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 All of Coruscant celebrates the death of Emperor Palpatine |
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There are some who believe George Lucas went too far when he made the Special Editions. They believe some of the changes he made go against the original spirit of the trilogy. For example, in A New Hope, the catina meeting between Greedo and Han Solo is totally different than when it was first shot. In the original cut, Han shoots Greedo first. In the Special Edition, Lucas had ILM make Greedo shoot first, miss, and then have Solo shoot Greedo dead. Many fans were up in arms about this, as they believed a rough and tumble rogue like Solo would have shot first and asked questions later. It is meddling that leads many to think that the original trilogy should not have been touched in any way. This includes leaving the Ewok song as the final piece of music in Jedi.
While I too have some issues with some of the changes Lucas made to the original trilogy, there are some good things to say about the new Victory Celebration song at the end of Jedi. The way that Lucas altered the end of Jedi, I believe he had no other choice than to change the music. In the original ending, Luke lights the funeral pyre and the camera pans up to show X-wings dispensing fireworks in the sky. The shot then transitions to the Ewok village (and the Ewok song starts) where a large celebration is being held. In the Special Edition ending, after the fireworks are shown, the scene transitions to three CGI shots. They show the inhabitants of Cloud City, Mos Eisley (on Tatooine), and Coruscant, all celebrating the fall of the Empire. It is during these CGI shots that the Victory Celebration song plays. If the Ewok song was kept, it would have been awkward to hear Ewok singing while shots are shown of other places. The new song doesn't represent one place or another, it is more general in its origin. Also, in my opinion, the Victory Celebration has a more regal theme to it. As you listen to it and watch the final scenes, you can feel the weight of the moment. The entire galaxy is free of the Empire, Luke has rescued his father from the Dark Side, and this whole monumental struggle is finally over. I like how the new song fits in with the changes Lucas made at the end of the movie.
Well, thanks for reading this analysis! If you have your own opinions on this topic, I'd like to hear them.
