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The Themes of Star Wars (or the Official Crocodile's Self-Indulgence Thread)


crocodile

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Mentioned it in the other thread but decided to create a thread of its own. Just because I can. ;)

I wrote a two-part feature on Star Wars themes that John Williams composed for both trilogies. It is not intended to be a complete academical analysis of any sort. It's mostly aimed at complete film music laymen (so might not be much of a point sharing it here). I can certainly not even approach the kind of detail that Incanus and Ludwig are able to inject into their articles/posts, nor am I educated as TGP, Sharky and other esteemed members to make sophisticated technical connections. So is just my own personal view on the matter, written mostly for fun (and really quickly).

I would have shared the entire thing on here. But it's 8,000 words altogether, so...

The Themes of Star Wars - Episode 1 - The Original Trilogy

The Themes of Star Wars - Episode 2 - The Prequel Trilogy

EDIT: Thanks to Inky for adding his 3 cents!

Karol

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I think it's important to remember that themes and motifs also function as longer arching ideas and not just musical representations of what is on the screen at any given moment, that's usually how they can best push a story forward.

In fact I believe that a lot of the magic in how the music takes the story forward in SW is done this way, by using melodic ideas to represent ideas and their evolution or how one journey develops into something bigger, a theme or motif could represent something at the beginning but can develop into representing a bigger or more global idea as the story progresses and the original meaning is no longer as significant or even matters.

You say that the first appearance of the Death Star motif has nothing to do with the Death Star and while it's true the Death Star is not on screen it still has everything to do with it.

We all know after the fact what it will come to represent but for a first time viewer it's more of a musical signpost or direction to almost unconsciously prepare someone for when they finally see where that motif is taking them and what is actually represents. So I think it has everything to do with the Death Star, we just 'don't know it yet'.

The same could be said for when Leia gives the plans to R2 and we're introduced to the Force Theme, there is no 'Force' on screen, no Ben Kenobi but again after the fact we can clearly understand what it all means and the significance of why that music would be played there.

This kind of musical preparation is what helps to make SW so successful in its musical storytelling.

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A great run-down of the themes, thanks for putting this together!

Given how much emphasis Williams places on the importance of these themes, I would someday love to ask him why Leia's Theme plays over Ben's death. Cinematically, I get it, but it doesn't jibe with his reasoning everywhere else.

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It saddening that a lot of people still don't understand it's usage beyond the obvious emotional angle.

A Williams quote from the Star Wars liner notes -

For "Ben‘s Death" I used part of the Princess Theme in the beginning. l felt it had the most sweeping melody of all the themes in the score.

This wildly romantic music in this tragic setting represents Luke's and the Princess' reaction to leaving Ben behind.

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Bullshit! Leia didn't give a shit Ben died! Only Luke was saddened by his death!

A cheerful fanfaric version of Luke's theme would have been much better for the scene.

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Perhaps an explanation for the usage of Leia's Theme in such a context would be that it is more than a simple leitmotif for the Princess. If you listen to the concert arrangement, you find that it (the concert piece) is portraying a tragic love story. There is no tragic love story in the first Star Wars film. But, there is one in John Williams's life, which happened only a couple of years before he wrote the piece. The theme then may very well be serving a reflective and personal, as well as practical purpose.

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I don't think her theme is a tragic love story at all but the classic fairy tale of a princess in peril, trapped in the tower.

For me her theme doesn't serve as a reflection of who she is or her personality at all (except perhaps the B section) but is presented to us through Luke's eyes and how he perceives this 'princess in danger' and with Williams' belief and usage of musical universalisms, the romantic and orchestral telling of the fairy tale princess story is the best way to achieve that that goal.

Her music reminds me of a caged bird with the B section allowing a moment of freedom before returning to the inevitable.

Even when the theme reaches such heights as it does I think that only serves to amplify her plight and anguish.

I think her theme is drenched in emotion and longing but I don't think it represents a tragic love story.

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Her theme is used in the ways you point out. But the real brilliance of Williams is that, at the same time, he is expressing his personal feelings through the music, apart from the film.

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Oh I certainly agree with that.

I think the string writing towards the end is genius, there is an intense sense of contrapuntal desperation, Williams desperately trying to find resolution and while the piece does indeed end much calmer than the yearning heights preceding it, there is still so much loneliness inside it.

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Oh I certainly agree with that.

I think the string writing towards the end is genius, there is an intense sense of contrapuntal desperation, Williams desperately trying to find resolution and while the piece does indeed end much calmer than the yearning heights preceding it, there is still so much loneliness inside it.

My impression exactly.

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