Episode 58 - Return of the Jedi

The schedule to compose and record the score for "Return of the Jedi" was pushed up about a month, leaving John Williams with much less time to draft music to close out the original trilogy. The delays on finishing visual effects meant Williams couldn't get the full finished film at once, only about 30 minutes at a time. The rushed process near the end is evident in the music for the final 30 minutes or so, with jarring edits all over the place. Despite that, Williams did some great work on this film, including the creation of the Ewok theme that host Jeff Commings believes is a cousin of an existing theme in the Star Wars universe. He also discusses the music for the Emperor and its use of that "horror chord" to suggest pure evil. Plus, he makes an interesting discovery about the music for the final lightsaber battle. And John Williams got to work with son Joseph for the first time, as father and son created two songs for the original version. Hop onto your speeder and join us for this fun ride through this score!