Back in 1976 when a science fantasy film called Star Wars was nearing completion, no one had very high expectations for it. Tellingly, it was only Steven Spielberg, invited to a rough cut of George Lucas's passion project, who knew for sure he had witnessed something special. "It's gonna be a huge hit," he said.
He wasn't wrong. The film that would come to be known as Star Wars – Episode 4: A New Hope was a unique confluence of outstanding talent: a good script (cribbed from archetypal myths and Westerns), excellent casting (a mix of fresh new faces and veterans of epic and horror cinema), innovative special effects (from a company created especially for the film), stunning costumery and production design (it's still selling toys and merch 45 year later) and, of course, terrific music.
Crashing down moments after the famous epigraph, "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...", John Williams' catchy, rousing and instantly iconic Star Wars score grabs from the movie's first minute. Live orchestral screenings could have been invented for Star Wars. So it's little surprise to find ourselves back at the starting point of the Skywalker saga for a Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performance accompanying a screening of the film.
Nicholas Buc will conduct the Oscar-winning score at the Plenary, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tickets will start at $69 and they are bound to disappear faster than the Millennium Falcon can do the Kessel Run (that's just over 12 parsecs). If you're a fan, you need no further convincing. If you've never seen Star Wars, then this is one hell of a way to start. And if you've never been to an orchestral concert before then congratulations: you're about to take your first step into a larger world.