Luke Skywalker faces the twin suns in Star Wars A New Hope (1977). Film frame via Lucasfilm. © & ™ Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Luke Skywalker lives somewhere with two suns and still wants to leave. This is reassuring news for anyone who has ever been told they ought to appreciate the view.
In A New Hope, he steps outside and looks towards the horizon. There is no speech explaining his ambitions. The desert, the fading light and John Williams's music give the feeling enough room to unfold.
George Lucas asked Williams for something romantic and wistful. I think that is the detail that helps me understand the scene. Luke isn't being given the musical equivalent of a motivational seminar. He is allowed to want another life without yet knowing what it will contain.
Somewhere can be home, and lovely, and still feel too small for the person you are becoming. “But it's beautiful here” can be perfectly true and not especially helpful.
One production detail makes the image even more appealing. The crew had to wait through unsuitable weather before filming the sunset in Tunisia; the second sun was added later as a matte element. Even a very famous moment of longing needed the sky to cooperate.
The composition lets Luke remain a person looking out, rather than a face required to explain itself. We can follow his gaze. The space beyond him gives his uncertainty somewhere to go.
My mind goes to the pictures that might gather around a departure. The suitcase beside the door, the final meal, somebody standing in a room that is almost empty. They can be a little awkward because the event hasn't quite happened yet. People are still making tea and checking whether they've packed the charger.
We know what is waiting for Luke. He doesn't. For this brief scene, he hasn't become the person the rest of the story will make of him. He is at home, looking out, with a great deal still unsettled. I like that the film gives us a little time with him before all of that gets decided.
