The Ewok Adventure Movie Scores

[scallenger 374]

I think both scores (Carvan of Courage and Battle of Endor) are pretty underrated and not often talked about scores. It's a shame there has never been an official release of either score (and the only footwarmer known to exist just has a small selection from both). Anyone else love hearing these scores in these silly Star Wars related films? I find the first film to be very lush and almost romantic, yet also serious and dramatic. The 2nd score is a lot of fun, and a bit more action oriented. I wonder if these scores are being held under the Lucasfilm chain? Think they'll ever see the light of day?

[Luke Skywalker 1,284]

this is lucafilm + specialised labels fodder. (it will be a first...)

I dont see SONY releasing this...

[Henry B 49]

Yeah, the scores are much better than the movies deserve. I'd like to see expanded releases.

[Andy 1,492]

I remember the first one having a passage that sounded very much like Goldsmith's TMP theme. Haven't watched these in awhile (they're a bit... unwatchable), but I would love to revisit the scores.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,476]

Battle for Endor is great. The movie as well. I still consider it one of the Star Wars'. There's nice "tragic" music (there's a bunch of that kind of thing in the movie), fun music for Teek and a really neat villain march. The main theme is similar to Star Trek.

[Kendal_Ozzel 32]

Yeah, Bernstein manages to rip off both Courage's and Goldsmith's Trek themes in the first one. But they're both still quite good. "Farewell" from Battle for Endor is really fantastic.

And while I can understand people not liking either one of the films, I take issue with them both being brushed off as equally bad. The Battle for Endor is a considerably better film. As far as 1980's sci-fi/fantasy family made-for-TV spinoff made-with-a-fraction-of-the-original's-budget movies go, I think it's pretty good. Killing off a little girl's family in the first act is rather ballsy, and the new cast really elevates it, as does the better writing by the Wheat brothers, who supposedly got the job by straight up telling George Lucas that the first film "sucked". Make no mistake, it's pretty decent at best, but it's in a whole other league from Caravan of Courage, in my opinion.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,476]

It was one of my favorites growing up and I can still see why. It's a weird dark Henson-esque 80s fantasy adventure movie...with Ewoks! You got these monster dudes wreaking havoc, the neat little alien creatures, old hermit in the forest with the mysterious backstory and ballin' spaceship, the witch that shape-shifts, dragon, hang-gliding sequence, sneaking around and escaping a castle, battle in the forest and even Ewoks using guns. Great entertainment.

[Ollie 859]

They were both awful and an embarrassment to the Star Wars franchise.

I don't even remember the music.

[Andy 1,492]

I will say I enjoyed the 2nd one more than the first.

However, I can find more to enjoy in the Holiday Special than the Ewok films.

[Ollie 859]

You poor soul.

[Andy 1,492]

I know, right?

I like the Holiday Special for:

The whole gang all together.

Harrison Ford actually playing Solo outside the films (and doing his damnedest).

Great costume closeups of Imperials and Cantina guys.

The animated segment (again, voiced by original actors).

A few seconds of footage deleted from Star Wars.

The scene with the stuffed Bantha.

Oh, and the part where the old Wookiee watches porn.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,476]

Battle for Endor > Prequels > Holiday Special

[Jacob 0]

It was one of my favorites growing up...

Me too.

The first was okay -- kinda boring. The second was just awesome, especially the battle at the end. I reenacted that so many times.

But those marauders gave me nightmares for years.

I'd buy official soundtracks.

[Kendal_Ozzel 32]

Varèse released the original LP. Would they still have the rights for a rerelease? (The Lucasfilm factor aside, that is.)

[scallenger 374]

I guess the LP is where the footwarmer comes from? If so it sounds rather good coming from that. Perhaps someone had a master of that LP and used that.

And I have to be honest... I grew up on both Ewok films and deep down in my childhood psyche I will always like them, I think. If anything, I think they are waaaay better than the Holiday Special, which is entertaining on it's own level (a bad one). At least these feel like real films, lol. For kiddie fair they really aren't too bad for their time. They even both won awards for their effects, which for made for TV standards, are mostly impressive, 80s-wise.

I think I'm one of the few who actually prefers Caravan of Courage, both film and score (from what I've heard). I felt Battle For Endor was always goofier, despite it's seemingly darker beginning. The first one had this sense of creepiness throughout and more seriousness that made me like it better.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,476]

They really aren't bad movies at all. They're Sunday night family entertainment. They just have the distinction of featuring Ewoks. The first one is kind of like Lord of the Rings. They assemble a fellowship of Ewoks! Then there's all kinds of magic, sorcery, fairies and stuff going on, whereas Return of the Jedi's portrayal of the Endor moon was far less interesting. It's just a forest. Also, as I pointed out before, the second movie has the Ewoks using guns to defeat their enemies. Return of the Jedi just had that one Ewok goofily cheering with a gun, though we never saw him use it. The rest was more slapsticky using rocks and ropes to defeat the Imperial army. A precursor to the little boys defeating the pirates with tomatoes and eggs in Spielberg's Hook (though both brilliantly scored). The Ewoks 2 ending was generally an improvement over Jedi's land battle. It didn't have Han Solo, Chewie or those guys, but they just acted like a bunch of goofs in ROTJ anyway.