All right I’m going to splurge some notes on the spotting in “Empire”. It’s such a classic and the music at the bowl was nice and loud.
Several striking places where there’s no music. For instance, no music as Luke flies through Dagoba’s atmosphere. Typical place where you have to weigh up reasons to have no music.
- if the scene itself isn’t very important in story terms. (This scene is dramatic on the surface but medial and unimportant to the real story.)
- if there’s a cool “in” a bit later then it may be worth holding off beforehand. In this case it’s the reveal of the X-Wing in the swamp. You can start fresh with murky scene-setting and make it clear that this is a location of great significance.
- if the sound effects are interesting and dramatic in themselves. Classic case is the original King Kong aeroplane battle on the Empire State Building.
- if we are very much “in the present” rather than considering the significance of what’s happening.
- If we aren’t sure what to think. Obvious case is a dialogue-heavy scene where there isn’t a prevailing mood but lots of smaller concerns.
Earlier there’s no music on the rebel soldier sighting the AT-ATs through the goggles. Slightly risky but cool considering how much music is coming in the Hoth battle. Creates a slightly realistic, “hand-held” effect.
I wonder if there’s a shot from an older war movie that this is based on. The AT-ATs are (VERY) dramatic on the surface but they don’t have any significance at a deep story level. Luke isn’t going to commandeer one to save Leia, say.
Having said all that, I don’t think a foreboding cue here would have been wrong. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if there was one, and pulling it out was a late experiment. More than one way to skin a cat.
Later of course there’s no music for much of Luke and Vader’s light sabre fight. Another deservedly famous case where the SFX is worth showcasing on its own.
And again, staying out makes the “in” that much more meaningful. The key cue for me is the one that plays Vader firmly asserting himself by force-throwing all the objects, a skill we know Luke hasn’t yet mastered.
Anyway, so much for scenes without music. Another spot that struck me was Luke leaving Dagoba, while Ben & Yoda try to dissuade him.
You might be tempted to respond to each character as they go back and forth - steely resolve on Luke and imploring, rising on Yoda/Ben - but that would be a bit schizoid Instead the score just plays through it all with general “intense emotion”, rising gradually.
Finally turns quite suddenly. I forget exactly when it turns, but I think the implication is that it turns the moment Ben is resigned to Luke leaving.
Final bit to mention is Lando checking the carbonite after the freezing process. What’s interesting is that JW absolutely ignores the precise moment when Lando confirms that Han is alive.
In a sense the music follows the lead of the film, which diffuses the moment with a series of clues that he’s probably ok - white lights on the carbonite readout, no buzzers, Lando pretty calm. Again I wonder if this “cool” approach is modeled on an older movie - a western, say.
Even so, the composer might be tempted to think that everything needed to rise & rise, then turn on Lando’s line, which it absolutely doesn’t.
Unison texture is immensely useful here. A unison line can be both tortured and at the same time ambiguous.
All right, enough waffling. Huge congrats to David Newman and @LAPhil. It was amazing. Personally I wish that some of the screens showed the orchestra throughout. Perhaps this has been tried and voted down.
Argh, one more: “The Asteroid Field” is so naughty - it completely tramples on dialogue. A lot of film studios wouldn’t have allowed it! Eg classic Disney.
Ah but it’s so damn satisfying when the brass open up as the Falcon dodges asteroids. Funnily enough, by being so music-centric it DOES remind me of one Disney movie - “Fantasia”.
Maybe there are rare moments in film when it’s OK for the music to not give a damn about dialogue. Or maybe I’m just hopelessly in love with this score. /End
