"A New Hope": Soundtrack vs. Film

This blog will be a comparison of the "A New Hope" soundtrack with the music actually heard in the film, with the timings of the soundtrack (minute:second) on the left, followed by an equal sign (=) and the approximate corresponding timings where that cue is used in the film (hour:minutes:second) on the right. Sections followed by an asterisk (*) are briefly discussed further in the notes below each track's timings.

This comparison is made using the Special Edition DVD of the film, and the accompanying 2-disc soundtrack.


Disc 1 Track 1: 20th Century Fox Fanfare
0:00-0:21 = 0:00:02-0:00:23

Disc 1 Track 2: Main Title/Rebel Blockade Runner
0:00-2:16 = 0:00:29-0:02:45

Disc 1 Track 3: Imperial Attack
0:00-0:04 = not used in film
0:04-6:44 = 0:02:39-0:09:16*
NOTE: This track is an instance where the music is heard ever so slightly faster in the film that it is on the recording to help precisely coordinate the two, accounting for the slight difference in timings (0:04-6:44 is a total of 400 seconds, while 0:02:39-0:09:16 totals 397 seconds).

Disc 1 Track 4: The Dune Sea of Tatooine/Jawa Sandcrawler
0:00-0:57 = 0:10:28-0:11:25
0:57-1:20 = 0:12:31-0:12:52*
1:20-1:37 = not used in film
1:37-1:51 = 0:12:52-0:13:06
1:51-2:44 = not used in film
2:44-4:54 = 0:13:06-0:15:16
NOTE: Where the previous track's discrepancies between the soundtrack timings and the film timings were the product of ever so slight adjustments in playback speed, this track's discrepancies are the result of editing (0:57-1:20 totals 23 seconds, but it occurs in the film from 0:12:31-0:12:52, totaling 21 seconds). But attempting to precisely dictate these edits using the format above would be tremendously tedious and not very informative, so I've chosen instead to write this note explaining in words rather than showing with timings why the soundtrack and film don't match perfectly.

Disc 1 Track 5: The Moisture Farm
Around 0:10 = 0:15:40-0:15:50*
0:00-1:53 = 0:15:50-0:17:41
1:57-2:23 = -0:19:16-0:19:42
NOTE: Once again, the editing of this track at around 0:10 is such that precise comparison would be both difficult to execute and unhelpful to a reader.

Disc 1 Track 6: The Hologram/Binary Sunset
0:00-1:53 = 0:21:08-0:23:00
1:53-4:10 = 0:25:11-0:27:28

Disc 1 Track 7: Landspeeder Search/Attack of the Sand People
0:00-0:09 = 0:27:45-0:27:55
0:09-0:32 = not used in film
0:32-0:42 = 0:27:55-0:28:05
0:50-0:57 = 0:28:05-0:28:12
0:59-1:08 = 0:28:12-0:28:21
1:08-3:21 = 0:28:37-0:30:51

Disc 1 Track 8: Tales of a Jedi Knight/Learn About the Force
0:00-1:39 = 0:31:05-0:32:45
1:39-2:39 = 0:34:08-0:35:06
2:39-3:30 = 0:35:06-0:35:56
3:30-4:30 = 0:36:11-0:37:11

Disc 1 Track 9: Burning Homestead
0:00-1:54 = 0:39:06-0:41:00
1:54-2:52 = 0:41:02-0:41:59*
NOTE: This music overlaps slightly with the next track in the film.

Disc 1 Track 10: Mos Eisley Spaceport
0:00-1:06 = 0:41:42-0:42:48*
1:06-1:20 = not used in film
1:20-2:13 = 0:43:28-0:44:20
NOTE: This music overlaps slightly with the previous track in the film.

Disc 1 Track 11: Cantina Band
0:00-0:29 = 0:44:52-0:45:22
0:00-1:05 = 0:45:54-0:46:59
0:00-0:18 = 0:47:16-0:47:34
1:05-1:57 = not used in film
1:57-2:29 = 0:45:22-0:45:54
2:29-2:47 = not used in film

Disc 1 Track 12: Cantina Band #2
0:00-1:28 = 0:48:24-0:49:53
0:04-0:14 = 0:47:41-0:47:51
0:04-0:27 = 0:47:53-0:48:25
1:33-2:49 = 0:49:58-0:51:14
2:49-2:59 = not used in film
2:59-3:01 = 0:47:51-0:47:53
3:01-3:50 = not used in film

Disc 1 Track 13: Binary Sunset (Alternate)
Alternate takes, not used in film.

Disc 2 Track 1: Princess Leia's Theme
Concert suite (not used in film).

Disc 2 Track 2: The Millennium Falcon/Imperial Cruiser Pursuit
0:00-0:58 = 0:51:42-0:52:41
0:58-1:33 = 0:54:13-0:54:49
1:34-2:12 = 0:55:03-0:55:42
2:12-2:16 = not used in film
2:16-3:52 = 0:55:47-0:57:24

Disc 2 Track 3: Destruction of Alderaan
0:00-1:21 = 0:58:09-0:59:30

Disc 2 Track 4: The Death Star/The Stormtroopers
0:00-1:21= 1:04:28-1:05:51
1:21-1:25 = 1:05:51-1:05:55*
1:22-1:38 = 1:05:54-1:06:11*
1:38-3:35 = 1:07:14-1:09:11
NOTE: There is repetition of 1:22-1:25. This extends the Stormtrooper motif so that it more closely parallels the visuals of the scene.

Disc 2 Track 5: Wookie Prisoner/Detention Block Ambush
0:00-4:03 = 1:12:32-1:16:35
0:39-1:02 = 0:15:16-0:15:40*
NOTE: 0:39-1:02 of this track is used much earlier in the film than the whole track, which is used later on. Presumably this is because the producers of the Special Edition needed music for the additional scenes, and this excerpt (which I assume was not used in the original film) was both available and fit the character of the added scenes.

Disc 2 Track 6: Shootout in the Cell Bay/Dianoga
0:00-2:11 = 1:17:05-1:19:16
2:20-2:38 = 0:42:48-0:43:07*
2:23-2:58 = not used in film
2:58-3:15 = 0:43:07-0:43:24*
NOTE: 2:20-2:38 and 2:58-3:15 are used much earlier in the film than the rest of the track. Again, presumably this is because the producers of the Special Edition needed music for the additional scenes.

Disc 2 Track 7: The Trash Compactor
0:00-0:41 = not used in film?
0:41-3:08 = 1:22:16-1:24:44

Disc 2 Track 8: The Tractor Beam/Chasm Crossfire
0:00-5:19 = 1:25:00-1:30:20

Disc 2 Track 9: Ben Kenobi's Death/Tie Fighter Attack
0:00-0:56 = 1:32:20-1:33:17
0:48-1:31 = 1:33:17-1:34:00
1:32-3:53 = 1:34:02-1:36:23

Disc 2 Track 10: The Battle of Yavin
0:00-1:11 = 1:45:02-1:46:17 *
1:11-4:32 = 1:46:17-1:49:39
4:33-9:07 = 1:53:25-1:57:58
NOTE: The first minute plus of this track is slowed by about 5% in the film. This accounts for the timing discrepancy (0:00-1:11 is 71 seconds, while 1:45:02-1:46:17 is 56 seconds). Starting at 1:11, however, the track resumes full speed (so there is no such timing discrepancy between the soundtrack and the film).

Disc 2 Track 11: The Throne Room/End Title
0:00-2:57 = 1:58:28-2:01:26
2:17-5:35 = 2:01:26-2:04:45