Star Wars: A Musical Journey (DVD Review)

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© 2005 Sony Classical and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)
One of the nicest things about Sony Classical's soundtrack album from Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is the bonus DVD that comes with the CD. Titled Star Wars: A Musical Journey, this is a magnificent collection of 16 music videos that span the entire six-Episode saga. The Prequels' four major themes (Duel of the Fates, Anakin's Theme, Across the Stars [Love Theme from Attack of the Clones), and Battle of the Heroes) underscore beautifully edited montages from the 1999-2005 trilogy, while action/setting cues and major themes from the Classic Trilogy feature scenes from all six Star Wars films to follow the Skywalker family's pivotal role in the rise and fall of the Galactic Empire. 
Photo: Courtesy of Marc Van Heuckelom.
Of all the film series that feature classical-styled scores, George Lucas's Star Wars saga (which he personally calls The Tragedy of Darth Vader) is certainly a prime candidate for music videos. Indeed, Lucasfilm produced three MTV-styled vignettes (Duel of the Fates, Across the Stars, and A Hero Falls) for the Prequel Trilogy; each has aired at least once on MTV since 1999; in addition, the videos are included in the extra features discs of The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. 

Star Wars: A Musical Journey's 16 videos are arranged in roughly chronological order from Episode I: The Phantom Menace to Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, with only two videos being deliberately moved out of sequence. To illustrate the rise of the evil Galactic Empire, Episode V's The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) precedes the trio of themes from Episode IV: A New Hope. And to bring the Musical Journey to a triumphal end, director Tippy Bushkin has chosen Throne Room/Finale from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope for A New Day Dawns. 

While the vignettes are all well done and form a visual Cliff's Notes to the two trilogies, it should be noted that whileA Hero Falls is the same video that appears on Disc 2 of Revenge of the Sith's DVD set, the videos Dark Forces Conspire and A Fateful Love are not the same videos that were used for Duel of the Fates and Across the Stars. The presentation in both is different as far as video footage is concerned, and A Fateful Love goes even further, using the same musical material as in the Episode II album rather than the blend of the Main Title and Love Theme from Attack of the Clones heard in the 2002 Across the Stars video. 

Actor/director Ian McDiarmid (who plays the evil Darth Sidious in five of the six Episodes) introduces each clip with an introduction taped at Abbey Road Studio, where the world-famous London Symphony Orchestra recorded the scores for many of the Star Wars films. Viewers have the option to play the videos with or without the introductions, but McDiarmid's mellow voice and theatrical delivery are enjoyable and add much to the presentation of the various musical montages. 

In addition to the various viewing options (you can watch all the videos in the 70-minute long DVD as one feature, choose individual vignettes, or skip the intros), Star Wars: A Musical Journey contains a very nifty trailer for Lucasarts' video game tie-in to Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. 

While I wish the director had kept the original videos from the first two prequel films, having watched A Musical Journey a few times has made me realize that their mix of film clip, quick shots of the actual production preparations, and footage of Williams conducting the LSO don't quite match the presentation of the other 13 videos. The vignettes are wonderfully edited and blend footage from the six films in a unifying manner, and the music is endlessly compelling and memorable. 


Chapter List: 

1. A Long Time Ago: 20th Century Fox Fanfare and Star Wars Main Title from all films 
2. Dark Forces Conspire: Duel of the Fates from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 
3. A Hero Rises: Anakin's Theme from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 
4. A Fateful Love: Across the Stars from Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones 
5. A Hero Falls: Battle of the Heroes from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 
6. An Empire is Forged: The Imperial March from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back 
7. A Planet That Is Farthest From: The Dune Sea of Tatooine and Jawa Sandcrawler from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope 
8. An Unlikely Alliance: Binary Sunset and Cantina Band from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope 
9. A Defender Emerges: Princess Leia's Theme from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope 
10. A Daring Rescue: Ben's Death/TIE Fighter Attack from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope 
11. A Jedi is Trained: Yoda's Theme from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back 
12. A Narrow Escape: The Asteroid Field from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back 
13. A Bond Unbroken: Luke and Leia from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi 
14. Sanctuary Moon: The Forest Battle (Concert Version) from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi 
15. A Life Redeemed: Light of the Force from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi 
16. A New Day Dawns: Throne Room/Finale from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

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