Star Wars Act 1 Scene 1 Analysis

A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, history was made. Star Wars swept the world in May 25, 1977. Some of the most iconic pulp culture characters, ships, music, and moments appeared in this film. We meet Luke Skywalker, a young farmer boy who goes on to save the galaxy. The Romantic styled music of Star Wars is one of the many things that makes it such a memorable film. Emotional scenes are complemented by the incredible score. Luke Skywalker has always dreamed about being a pilot. His uncle doesn’t like this idea and wants him to stay and work on their farm. This angers and confuses Luke. He’s upset at how controlling his uncle is. Luke leaves his house one evening to think about his future. We watch as he looks up to the sky longingly

Being told that you can’t follow your dreams is very common. This scene is also very alien because of the desert planet and two suns. This is one of my favorite scenes in anything. From the acting, to the cinematography, and especially the music. This scene was done perfectly.

This scene is so iconic for several reasons. The acting of Mark Hamill conveys very strong emotion even without any words being spoken. The scenery immerses the viewer in this alien, yet familiar world. Most importantly, the music is what makes this scene. The music shows Luke’s internal struggle and how he feels like a speck in a large galaxy. The lack of dialogue allows the music to control the scene. The rhythm of Binary Sunset is one of it’s most unique aspects. The notes are gentle, long, and emotional. The beat has four meters where one and three are more emphasized. The tempo slowly builds up until the suns are revealed and the music crescendos. The melody is soft in this scene, using horn, string, and wind instruments, but there is also a more intense version which uses trumpets and trombones, the theme is conjunct and set in minor key, but ends with a more positive major IV chord and uses more consonance than dissonance. The timbre is very subdued and slow while the form is fittingly binary. The texture is monophonic because there are no voices. The dynamic changes in this theme are very subtle. It begins slow and quite, but continues to pick