

You're missing the point Rogue Leader. Lucas is not making anybody pay for anything. You either subscribe or you don't. If you do, then yes, Lucas makes more money (which isn't a crime). If you don't, then you can still enjoy the free "promotion" at the regular SW site. On the other hand, I will agree with you and everyone else on this topic if Lucasfilm decides to reserve all Episode III content for the new pay site. In other words, if all the Ep III production photos and Making Of web documentaries we've enjoyed for free for Ep I & II will be made available only to subscribers of the Hyperspace site, then yes, that would certainly be wrong.

Will everyone just relax already? Sheesh! You'd think Lucas was sending a platoon of stormtroopers armed with an interrogation droid to every fan geek's house to force them to pay. Think of this new Hyperspace site as a fanclub magazine subscription. You pay the subscription, then you get to see special content you wouldn't otherwise see anywhere else. Simple. Not everything on the internet is free, folks. And here's a news flash: Lucasfilm is a business. Lucasfilm exists to provide a service (entertainment) in order to make a profit (you pay to be entertained) so that they can continue to provide said service. Now, whether or not the content at Hyperspace will be worth the fee remains to be seen; and whether or not the prequel trilogy sucks and GL is a whore is up for debate in a different forum. Meanwhile, please quit bitching.

When I listen to scores, I am almost exclusively a Williams listener. But every now and then I may see a movie with a brilliant non-Williams score and afterwards I'll check it out. Zimmer's "Gladiator" is one. (Is Zimmer a bad word at this forum?) Don Davis' "The Matrix" is another. Davis' score isn't a work of genius or anything, and is certainly not easy to listen to, but his use of brass and strings suited the on-screen action perfectly. This isn't much, but like I said I listen to pretty much no one but Williams. I know, I'm an uncultured swine. :roll:

I wouldn't doubt he said that. Asteroid Field is probably the most memorable action piece of all SW music for me. In fact, it was the only cue I was able to hum along with, note for note, from beginning to end, when I bought my TESB SE score on CD a few years ago -- and I hadn't heard it since my original soundtrack on cassette wore down way back in the early '80s!

OK, back to the original question please...

Ricard, I was four years younger than you when I saw ROTJ, and I agree with you, it was brilliant from beginning to end. By that point in the film, we were all caught up in the action, the suspense, the entire saga arriving at light speed to the conclusion we had been waiting for. When the Ewoks started whooping stormtrooper a**, my reaction was a mixture of laughter and disbelief, but I was no less entertained. I saw the film nine more times after that and enjoyed the tenth viewing just as much as the first, if not more. Today, I still have a great fondness for ROTJ and still watch it quite often.

Well I've heard casual SW fans and film go-ers in general say this film sucks, or that film sucks. But a true SW fan will find something he or she loves in each film that will make watching and re-watching a special experience. Yeah, Ewoks pounding stormtroopers sucks. I'd much rather the moon of Endor was populated by wookies. But that doesn't mean ROTJ sucks. It's part of the whole, and it belongs.

Wondering if anyone here has actually participated in (as a musician or technician) or somehow been invited to a John Williams scoring session and could write about his or her experience here. Thanks.

I forgot to add that, while most fans may agree ROTJ is their least favorite, no true SW fan will say it sucks. I think by definition, a true SW fan cannot say any of the films suck (because they obviously do not! )

As one of the "original" Star Wars fans from '77, I believe most of my fellow fans love the OT, love all three films, but generally regard ROTJ as their least favorite. Not as a rule, mind you. Sure, ROTJ is the favorite for some. But I can confidently say that upon seeing the film for the first time, no matter what age we were, 99% of us rolled our eyes when seeing those cuddly little Ewoks beat up on "an entire legion" of Palpy's best troops. I mean, c'mon! That said, when taking all five films into account, I believe AOTC to be the weakest, or my least favorite. As for Roald's original post, I think we all know he just forgot to type the word 'fan' after 'Star Wars'. Give the guy a break.

I realize the term 'onomatopoeia' refers to words that imitate real-life sounds (i.e. 'buzz', 'hiss', 'bang', etc.), but for the purposes of this thread, let's pretend the term also refers to musical instruments producing real-life sounds. My question is, what examples have you found in JW's film scores where certain instruments are used more to produce sound effects, rather than music. Perhaps the most famous is the tuba (I think?) providing the actual voice of the Mother Ship in CE3K. I can think of a few others: - In ESB, the rythmic metallic clang during the Hoth battle sounded like the heavy mechanical footsteps of the Imperial walkers; also, when R2 fell into the swamp on Degobah, the swell of the cymbal actually sounded like waves washing over as he disappeared. - In E.T., towards the end, as Elliot and friends are escaping the authorities on bikes, the flutes and strings (I'm guessing) combined to make a sound reminiscent of bicycle spokes spinning -- although it was much more like a musical interpretation of that sound. So what examples can you think of?

OK, prequel moments. In TPM, JW's use of percussion and harp during the tense seconds Qui Gon and Darth Maul were separated by the laser wall. In AOTC, when Jango launches the torpedo at Obi Wan's fighter in the asteroid field and the action cue kicks in immediately. Brilliant to not use any music up until then.