Jump to content

Your Favorite Renditions of The Force Theme?


artguy360

Recommended Posts

5 minutes ago, Nick Parker said:

 

Growing up this was always my favorite cue. I would listen to this track and look up at the stars in the night sky, wondering what the future held.

 

It's soooooooo good.  The scene always kinda messed with me though.  It's actually really sad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Now that we have the full scope of JW’s Star Wars work it seems time to bump this thread. I’ll have to come up with a definitive ranking at some point, but I’ll say the one that stands out to me from TROS is this

 

 

Its not often we get a rendition of the theme’s full statement, but here Williams provides it with ample gusto for what is essentially the climactic moment of the saga.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How about what's your current favorite statement from each of the nine films?

 

1: Anakin is Free

2: Padme Falls

3. Goodbye Old Friend

4. Binary Sunset (duh)

5. Losing a Hand

6. Leia Breaks the News (film version)

7. Flying Home

8. Ladies Parting

9. Seeing Sights

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Falstaft (hiatus til TROS) said:

How about what's your current favorite statement from each of the nine films?

 

1: Anakin is Free

2: Padme Falls

3. Goodbye Old Friend

4. Binary Sunset (duh)

5. Losing a Hand

6. Leia Breaks the News (film version)

7. Flying Home

8. Ladies Parting

9. Seeing Sights

 

I think this may be my exact choices as well, except for potentially TLJ, where I might swap in Peace and Purpose.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What is Seeing Sights?  Is that when Palpatine opens the roof of the Sith temple?

 

 

One of my favorite versions is The Throne Room at the end of ANH. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Hey, the SE albums are back on Spotify!

 

 

 

Lots of tracks are missing though.  Look at ESB's, most of the tracks aren't available.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/31/2019 at 11:56 PM, Bellosh said:

 

Lots of tracks are missing though.  Look at ESB's, most of the tracks aren't available.


Ugh. Streaming is the worst. Wake up, world!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I'm a little over "The Princess Appears". OK, I'm not, but it's always the de facto statement of the theme these days even though as this thread demonstrates there's a lot more. RotS - RoS killed it a bit for me. And I hate the title Binary Sunset. I find it funny when you see people say "This is Binary Sunset on a harmonica!" and they really just mean they're playing the Force theme because there's nothing in it that is unique to Lost R2.

 

As much as we played The Princess Appears back in the day, The Throne Room has always been the one that gets my heart pounding. But then don't underestimate Blasting Off either. And Rebels gave me a new appreciation for Obi-Wan Kenobi.

 

Oh, and when Vader grabs The Emperor. Wowza!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/12/2018 at 2:55 AM, artguy360 said:

The big statement of the theme towards the end as Luke calls out to Leia is another one of my favorites. I love how the strings soar above the clouds and how the music quiets down just as Luke concentrates with the force before the big statement kicks in.

 

 

 

On 4/12/2018 at 2:52 PM, luKe17879 said:

I always thought this version from Anakin is Free (TPM) was very beautiful, beginning at 4:44. (King Mark mentioned it as well, here is the snippet)

 

 

 

These are the first two I thought of.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure I can add any more obvious or less obvious versions of the theme than those mentioned but my feeling is thats it’s much more the main theme of the series than the actual main theme. It certainly appears far more often than the main theme (as is evidenced here) and his a mythic, mystical quality that feels far more appropriate somehow. Disney seem to agree given that they use it for their Star Wars ident in front of the Mandalorian etc and it appears more heavily in the trailers. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Tom Guernsey said:

Not sure I can add any more obvious or less obvious versions of the theme than those mentioned but my feeling is thats it’s much more the main theme of the series than the actual main theme.

 

Certainly once you move past the OT. Powell played the Main theme more than anyone in years.

 

I do remember a few years ago I was shocked that the only themes in The Last Battle before Biggs dies are Ben's theme (Force theme), the Star Wars Vader theme, and the Death Star motif! Luke's theme is played once after Biggs dies and then really takes over once Luke turns off the targeting computer.

 

3 hours ago, Tom Guernsey said:

Disney seem to agree given that they use it for their Star Wars ident in front of the Mandalorian etc and it appears more heavily in the trailers. 

 

Yeah, in its "just different enough we don't have to pay Williams" form.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Tom Guernsey said:

...but my feeling is thats it’s much more the main theme of the series than the actual main theme. 

The theme would have been my favourite opening theme for the prequel trilogy instead of the Star Wars / Luke's theme. It would have been the perfect compromise between the aim to provide something familiar and have something that does not contradict the musics relation as a Leitmotif in the story. Even as Ben's theme it would have made sense as the opening fanfare in episodes 1-3. Probably something like the Throne Room version.

Then all the renditions of the theme in the OT would perfectly make sense in combination with the prequels as their main theme.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

Mine will be forever the Rebel fleet beginning of the TESB finale.

 

 

This is the correct answer.

 

On this topic there can be no debate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I dunno, I stick with Binary Sunset.

 

One of the great moments in music; sadly cheapened by copy-paste-ing it all over The Last Jedi, but the original is still a masterstroke.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

Binary Sunset is Binary Sunset because of the binary sunsets. Taken without the visuals, Rebel Fleet stirs the soul more.

 

I'm not sure. I like Binary Sunset even without the effect; plus, it is even fair to judge a piece of music written for a film without the visuals for which it was written? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

it is even fair to judge a piece of music written for a film without the visuals for which it was written? 

 

Do you know where you are?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Chen G. said:

it is even fair to judge a piece of music written for a film without the visuals for which it was written? 

 

Of course it's fair.  How can you even ask? You know better than that!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Jay said:

Yup!  I really wish each trilogy had a new main title march instead of using Luke's theme for all 9 episodes

 

8 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

The theme would have been my favourite opening theme for the prequel trilogy instead of the Star Wars / Luke's theme. It would have been the perfect compromise between the aim to provide something familiar and have something that does not contradict the musics relation as a Leitmotif in the story. Even as Ben's theme it would have made sense as the opening fanfare in episodes 1-3. Probably something like the Throne Room version.

Then all the renditions of the theme in the OT would perfectly make sense in combination with the prequels as their main theme.

 

Seem's slightly sacrilegious but I have pondered this. 

 

I think for the sequel trilogy there are actually 2 candidates - a full on bells and whistles military version of Rey's Theme or the Resistance March. Both could EASILY be turned into great main titles.

 

I don't know what'd be a candidate from the prequel trilogy. It would necessarily have to be a theme from the first movie since the scores are not conceptualized together but per movie.  I feel there is no obvious candidate hence they went with Luke's theme again.

 

Even so, the opening note so iconic that a Star Wars movie is unimaginable without it. There is nothing like it in cinema. It almost always with draw applause from audiences in a screening. It is irreplaceable and cannot be improved upon. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only real "what if" moment I have for all 9 of these scores is the finale of TROS. The final lead-in to the final end credits in the final film in the Star Wars saga and we got a straight reprise? It sticks in my craw every listen. It has to be a musical middle finger to J.J. It's the only way I can make peace with it, if you can call it peace. What a missed opportunity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

The theme would have been my favourite opening theme for the prequel trilogy instead of the Star Wars / Luke's theme. It would have been the perfect compromise between the aim to provide something familiar and have something that does not contradict the musics relation as a Leitmotif in the story. Even as Ben's theme it would have made sense as the opening fanfare in episodes 1-3. Probably something like the Throne Room version.

 

You know, I'm now seeing this as a huge missed opportunity. Williams' own notes on the Throne Room said (paraphrasing from memory) that he used Ben's Theme for that because this represented a restoration of Ben's time and ideals. Using Ben's / The Force / The Jedi(?) theme as the prequel titles would have made this literal.

 

Interesting...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The force theme is the obvious choice for what should have been the prequel trilogy's main title march

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aside from the audience expectation of having the main Star Wars theme over the opening title crawl, I can’t help think that any alternative would be trying to capture lightning in a bottle twice. The original is so iconic in the actual melodic content itself, it’s also perfectly timed to the text. From the musical explosion as “Star Wars” suddenly appears, to the various ways it segues into the opening scene, it would be hard to recapture that level of excitement and anticipation even in JW’s expert compositional hands.

 

It is perhaps a touch surprising to consider that the Force Theme has almost become the musical cornerstone of the franchise yet has never got a concert arrangement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

It is perhaps a touch surprising to consider that the Force Theme has almost become the musical cornerstone of the franchise yet has never got a concert arrangement.

 

You're not counting The Throne Room? (Not kidding.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I personally think its uses in Revenge of the Sith are underrated:

 

I love when Williams takes the usually hopeful Force theme and manages it to make it completely dark and disturbing. It fits so well for a lot of Anakin's moments. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Tallguy said:

 

You're not counting The Throne Room? (Not kidding.)

I think that’s more a version of it in context than an arrangement dedicated to the the theme. But I take your point. I kinda wonder if it might not suit a concert arrangement but I’m pretty sure JW could write a great one if he was so minded. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.