“You could say it’s the equivalent of several Lisztian tone poems.
“ Empire will require 107 minutes of underscore,” Williams continues in Rinzler’s book. According to Larry Blake of Mix magazine, Star Wars‘ fanfare was taken directly from a print of River of No Return and, as a result, did not sound particularly great subsequently, it was given a fresh modern recording for The Empire Strikes Back. The fanfare that preceded Star Wars had been recorded in 1954 for the Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum picture River of No Return and included a coda for the “A Cinemascope Production” title card that debuted on that film as part of the Fox logo. Incidentally, Newman was the brother of the great Alfred Newman, who had composed the iconic 20th Century Fox fanfare that would open the first six episodes of the saga. Meanwhile, director Irvin Kershner, who was recruited after George Lucas‘ stressful experience on the first movie, had put together a temp track for the spotting session, where he and Williams sat down with Lucas, music editor Ken Wannberg, and head of Fox Music Lionel Newman to view the latest cut. With that as a basis, I want to try to develop material that will wed with the original and sound like part of an organic whole something different, something new, but an extension of what already exists.” Rinzler’s book The Making of The Empire Strikes Back, “because the score will reprise some music from Star Wars. “I’m beginning a little further ahead of myself than is usual,” Williams states in an archival quote from J.W. Because of this, extra care was needed from the composer to swiftly move between the characters and their desperate situations without confusing the audience. The narrative not only splits up the trio of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa but also provides a greater focus for the antagonistic force of Darth Vader, now in full control of the Empire’s war machine. John Williams‘ music adds further mythic tones to the swashbuckling adventure of the first score while allowing more depth to the character arcs and suggesting a larger connection with the mystical power of the Force.
The Empire Strikes Back is often named as one of the greatest film scores ever composed.
However, this mighty struggle resulted in a larger canvas and a deeper appreciation of what drove the narrative of a galaxy far, far away. Three years later, its first sequel dealt with larger stakes and fiercer battles, the production essentially mirroring the scope of the film’s plot. In 1977, Star Wars succeeded against the odds. We’re starting with maybe the most famous of all, so strap yourself in while we make the jump to hyperspace and travel back a long time ago to a galaxy far, far away… Welcome to Franchising the Score, a column that will explore countless musical scores from all of your favorite movie franchises.
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