A Brief History of Science Fiction Film Music
References, Links, and Works Cited
Created by Jessica Rooney
Last updated 5/1/06
Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
Overview
Coming off of a time of psychedelia and experimentation in cinema scoring, Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) was crucial in the revival of the classical, orchestrated music in science fiction film. Composer John Williams’s original score for Star Wars is highly emotional, using the recognizable form of Western orchestral music reminiscent of Stravinsky, Holst, and Korngold (Lerner 98). His score creates a musical environment that both furthers the emotional impact of the movie and works independently of the dialogue and action to become a crucial, inseparable part of the film. The music managed to create a sonic atmosphere which capitalized Star War’s components, a success partially achieved by Williams’s use of familiar musical components and avoidance of unfamiliar instruments like the theremin or styles like progressivism in order to not “destabilize a sense of familiarity” (Lerner 98) for the audience. Combined with realistic sound effects and the utilization of lyrical passages and leitmotifs, William’s score was able to appeal to audiences, and the Star Wars soundtrack has become the highest-selling orchestral film soundtrack to date (Karlan 244).
The impact of Star Wars brought about “a tidal wave of emotional film scoring,” and after its appearance it became “acceptable in the mainstream of filmmaking to allow the music have its own symphonic emotional voice.” (Karlin 4). After Star Wars, “suddenly music was important again” (Karlin 13) in both science fiction and other cinema, and a close look at its components reveals the power and effectiveness of music to create audience acceptance and verisimilitude in science fiction films.
Use of Music to Draw Audience into the World of Star Wars
The Creation of Myth and Nostalgia in Star Wars through Music
Use of Sound Effects in Star Wars