CE3K and Wish Upon A Star

[AlohaBlunts 1]

Ok, so I was listening to the John Williams Greatest Hits 1969-1999 cd (and yes, I know that most if not all are re-recordings). The last track on the first disc, the Close Encounters suite, contained a little snippet of music that sounded very familiar. At around 4:25 -4:45, you can hear a slow version of "When You Wish Upon A Star." This seemed very peculiar to me.

So, before I ask the questions, a few points of clarification.

1. I have only seen CE3K once, and I wasn't really paying too much attention to it.

2. I have never actually listened to the CE3K score in its entirety.

3. I did do a search in the message boards, and there was one topic that briefly talked about this. Here is the link. It was mentioned in such a way that it was common knowledge. Maybe it is, I don't know.

Anyways, here are my questions:

Why is it in there? Was this snippet inserted intetionally? In other words, is there something that happens in the movie that necessitates the usage of it? Is it a prevalent piece of music? Does it get played more than once in the movie?

Thanks.

[A24 4,345]

I have only seen CE3K once, and I wasn't really paying too much attention to it.

These kids today!

[KingPin 201]

I think there was a scene in the movie with a reference to Pinocchio, and although the part of the music you're referring to appears at the end of the film, it could have been a tiny homage to that reference. That's my guess.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

This is from the Special Edition ending. The original cut had a medley of other pieces over the end credits. The version with When You Wish Upon A Star can be found on the Collector's Edition Soundtrack.

Earlier in the film, Neary talks about taking his kids to Pinocchio. This is in the very first scene we see him in. This was not in the original cut (originally, we came into the scene somewhere towards the end, opening on a Pinocchio music box). Roy wanting to see Pinocchio is why his wife calls him Jiminy Cricket at the end of the scene.

Also, I believe Spielberg has said Pinocchio is one of his favorite fairy tales (see A.I., to a certain extent).

And of course, it has the lyric, "When you wish upon a star," which is very close to what Neary has been doing the whole film in a way.

[KingPin 201]

This is from the Special Edition ending. The original cut had a medley of other pieces over the end credits. The version with When You Wish Upon A Star can be found on the Collector's Edition Soundtrack.

Earlier in the film, Neary talks about taking his kids to Pinocchio. This is in the very first scene we see him in. This was not in the original cut (originally, we came into the scene somewhere towards the end, opening on a Pinocchio music box). Roy wanting to see Pinocchio is why his wife calls him Jiminy Cricket at the end of the scene.

Also, I believe Spielberg has said Pinocchio is one of his favorite fairy tales (see A.I., to a certain extent).

And of course, it has the lyric, "When you wish upon a star," which is very close to what Neary has been doing the whole film in a way.

Well said!

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Also notice Neary telling his kids "this is better than Goofy Golf" when he drags them out of their beds in the middle of the night.

In the early scene not present in the original cut, Roy wants to take his kids to Pinocchio, but his kids want to play Goofy Golf.

[Ollie 1,059]

This is from the Special Edition ending. The original cut had a medley of other pieces over the end credits. The version with When You Wish Upon A Star can be found on the Collector's Edition Soundtrack.

A very lovely arrangement by Williams.

[Quintus 5,399]

The part in the movie where it plays as Neary is led by the aliens towards the spaceship is one of Williams' most beautiful moments actually and its also one of his own personal favourites.

[Guest macrea]

Since you mention that "When You Wish" is playing "slow" I don't think you're talking about the end credits... But to summarize: the end credit version of the song was written for the film in 1977, although it was previewed with the actual song recording from "Pinocchio." Release prints and the 1977 album used an edited end title suite from other cues. Williams' version of "When You Wish" was put into the 1980 S/E, but it was taken out again for the 1998 C/E... but ADDED to the expanded album released at the same time.

All of which is beside the point, of course... as I think you're referring to the moment when the little aliens surround Roy and guide him to the spaceship entrance. The subtext is pretty obvious... "when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true." In the original 1977 version of the film, the scene in which Roy is introduced starts with a Pinocchio/Jiminy Cricket music box playing the song. This was shot as an insert to replace the longer scene, which was put back in 1980 and retained in 1998. In that longer version there is talk about taking the kids to see "Pinocchio." The shorter scene starting with the insert was done because Ronnie subsquently calls Roy "Jiminy Cricket" at the end of the scene (heard in both versions). There is also a later scene after Roy goes mad where we see and hear the music box again, reminding us of how the Nearys lives have changed since we first met them. The little "red whoosh" UFO is also a visually suggestive of a fairy (or maybe Tinkerbell, but it's all Disney imagery). So it's an ongoing theme throughout the film.

For the cue "The Appearance of the Visitors" on the original 1977 album, there was an asterisk that said "'When You Wish Upon a Star' interpolated." You hear it several times in the music as Roy is led towards the ship and then chosen by the aliens. It also occurs in the new piece of music that Williams wrote for the "inside the mother ship" scene added in 1980 but deleted from the 1998 cut. That segment is part of the concert suite, although it is sometimes dropped.

So those are the details for what they're worth, but the answer to your question is that the song reflects an ongoing theme in the film.

[adamtron 0]

From the Master himself:

"I was attracted, artistically, by the wonderful theme of that film - a question that haunts us all: are we alone in the universe or not? The Spielbergian child-like answer is in his wonderful creatures who are pacific, friendly and brilliant. They come to assuage our fears and to welcome us into their community, a community that functions at a higher level because we have finally evolved to a degree where we, too, have earned our membership. I believe that's a hope that we all hold dear and Spielberg has given us an opportunity to share these feelings.

"In this spirit, the idea to incorporate When You Wish Upon A Star was Spielberg's. I think for him, it had something to do with the innocence of childhood and Walt Disney's music, especially Pinocchio, that we all loved as children. He wanted to attach that childhood innocence to a feeling of nostalgia that would effect an audience. So, in a situation that is alien - completely remote from our experience - seeing these creatures and their machines but hearing something very familiar, When You Wish Upon A Star, you feel safe and at home."

Source: THE FILM MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS (b.1932), Ian Lace interviews the composer

[Ollie 1,059]

And there you have it.

[skyy38 21]

Watch Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom again sometime and see if you can spot the tension cue from one of Hitchcocks most famous films ever.