DVD Heaven



Well, it has been 27 years since I spent the summer watching a new film over and over. I think I saw it 10 times in the theater alone. I am of course talking about Star Wars.

As a 9 year old kid, Star Wars had a great influence upon my life. Nothing like it had ever been seen on the 3 channels we got on the TV at home.

So I eagerly arrived home today looking for the Amazon box that would contain the Star Wars trilogy box set. So as I type, "A New Hope" plays in all its digital splendor!

The DVD set also contains a fourth DVD, with lots of extras. One of those extras are all the trailers for the 3 movies. Watching the 'Teaser' for Episode I, I am reminded of, and further convinced of, a theory I have held for a long time. That the success of the Episode I, and by extension the Star Wars "empire", is primarily due to the brilliance of composer John Williams. The music that is universally recognizable, is what set Star Wars apart from many other schlocky 1970's sci-fi films. Yes the special effects were a cut above for the era, but without the music, Star Wars would have been an empty shell.

If you don't believe me, go buy/rent the box set, and watch the 'Teaser' trailer for "A New Hope" on Disc 4. It was obviously released to theaters before the film score was complete, and the difference between it and the final product is huge.

Without John Williams' score, Star Wars would have been no more than a cult favorite.

Posted: Wed - September 22, 2004 at 08:57 PM          

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