Amidst the stunning natural beauty of Italy's elitist millionaire playground Lake Como location, Hayden Christensen (enjoying his first journeying time beyond American shores) and Natalie Portman add their youthful appeal to the then in-filming
Attack of the Clones of 2000, playing the ultimately doomed lovers Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala for this posed publicity image aimed deliberately at the younger pin-up side of fandom, in an attempt to hype up the film's romantic aspects.
At first, the duo's onscreen love story was to have been the main crux of EPISODE II, as writer/director George Lucas first told many of his behind the scenes team in 1999, but this idea eventually gave way and was soon reduced in ambition so as to realize the bigger in scope and equally plot important launch of The Clone Wars - the dark shadow lead-in to the brutality ahead with
Revenge of the Sith. Nonetheless, stalwart composer
John Williams once again delivered the goods in composing a spectacular piece of courtly, tragic love for these star-crossed lovers:
Beyond the Stars, a hauntingly beautiful piece very reminiscent to the work that Williams had previously created for that little seventies-made television movie gem,
Jane Eyre. Enhanced further by the ever-talented
London Symphony Orchestra, this evocative theme is one of many in the newly re-released and remastered original soundtrack for EPISODE II, out now on nice-priced CD from
Walt Disney Records, alongside the rest of the Prequel and Classic Trilogy albums. Additionally, each volume comes with a collectible mini poster.
Get it here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Wars-Attack-John-Williams/dp/B07BF2488G/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_cp_0_22?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07BF2488G&pd_rd_r=74EPNNKMRGVHMWAC88RK&pd_rd_w=rE0V8&pd_rd_wg=yXMb2&psc=1&refRID=74EPNNKMRGVHMWAC88RK
