Editing Star Wars (film) (section)

== Soundtrack ==
{{Main|Star Wars (soundtrack)}}
Lucas initially planned to use pre-existing music for ''Star Wars'', rather than an original score. Since the film portrayed alien worlds, he believed recognizable music was needed to create a sense of familiarity. He hired [[John Williams]] as a music consultant, and showed him a collection of orchestral pieces he intended to use for the soundtrack.<ref>Star Wars Liner Notes, 1977</ref> After Williams convinced Lucas that an original score would be preferable, Lucas tasked him with creating it. A few of the composer's finished pieces were influenced by Lucas's initial orchestral selections. The "Main Title Theme" was inspired by the theme from the 1942 film ''[[Kings Row]]'' (scored by [[Erich Wolfgang Korngold]]), and the "Dune Sea of Tatooine" was influenced by the music of ''[[Bicycle Thieves]]'' (scored by [[Alessandro Cicognini]]). Lucas later denied he ever considered using pre-existing music for the film.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hischak |first=Thomas S. |title=The Encyclopedia of Film Composers |date=April 16, 2015 |isbn=978-1-4422-4550-1 |publisher=Rowman and Littlefield |location=Lanham, Maryland |oclc=908031206}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite magazine |last=Ross |first=Alex |date=July 21, 2020 |title=The Force Is Still Strong with John Williams |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/the-force-is-still-strong-with-john-williams |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101005324/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/the-force-is-still-strong-with-john-williams |archive-date=November 1, 2020 |access-date=November 19, 2020 |magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref>

Over a period of 12 days in March 1977, Williams and the [[London Symphony Orchestra]] recorded the ''Star Wars'' score.<ref name="Dreams">{{cite AV media |title=[[Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy]] |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox Home Entertainment |year=2004}}</ref> The soundtrack was released as a double LP in 1977 by [[20th Century Fox Records]].<ref name=":22">{{Cite news |last=Abramovitch |first=Seth |date=January 29, 2021 |title=Hollywood Flashback: John Williams' 'Star Wars' Score Won a Golden Globe and an Oscar |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-flashback-john-williams-star-wars-score-won-a-golden-globe-and-an-oscar |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203080633/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-flashback-john-williams-star-wars-score-won-a-golden-globe-and-an-oscar |archive-date=February 3, 2021 |access-date=February 8, 2021 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Star Wars [sound recording] Original soundtrack composed and conducted by John Williams/ John Williams. |url=https://find.slv.vic.gov.au/discovery/fulldisplay/alma9929661833607636/61SLV_INST:SLV |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=[[State Library of Victoria]] |language=en}}</ref> That year, the label also released ''[[The Story of Star Wars]]'', an audio drama adaptation of the film utilizing some of its music, dialogue, and sound effects.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=The London Symphony Orchestra* – The Story Of Star Wars |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/132979-The-London-Symphony-Orchestra-The-Story-Of-Star-Wars |access-date=July 31, 2024 |website=Discogs}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last= |date=2016-07-31 |title=The Story of Star Wars on Vinyl - 1977 |url=https://swnz.co.nz/2016/07/31/story-star-wars-vinyl-1977/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Star Wars New Zealand |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

In 2005, the [[American Film Institute]] chose the ''Star Wars'' soundtrack as the best film score of all time.<ref name="AFIscore" />