Soundtrack Review: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

Posted by Jon Blough

September 13, 2009

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This is a review of the motion picture score Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace by John Williams.

“A real classic, but only if you get the whole picture.”

As a younger-than-most film score reviewer, I know little of what it truly means to WAIT for a Star Wars score (although considering how long it will probably take for legitimate complete albums to come out for the prequel trilogy, that status should change). It took 20 years of short, inadequate releases to get a satisfying release for the original trilogy. Still, it’s hard to not yearn for a full release of the music, considering how much brilliant material Williams composed. The release history of The Phantom Menace makes it the most complex tale of the trilogy as it has received two commercial albums with less than the “complete” score.

Real Game Changer

Above moping aside, the original album is still strong and presents the major themes quite well. “Duel of the Fates” was a real game-changer for the composer, whipping up a big Sanskrit-chanting choir with some of the most cohesive ruckus the composer had ever produced. While it may sit far outside the musical universe of the original trilogy, for a more modern approach it’s downright awesome. In contrast sits the innocent “Anakin’s Theme”, a light string melody that intelligently weaves in the final four notes of the Imperial March. It’s only shame is how shortchanged it would become in the following scores. Further aiding these are the grand Droid March (addictive every time you hear it) and a delightfully bouncy theme for Jar-Jar that could have found a home in Hook (a score that TPM shares fare more similarities with than it does the original trilogy)

There are a number of standout moments separate from these. The action (namely “The Droid Battle” and “Anakin Defeats Sebulba”) is modern Williams excitement at its best, complexly orchestrated and relentlessly driving. There are a number of powerful choral uses (“Qui-Gon’s Funeral” being the best). “The Flag Parade” is one of the composer’s finest regal fanfares. And numerous references to original trilogy themes are scattered throughout. Yet the suite arrangement robs the score of the narrative momentum that all the original trilogy albums had in spades, and various highlights and themes are absent.

Complete Score

Fans were initially delighted when the release of The Ultimate Edition promised a “complete score” that could solve these issues. Qui-Gon’s noble theme and the lighter theme for Anakin and his mother both show up, with one or both factoring into melodic highlights like “Talk of Podracing” and “Anakin is Free”. The new action, namely “Fighting the Destroyer Droids” and “The Tide Turns”, is poundingly good, especially with the latter’s sensational performance of the Force theme. And the score builds up its emotions and power as it progresses to its climax, giving off most of the momentum that the original trilogy scores had in spades. Yet this release still proved unsatisfying. It is not a “complete score” as advertised, rather an audio rip with many sharp edits and rampant temping in the Battle of Naboo. “Duel of the Fates” is cut and pasted to a tiresome level and Anakin’s Theme shows up during the Gungan fight. Even “Anakin Defeats Sebulba” is temped over by “Escape From Naboo”. Sure, the temping was a casualty of the rushed final weeks of production, but Fox’s inability to provide the real recordings makes this otherwise superb release (much more well-rounded than the original) seem like a money grab.

Conclusion

For those willing to venture outside the realm of the commercial albums, full remedies can be found. The actual music composed by Williams for the final battle, as well as a few other segments that were shortened for the film, can be heard in the video game, and resourceful individuals have been able to piece these and some master tape alternates into legitimately complete bootlegs. The final battle proves much more enjoyable here. “Duel of the Fates (Unused)” and “The Great Battle” feature variations (not temping) on the battle theme, mostly through a more powerful choral presence. “Forest Mist” gives the emergence of the Gungans a more powerful percussive oomph. And numerous other cues like “Take to Your Ships” (as well as the earlier “Droid Fight) get exciting little inserts. The alternates also prove worthy for their noticeably different orchestrations, the best being the amped-up percussion and brass propulsion in “Escape From Naboo (Alternate)”. Even the End Credits receives a larger percussion presence and choir arrangement for its “Duel of the Fates” insert, making it seem like less of a rehash than it was on the prior two albums. Such bootlegs (given that they’re fan-constructed, variants seem inevitable) prove the only way to listen to this score without being slightly disappointed. TPM is not an instant masterpiece like its predecessors, but it’s themes are superb, it’s action is spirited, it’s dramatic underscore is emotional, and its entire presentation is almost consistently engaging. A real classic, but only if you get the whole picture.

Original Album (74:15)
1. Star Wars Main Title and the Arrival at Naboo (2:55)
2. Duel of the Fates (4:14)
3. Anakin’s Theme (3:09)
4. Jar Jar’s Introduction and the Swim to Otoh Gunga (5:07)
5. The Sith Spacecraft and the Droid Battle (2:37)
6. The Trip to the Naboo Temple and the Audience with Boss Nass (4:07)
7. The Arrival at Tatooine and the Flag Parade (4:04)
8. He is the Chosen One (3:53)
9. Anakin Defeats Sebulba (4:24)
10. Passage Through the Planet Core (4:48)
11. Watto’s Deal and Kids at Play (4:57)
12. Panaka and the Queen’s Protectors (3:24)
13. Queen Amidala and the Naboo Palace (4:51)
14. The Droid Invasion and the Appearance of Darth Maul (5:14)
15. Qui-Gon’s Noble End (3:48)
16. The High Council Meeting and Qui-Gon’s Funeral (3:09)
17. Augie’s Municipal Band and End Credits (9:37)

2-CD Ultimate Edition (124:31)
Disc One
1. Fox Fanfare (0:23)
2. Star Wars Main Title (1:24)
3. Boarding the Federation Battleship (2:31)
4. Death Warrant for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan (1:18)
5. Fighting the Destroyer Droids (1:44)
6. Queen Amidala Warns the Federation (2:23)
7. The Droid Invasion (1:00)
8. Swimming to Otoh Gunga (0:56)
9. Inside the Bubble City (3:05)
10. Attack of the Giant Fish (1:37)
11. Darth Sidious (1:04)
12. The Giant Squid and the Attack on Theed (1:18)
13. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan Rescue the Queen (2:09)
14. Fighting the Guards (1:42)
15. Escape from Naboo (2:04)
16. Enter Darth Maul (1:07)
17. The Arrival at Tatooine (2:28)
18. Street Band of Mos Espa (1:17)
19. Padme Meets Anakin (1:12)
20. Desert Winds (1:28)
21. Jar Jar’s Run In with Sebulba (1:18)
22. Anakin’s Home and the Introduction to Threepio (2:42)
23. Darth Sidious and Darth Maul (1:12)
24. Talk of Podracing (2:59)
25. Watto’s Deal/Shmi and Qui-Gon Talk (2:24)
26. Anakin, Podracer Mechanic (1:38)
27. The Racer Roars to Life/Anakin’s Midi-Chlorian Count (1:24)
28. Darth Maul and the Sith Spacecraft (1:00)
29. Mos Espa Arena Band (0:53)
30. Watto’s Roll of the Die (1:59)
31. The Flag Parade (1:14)
32. Sebulba’s Dirty Hand/Qui-Gon’s Pep Talk (1:37)
33. Anakin Defeats Sebulba (2:17)
34. Hail to the Winner, Anakin Skywalker (1:13)
35. The Street Singer (1:13)

Disc 2
1. Anakin is Free (5:04)
2. Qui-Gon and Darth Maul Meet (1:48)
3. Anakin and Group to Coruscant (4:11)
4. The Queen and Palpatine (0:41)
5. High Council Meeting (2:37)
6. The Senate (1:12)
7. Anakin’s Test (3:41)
8. Qui-Gon’s Mission/Obi-Wan’s Warning (3:47)
9. Nute and Rune Confer with Darth Sidious (0:29)
10. The Queen and Group Land on Naboo (2:19)
11. Jar Jar Leads Group to the Gungans (2:25)
12. War Plans (2:31)
13. Darth Sidious Receives News of the Gungan Army (0:25)
14. The Gungans March (0:57)
15. The Queen and her Group Sneak Back to the Palace (0:18)
16. The Battle Begins (0:24)
17. The Republic Pilots Take Off Into Space (1:26)
18. Activate the Droids (0:44)
19. The Gungans Fight Back (0:24)
20. The Duel Begins (0:51)
21. Anakin Takes Off in Spaceship (0:47)
22. The Duel Continues (0:59)
23. The Battle Rages On (1:59)
24. Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul Continue Battle (1:22)
25. Qui-Gon, Darth Maul, and the Invisible Wall (0:14)
26. The Gungans Retreat and the Queen Surrenders (2:18)
27. The Death of Qui-Gon and the Surrender of the Gungans (2:28)
28. The Tide Turns/The Death of Darth Maul (3:24)
29. The Queen Confronts Nute and Rune (1:47)
30. The Funeral of Qui-Gon (1:18)
31. The Parade (1:24)
32. End Credits (8:14)
33. Duel of the Fates (Dialogue Version) (4:21)

Bootleg (146:41)
Disc One
1.    Fox Fanfare 0:23
2.    Star Wars Main Title 1:30
3.    The Arrival 2:42
4.    Gas Leak 1:31
5.    Droid Fight 1:47
6.    Droid Fight (First Run) 1:52
7.    Queen Amidala 2:40
8.    The Droid Invasion 1:27
9.    Introducing Jar-Jar 2:16
10.    Bubble World 3:04
11.    Gone Fishin’ 1:38
12.    Darth Sidious 1:22
13.    Tentacles 1:23
14.    Tentacles (First Run) 1:22
15.    Theed Palace Arrival 2:18
16.    You’re Under Arrest 1:56
17.    Escape From Naboo 2:12
18.    Escape From Naboo (Alternate) 2:12
19.    Enter Darth Maul 1:03
20.    Arrival At Tatooine 2:35
21.    Street Band of Mos Espa 1:18
22.    Padme Meets Anakin/Hit The Nose 1:17
23.    Desert Winds 1:28
24.    Jar-Jar’s Run-In With Sebulba 1:28
25.    Anakin’s Home and the Introduction to Threepio 2:43
26.    Running Out of Time 1:12
27.    Talk of Podracing 2:59
28.    Watto’s Deal 2:25
29.    Kids At Play 1:39
30.    The Racer Roars To Life 1:28
31.    The Sith Spacecraft 1:06
32.    Mos Espa Arena Band 0:58
33.    Chance Cube 2:00
34.    The Flag Parade 2:13
35.    The Flag Parade (First Run) 2:15
36.    Jabba Introduction/Start Your Engine 1:47
37.    The Race Begins 1:40
38.    Anakin Defeats Sebulba 1:57
39.    Anakin’s Great Victory 1:14
40.    The Street Singer 1:14
41.    Anakin Is Free 4:54
42.    Maul’s Approach 0:24
43.    Darth and Qui-Gon 1:26
44.    Darth and Qui-Gon (First Run) 1:25

Disc Two
1.    Arrival At Coruscant 4:04
2.    The Queen and Palpatine 0:42
3.    High Council Meeting I 0:44
4.    High Council Meeting I (Alternate) 0:30
5.    High Council Meeting II 1:55
6.    The Senate 1:22
7.    Anakin’s Test 3:42
8.    He Is the Chosen one 3:53
9.    Nute and Rune Confer With Darth Sidious 0:36
10.    Naboo Temple 2:32
11.    The Gungans 2:35
12.    War Plans I 1:02
13.    War Plans II 1:30
14.    Forest Mist 1:03
15.    Drums Insert 0:34
16.    The Armies Face Off 0:54
17.    Moving Forward 1:16
18.    Take To Your Ships 1:33
19.    Laser Fight March 1:13
20.    Darth Maul Insert 0:15
21.    Anakin Takes Off 0:46
22.    Duel of the Fates (Unused) 2:50
23.    The Big Army 0:28
24.    The Droid Battle 2:19
25.    Up The Wire 0:13
26.    The Great Duel 1:08
27.    The Invisible Wall 0:19
28.    Crash Landing 0:48
29.    Qui-Gon’s Noble End 2:24
30.    The Tide Turns 1:32
31.    The Tide Turns (First Run) 1:27
32.    The End of Darth Maul 1:38
33.    Conferring With Yoda 1:51
34.    Qui-Gon’s Funeral 1:21
35.    Augie’s Great Municipal Band (Film Version w/minor sfx) 1:27
36.    End Credits (Original Suite) 7:49
37.    Duel of the Fates 4:15
38.    Anakin’s Theme 3:09