Project #5: Most Important Moment Written Review: Star Wars: The New Hope

 Star Wars: The New Hope

Binary Sunset Scene: https://youtu.be/rGUYAuAtRCk 
    

    Star Wars: The New Hope, aired in theaters in 1977 and was the first ever Star Wars movie created and started the first original trilogy. The New Hope is a sci-Fi movie set in a galaxy far, far away, written and directed by George Lucas, music composed by John Williams. The movie is played by Mark Hamil (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fischer (Leia Organa), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), David Prowse (Darth Vader). The movie begins with Leia Organa escaping from the Galactic Empire with the plans to destroy the ultimate superweapon, the death star. Leia gets caught by Darth Vader and is taken prisoner but her droids R2-D2 and C-3PO escaped onto the remote outer-rim planet, Tatooine. Luke Skywalker finds the droids and asks help from a smuggler, Han Solo, to help rescue Princess Leia and return her droids. 

    Star Wars is one of my favorite movie series' ever and this was the first ever Star Wars movie to ever release which began the popularity. This set up the stage for the original trilogy. Star Wars: The New Hope isn't one of my all-time favorites but it was a very well done movie at the time it was released. 

    The scene I will be analyzing is the 'Binary Sunset' scene in the beginning of the movie. The scene starts off with Luke Skywalker sitting and eating dinner with his Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen at the family farm. Luke wants to go to the Imperial Academy on Tatooine but Uncle Owen denies his request as they need help with the upcoming harvest season for their farm. Luke leaves the dinner table and Aunt Beru claims that Luke is not a farmer and most of his friends are gone, as he is just like his father. Luke leaves to the surface of the farm and walks to the slight curve where the hole to the house is. As we see Luke walking to the curve to where he stands at a slight uphill angle, the sky has 2 suns at a sunset (as why the scene is called 'binary sunset'). Luke is staring at the twin suns for a moment in the movie and the scene ends with him walking back to the farm. 






    The two techniques I will be analyzing are the use of camera shots and sound to convey meaning. 

    When Luke is looking at the binary sunset, we get a medium shot of Luke looking at the right of the screen which is where the sunset he is looking at. The camera cuts to a close-up shot of the two suns that Luke was looking at in the previous shot. These camera shots are very important to the scene as the medium shot is used to convey Luke's struggles as he is an emotional state of disappointment and the close-up shot of the twin suns can also convey the where Luke wants to go, which is off the planet and away from his family where he would always sees the twin suns. In the medium shot, you could also see Luke's emotional struggle from his face as he is placed at an angle of heroism (beginning his soon-to-be adventure in the movie). 



    The technique of non-diegetic sound also comes into play a whole lot which emphasizes the camera shots' meaning. This is because of the soundtrack that was composed by John Williams. When Luke walks out of the farm and approaches the middle of the farm, the soundtrack has a flute alternating between 2 notes and a french horn picks up the bottom note that the flute last played and a melody is created which is widely popular in Star Wars films. The melody being played by the french horn has a pure tone and displays Luke's inner thoughts as it is somewhat sad but uplifting. This happens when Luke is looking out into the sunset. The french horn crescendos into a high note that the entire orchestra picks up repeats its melody and creates a majestic cinema moment that is widely popular today. This non-diegetic sound was to create a sense of meaning to Luke as it shows that he wants to achieve his dream  of leaving the farm and exploring more of his life, but is limited by his family. This can connect to what Aunt Beru said of how Luke acts a lot like his father. A person that wants to find their meaning in life. 

    These two techniques accomplish an emotional and majestic scene of heroism in Luke as it sets up the story for the trilogy. The binary sunset is also used in the prequels trilogy and in the sequels trilogy to show the world of Star Wars. This scene is one of my favorites as I am a french horn player and it is one of the coolest horn solos I've heard. John Williams movie scores are also very popular and have the best music ever made. 

                                                                                                                                    By: Austin Eldridge


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