GEORGE LUCAS’S CLASSIC SPACE TALE, STAR WARS – A NEW HOPE”, SOARS WITH THE SF SYMPHONY…
Something’s just got better in time, like fine wine, good music and Star War’s, George Lucas’s epic space film. On Thursday, August 19, the magic of Star Wars – A New Hope was brought to life bigger, bolder and louder than ever with the SF Symphony. You could feel the anticipation in the air at Davie’s Symphony Hall as the final cue bells rang out giving eager fans notice to quickly take their seats. The roar of cheers and applause was deafening as the giant screen projected the Star Wars logo with opening credits and conductor Sarah Hicks took the stage kicking off John William’s legendary musical score and recognizable themes.
Since the release of a New Hope in 1977, Star War’s films have had a far-reaching impact on popular culture globally. With the genius and animation of creator George Lucas, Star War’s has inspired generations of film lovers with their iconic visuals, sounds, narratives, characters, and have spawned numerous sequels, spin-offs, games, texts, novelty items, toys, Disney attractions and more generating billions of dollars globally for the franchise. This exciting legacy, of course, translated over to a night that went well beyond expectations and really gave you an uplifting feeling, giving validation to the tagline, “A New Hope”, as it really was inspiring. Also given that actress Carrie Fischer, who plays Princess Leah, died recently it was like going back in time to feel the impact she had on the film and for those not old enough to really appreciate her magnetic poise and power when it was first released. Every time one of the films iconic characters hit the screen, roars of applause sounded off, from Mark Hamill’s Skywalker to Harrison Ford’s cocky Han Solo. Even Chewbacca got his share of applause, but ironically it was the dark side’s Darth Vader that seemed to get the biggest claps and cheers from the audience, with his huge presence, voiced by the James Earl Jones, who is also known for voicing the powerful Mufasa character from Disney’s, “The Lion King. Its hard to believe, but its been reported that Jones only got paid $7000 for voicing Darth Vader, one of the greatest and most famous characters of all time and t would be hard pressed today to imagine anyone else being able to voice Darth Vader.
Star Wars – A New Hope was an intergalactic battle for the ages with Sarah Hicks navigating through each part perfectly and the orchestra was just excellent hitting all the emotions and excitement of the film’s journey and giving so much musical richness and tone to William’s amazing score. A high note came when Hick’s came on after the Intermission and flashed the audience her awesome light saber baton and fans clearly showed their approval. The film closed of course on a good note as the rebel alliance won its first victory knocking out the death star and the Empire’s plans for taking over the Galaxy temporarily. Of course, this is a trilogy and up next is the “Empire Strikes Back” led by conductor Emil De Cou, and then “The Return Of The Jedi” led by Jack Everly. If “Star Wars” – A New Hope is any indication of what’s ahead, I would absolutely recommend that fans that missed out on this opening engagement should definitely not miss the next one, heck why not catch both as its not everyday that you get to see Star Wars on the big screen and live in concert with the San Francisco Symphony!