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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you are any kind of Star Wars fan whatsoever, because Revenge of the Sith takes the saga's music in a dramatic new direction. Avoid it... if you are accustomed to the traditional format of Star Wars scores that feature memorable themes and concert arrangements. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
The most general statement that anyone could make about Revenge of the Sith is that Williams has truly changed direction with the format of thematic development heard in the first four films and, to a lesser degree, in Attack of the Clones. In the classic trilogy, Williams would develop ideas for characters, locations, or scenes that would smack you across the face with the clear existence of their arrangements. Lengthy battle, chase, or conversation pieces would receive a concert arrangement of a sub-theme or motif that would number at least four in quantity from each film. Existing in the comfortable world of George Lucas' cartoonish style of presenting the saga, Williams made his themes, rhythms, and motifs transparent, giving each idea a larger-than-life quality that led to every small cue --whether it was the escape from Cloud City or rebel fleet preparing to go into hyperspace-- maintaining a memorable idea that could be hummed by the listener long after the score had departed from the room. When The Phantom Menace revived the saga in 1999, Williams made a concerted effort to continue this presentation of ideas. Despite criticism leveled against The Phantom Menace at the time for its apparent weaknesses (and its awful editing in the film), in retrospect you can hear that Williams was attempting to extend the concert suite type of development while struggling with the demands of Lucas' ever-heightening pace of action. With "Duel of the Fates," "Anakin's Theme," and the "Flag Parade" theme joined sometimes in concert performances by Jar Jar's theme, there was little shortage of material for the public to identify with from the film. Then along came Attack of the Clones, for which Williams decided to change his methodology. Rather than elaborating upon three or four primary themes, motifs, or rhythms, he condensed them into "Across the Stars," one extremely powerful and effective theme. And it worked, if only because the theme remains one of the most poignant of Williams' entire career, and his usage of the theme was dominant in a significant number of cues throughout the score. Additional motifs exist throughout Attack of the Clones, but not with the kind of clarity we've come to expect from a Star Wars score. Instead of those memorable old cartoonish themes for asteroid fields and furry little Ewoks, we are now hearing Williams tackle the more weighty drama of the Star Wars galaxy with an emphasis on scene-specific underscore of a less obvious nature. In Revenge of the Sith, he provides one new theme in a concert arrangement, one rhythmic motif for a new villain, and several motifs and underdeveloped, unconnected ideas for individual moments in the film. You could listen to Revenge of the Sith on album, enjoy it from start to end, but come away with only themes from the previous scores in mind. Williams has made it clear in interviews that his intention was to quote previously existing themes in this score moreso than in any of the others, so the score would act as a bridge between the trilogies. "In Revenge of the Sith, there are three or four pieces of new material," Williams says. "A couple of them are lamentations; they accompany some very dark turns in the action. And there's also a kind of fun piece, which includes a lot of percussion, for Grievous." The primary piece he doesn't mention is "Battle of the Heroes," a piece he wrote for the lightsaber battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi at the climax of the film. This will be the only music you'll hear from the film at concerts, and is a choral piece on the scale of "Duel of the Fates" that propels the Jedi to their destruction with the same percussively bombastic nature. As Williams touched upon, the action music in Revenge of the Sith is based around the highly percussive and extremely rapid theme and rhythm for General Grievous, the robotic badguy also hunting Jedi in this installment. It entertains with its pomp and ability to push trumpet players to the limits of their ability to perform as many distinct notes in a short a time as possible. But some of the sub-themes in Revenge of the Sith are the kickers... the ideas that appear only once per cue on album and beg for extended arrangements. Two are lamentations and two mark Anakin's transformation into a Sith Lord and, interestingly, in their major presentations on album, these ideas do not cross into each other's territory. Thus, the end result for Williams in Revenge of the Sith is a score that introduces several outstanding --sometimes spectacular-- ideas but does not follow through with them to a level that will stick in the minds of average movie-goers. Moreso than in previous scores from the prequel trilogy, Williams quotes the classic themes in Revenge of the Sith. "In this film more than any of the other five, there are references to earlier scenes," Williams states, "which seem to me and to George to be part of the way we want to tell the story, musically." As with the other prequel scores, this does not include significant statements of the original Star Wars theme itself (outside of the traditional opening and closing, of course). Prevalent in Revenge of the Sith are the two other famous themes from the series: the "Force Theme" and "Imperial March." Their battles in this score are significant, with the "Force Theme" receiving more large-scale treatment than Vader's budding theme. Now is perhaps the time to mention, however, that the album for Revenge of the Sith is hardly complete. Fifteen cues out of 41 recorded by the LSO for the film are presented on album; history has taught us in the past that all of the major arrangements of new ideas will be presented on these albums, however sometimes a strong statement of previous themes will be struck from the final product due to its redundancy (such as the performance of the "Force Theme" when Anakin leaves his mother in The Phantom Menace). While it's vital to remember this important fact while making general declarations about the score based on the album alone, the 72+ minutes of music presented on album do show Williams' clear intent on supplying individualized underscore for specific scenes rather than more general concepts. As the album progresses, seemingly unrelated musical ideas are offered one after another, almost always superior in quality but serving as a minor shock for listeners who expect either continuity in their Star Wars music, or at least enough development of each idea to reach a naturally satisfying conclusion. Despite the plethora of interesting new ideas from cue to cue in Revenge of the Sith, it's hard not to be disappointed with its lack of focus and a coherent, overarching spirit. When shown the film for the first time, Williams admits, "My God, so much? I'm not going to be able to write all that... it goes from scene to scene, battle to battle, and fight to fight. I have to confess it's always a little bit daunting when I first see these things." The "scene to scene" part of that statement is telling, because it is perhaps a clue to indicate why Revenge of the Sith ended up so disjointed. Additionally, Williams reveals, "I'll study the film and try to pick a spot that's a logical starting point for what I think I need to do, either thematically or from a textural point of view, and work out toward the latter part of the film or the beginning part. I really may jump around a little bit." In this case, Williams seems to have started with the Anakin/Obi-Wan battle and written "Battle of the Heroes" first before working backwards. The same philosophy makes sense in The Phantom Menace, for which Williams could work back from "Duel of the Fates," as well as the climactic statements of "Across the Stars" which Williams likely penned with the two major statements near the end of the film in mind and similarly worked backwards. But in Revenge of the Sith, the "Battle of the Heroes" theme is not integrated --and even rarely hinted at-- in earlier cues. The continuity factor is seemingly missing. By the end, it's the "Force Theme" that maintains the most power in the score. As for other specific themes and their usage in the score, we're once again limited by the album. But a quick rundown of each new cue in Revenge of the Sith, as well as some disclosure about which themes do and do not appear in the major cues of length chosen for inclusion on the album might give you an idea of where Williams was heading with the score. Off the bat, as mentioned before, the Star Wars theme itself is curiously restrained in the prequel trilogy outside of the customary performances, appearing only once in underscore form during the last minute of the finale here. That title theme is the source of some discontent in Revenge of the Sith, for Williams elected not to re-record it specifically for this film. Instead, a reported combination of recordings from the previous two scores' sessions would be mixed to make the title cue for Revenge of the Sith. For true fans of the music from the saga --those who can identify which title performance belongs to which film based on their subtle variations-- this is a considerable disappointment. The end of the title sequence is cut short this time as well, launching immediately into frenetic action over the "Force Theme" that once again required Williams to remind the trumpet players to clearly distinguish each of their rapidly succeeding notes. Ever since the space battle in The Phantom Menace, this action material in the prequels has exhibited a remarkable ability to produce an amazing ruckus without really going anywhere or developing anything new. For "Anakin's Dream," in which he has premonitions of Padme's death, Williams begins with the most substantial performance of "Across the Stars" before the tension of the moment toils in a crescendo of dissonance. After his dream, several faint hints are made; first, there were questions about whether Williams would ever re-use the theme heard twice in Return of the Jedi for the death of a Jedi (first as Yoda dies and finally as part of the huge choral finale during the saber duel), and its most structured reference (and even questionable at that) exists here. More interesting is the premonition of Vader's later entrance scene in bass strings and subsequent performance of the Force theme by low woodwinds. With much of the score for Revenge of the Sith brooding and rumbling in the depths of the dark side, Williams' use of the lowest range woodwinds is substantial throughout the entire score. On album, the next cue is "Battle of the Heroes," the aforementioned new concert piece for the film. Its theme is very deliberate, with unconventional thematic pacing; you seemingly have three different sections of performances all operating at different paces, which could either be considered a brilliant move by Williams or a hindrance to your enjoyment of the piece (or both, perhaps). The piece starts with a rapid string rhythm augmented by brass and features the choir performing at a more drawn-out parallel with the theme while trilling trumpets and horns race over the top. The inconsistent pacing of the different sections comes together for an ultra-dramatic performance of the "Force Theme" as an interlude and, even after several repetitions, the base rhythm is more memorable then the slower, static theme. As the primary identity for the film, the theme disappoints. In "Anakin's Betrayal," we hear the first of Williams' intriguing sub-themes. With a full adult choir performing extended wordless vocals over the full ensemble, several moments in Williams' Hook are recalled. The lament culminates in an awesome crescendo of mournful power before respectfully bowing out. The "fun" music for Williams exists in "General Grievous," a piece that jumps along with some of the same character and pacing as the "Knight Bus" piece from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but with the funk meter turned down to a more appropriate level. An excellent percussion base (recorded separately from the rest of the ensemble and mixed in) forms a rhythmic splash of short brass flourishes, cymbal crashes, and constantly fluttering woodwinds that make the "Asteroid Field" theme sound like a picnic. Without a prevailing theme out of all that sound, however, the cue isn't really coherent enough to call a concert piece, and despite its ambitious rhythms, it leaves you with little to remember it by. In another twist of the unexpected, however, Williams offers an approach in "Palpatine's Teachings" that you wouldn't predict. Instead of laying the "Emperor's Theme" on heavily in this cue, Williams begins with over a minute of deep male throat singing followed by extremely low woodwind meanderings. In latter stages, the cue begins to form a muted battle between the Force theme and Imperial March, with rumblings that serve the inner battle of Anakin well. After several minutes of ominous bass string solos, a sudden quoting of a Coruscant fanfare from The Phantom Menace unfortunately breaks the mood at the end. A return to the standard frenetic action music heard in two previous cues marks "Grievous and the Droids." Once again, so much noise and so little organization in rhythm or motif causes the cue to slip by with little notice; strangely, none of the unique percussion established for Grievous in his first cue is reprised here. Another superior moment of underscore for tension is shifted back in "Padme's Ruminations," a cue notable for its droning, synthesized bass. A wailing female voice performs no clear theme, but it doesn't have to; the emotional grip of the score, so weighty in its sorrow, gets the point across with superb power. After an eerie distant reminder of the "Across the Stars" theme, Williams pulls out a variation on a theme we heard in Return of the Jedi during the moments of Vader's taunting right before the final duel. This slowly developing bass string and woodwind motif is also reminiscent of the opening organ motif in E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. One of the film's major curiosities exists in the actual use of the "Battle of the Heroes" theme in "Anakin vs. Obi-Wan." The duel, complete with tolling bells and rapid trumpet notes over rolling percussion, is broken up in rhythmic progression by several note-for-note regurgitations of the Cloud City duel cue in The Empire Strikes Back during which Vader hurls equipment at Luke before smashing the shaft window. The intention of Williams and Lucas was obviously to draw parallels between the two duels (and represent how history tends to repeat itself in this saga), but while any inclusion of the Imperial March is usually most welcomed, the "Battle of the Heroes" theme sounds more appropriate in context to surrounding underscore and is, frankly, much more exciting. The sudden shifts back to the score to The Empire Strikes Back hinder the flow of the cue until the last minute of the duel incorporates the Force theme into the "Battle of the Heroes" rhythm with great effectiveness as Obi-Wan does what he is forced to do. The "Anakin's Dark Deeds" cue is splendid piece in which Williams wanders off to another dark corner for a fresh sub-theme. Opening with light choral tribute to Howard Shore's Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings, the cue escalates into a level of rhythmic action equal to "Duel of the Fates" (with slight hints of that theme) as Anakin begins slaughtering the newly perceived enemies of the Republic. A new thematic idea in the latter half of this cue culminates in an outstanding crescendo and we're left once again with a fantastic, singular theme in a minute of music that yearns for a more complete arrangement. Similarly, the introduction of the new archvillain in "Enter Lord Vader" leads to maybe the best new sub-theme introduced in the entire score. Rather than reverting to the Imperial March --quite a curious move-- Williams instead conjures a forceful fanfare for Vader's announcement, driven by very strong snare outbursts and heavily overlayed brass. One brief, partial reference to the Imperial March is all we hear to tie the character to his eventual musical identity, and we're left waiting for a gong strike (as in the original Star Wars) that never comes. The cue ends with a dying "Force Theme" performance yielding to the only obvious use (in low ranges) of Emperor's theme on the album. The last of the interesting new underscore cues comes in the form of heavily layered strings performing an adagio of lament in "The Immolation Scene." Once again, a unique sub-theme is presented before, after two minutes, Williams refers back to the bass string motif from Star Wars as Luke jumps in his speeder to return to the homestead and find his family slaughtered. The last of the choppy action music makes an appearance in "Grievous Speaks to Lord Sidious," punctuated by the now typical snare rips followed by a cymbal crash that Williams has overpopulated the prequel trilogy with. The weakest underscore cue on the album, this track leads to a faint echo of "Across the Stars" and subtle references of lamentations heard previously in the score. The last two cues on album are a source of interesting controversy for fans of the saga's music. Both represent the manifestation of the bridge between the old and new trilogies, and in both cues, Williams makes some odd choices. For "The Birth of the Twins and Padme's Destiny," Williams pulls 90 seconds from his Harry Potter scores for the birthing sequence. Without any thematic reference to existing themes in the saga, the cue tingles with magic but very well may not be weighty or dramatic enough for the gravity of the event. The cue shifts to the direct quoting of the funeral sequence for Qui-Gon in The Phantom Menace. Williams may be using this cue in one of three ways: to tie the prequel trilogy in a neat package, to establish the theme as a general funeral representation rather than one for Qui-Gon specifically, or for Qui-Gon himself (the story calls for the appearance of Qui-Gon as a ghost at this juncture, but whether that made it into the film is in question as of yet). The second controversial cue is the last one, "A New Hope and End Credits," which features two minutes of score for the finale before launching into a whopping 11 minutes of end credits suites. As it would make sense, Williams provides sensitive performances of the two infants' themes, first Leia's theme and then the Star Wars title theme for Luke in low-key, loving fashion. Williams then returns to the "Binary Sunset" cue from Star Wars on Tatooine, which is where the cue starts to go awry. After a solo horn introduces the "Force Theme," the full orchestra provides a somewhat underpowered performance of the second verse of the theme... underpowered considering the magnitude of the event and its position as the last minute of the six films thus far. A very poor key change into the standard title theme performance will make you cringe. The selection of music for the lengthy end credits exists as a sore point in Revenge of the Sith. Williams chose to provide the concert arrangements of Leia's Theme and the Throne Room finale sequence from Star Wars bracketing a reprise of the "Battle of the Heroes" concert arrangement. The performance of Leia's theme, and especially the transition from it into the "Battle of the Heroes" theme, is well executed, but that doesn't explain why five minutes of the "Throne Room," as well as its coordinated conclusion to the entire track is heard here. Was there no inspiration to write a new arrangement? No time? There has been much incredible music described above in this review, but Williams' choices thematically are open to a considerable number of questions. While these questions pertain to most of the score, the final two cues are the real curiosities. Why would Williams neglect to even hint at the "Luke and Leia" theme from Return of the Jedi in the birthing cue? He is certainly knowledgeable and forthcoming about his abilities to weave themes together; whether it's the hints of Leia's theme in the concert arrangement of "Han Solo and the Princess" from The Empire Strikes Back, the incorporation of Jabba's theme into the start of the racing sequence in The Phantom Menace, or the translation of the Emperor's theme into the song at the end of that same film, Williams is the master at subtle references. "Part of music for films that's very important is the melodic part, which is an opportunity for a composer to create a melodic identification for a particular character or a place, so that when you see that person, or that person is suggested even by someone's thought, that theme can be played and it's a link for the audience," Williams reminds us. "It's an aural identification, which provides an additional magnetism for the viewer. So in terms of atmosphere, identification of melody, action, choreographic timing elements in the music, it's really part of the corpus, the body of what a film is." If Williams really believes in maximizing this identification, then the lack of new, highly developed thematic material, as well as the end credits suites for Revenge of the Sith, are a contradiction to that statement. What's frustrating about this score is that Williams does introduce so many flourishing and engaging new sub-themes for the film, whether it's on the lamenting half or the half that represents the rise of evil. No fewer than four new strong ideas go without full realization, and although this makes Revenge of the Sith a very strong collection of underscore cues, its whole is unsatisfying. The ultimate in thematic opportunities was missed with the end credits here; with 11 minutes to work with, Williams could have reminded us of so much more, providing a minute or two from several more prominent and relevant themes from both trilogies. As we all know, his ability to use one theme as counterpoint to another simultaneously is strong, and yet, he did not even try to make a sweeping summary of the saga as he could have. All three themes from The Phantom Menace were reprised in Attack of the Clones --including the "Flag Parade"-- and none of them receives treatment in the major cues provided for the album to Revenge of the Sith. Nothing is quoted from "Yoda's Theme" or "Luke and Leia," and, in at least what we have here, no use of the Death Star motif from Star Wars is available as we see Governor Tarkin overseeing its initial construction. The theme for the Emperor is surprisingly sparse, even though his meteoric rise is witnessed in this film. Only a complete album release will reveal Williams' attempts to incorporate more melodies in his shorter cues not heard on Sony's initial 72-minute album. That album includes a 70-minute DVD on which actor Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine) introduces 16 music videos of major themes from the six films (listed below). Williams summarizes, "I was very impressed with this film, particularly the last third of it or so. The links that George has put into it really make the connections to the characters of Darth Vader, and the mother and the child; the familiar part of the mythology is so expertly woven together at the end of this film, and, I think, particularly beautifully shot." Unfortunately, Williams seems to have become entranced by the beauty and emotions of individual scenes in Revenge of the Sith and forgotten the days when the saga's music was defined by robust development of each new idea or sub-theme into something larger than life... something memorable at every turn. Now, his music for the sixth film is almost lost in the era of spectacular special effects, and the cohesion of the storyline elements of the music is diminished. Compared to its peers, Revenge of the Sith is, despite its great strengths in individual cues, the weakest of the six scores when compared amongst each other. In the end, The Phantom Menace revealed itself as the most characteristic Star Wars score of the prequel trilogy, while Attack of the Clones features the best theme and single cue ("Across the Stars"/"Finale"). Although its dramatic underscore is the best of the trilogy, Revenge of the Sith is, in the tapestry of the Star Wars universe, the glittery but badly frayed edge.
Music as Heard in Relation to Other Star Wars Scores: **** Music as Heard on Album: **** Overall: ****
The insert includes the following note from George Lucas:
The 70-minute DVD of music videos is hosted by actor Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine) and includes the following:
• Chapter 2: Dark Forces Conspire ("Duel of the Fates" from The Phantom Menace) • Chapter 3: A Hero Rises ("Anakin's Theme" from The Phantom Menace) • Chapter 4: A Fateful Love ("Across the Stars" from Attack of the Clones) • Chapter 5: A Hero Falls ("Battle of the Heroes" from Revenge of the Sith) • Chapter 6: An Empire Is Forged ("The Imperial March" from The Empire Strikes Back) • Chapter 7: A Planet That is Farthest From ("The Dune Sea of Tatooine/Jawa Sandcrawler" from A New Hope) • Chapter 8: An Unlikely Alliance ("Binary Sunset/Cantina Band" from A New Hope) • Chapter 9: A Defender Emerges ("Princess Leia's Theme" from A New Hope) • Chapter 10: A Daring Rescue ("Ben's Death/Tie Fighter Attack" from A New Hope) • Chapter 11: A Jedi is Trained ("Yoda's Theme" from The Empire Strikes Back) • Chapter 12: A Narrow Escape ("The Asteroid Field" from The Empire Strikes Back) • Chapter 13: A Bond Unbroken ("Luke and Leia" from Return of the Jedi) • Chapter 14: A Sanctuary Moon ("The Forest Battle" from Return of the Jedi) • Chapter 15: A Life Redeemed ("Light of the Force" from Return of the Jedi) • Chapter 16: A New Day Dawns ("Throne Room/Finale" from A New Hope) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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