Published on Aug 6, 2000
I must start this review by thanking all those folks that
dropped by and read my reviews of the
Star Wars Trilogy soundtracks. Particularly the folks at The
Force.net and Star Wars Database for directing traffic this way.
Thanks!
Now, if you read those reviews, you may have noticed that I
refer to the late ’70s-early ’80s as John Williams’ Golden Period.
Why? Because of the amount of quality work that he released during
that time! Starting with
Jaws (whose soundtrack will be reviewed here soon) and
running to
Return Of The Jedi, I consider all of his stuff necessary
for anyone who enjoys great movie music. (Of course, he would go on
and do other great scores —
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade,
Schindler’s List,
Jurassic Park among others — but these would be spaced
between less-than-stellar works.)
Among those scores from his heyday, Mr. Williams bestowed upon a
simple movie adventure one of his greatest. Set against the
backdrop of World War II,
Raiders Of The Lost Ark introduced Indiana Jones to the
movie-going world and instantly placed it in its pantheon of
heroes. Both director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas
must have known that this type of movie would require some
epic-style adventure music. Lucky for them, they had the best
composer available on speed dial.
Any mention of this score must begin with the classic “Raiders’
Theme” — AKA “dum-duh-dum-dum, dum-duh-dum.” Again, Williams is
able to aptly catch the essence of a character in a single piece of
music. Indy is the larger-than-life hero that forever lives on the
largest movie screens. He can outfight, outfox and outshoot anyone
in his path — be it Nazis, Amazonian warriors or even nests of
snakes.
The music takes turns between soft, other-wordly, fun-action and
serious-action. In the soft category, we have “Marion’s Theme,” or
the love theme for the movie. Played by the winds in the movie —
and repeated by the violins later on — the theme is tender and
melancholic. It seems to symbolize a love that was ignored, but
that both main characters still feel.
In the other-wordly category, we have the Ark’s theme. First
appearing in “Journey To Nepal” — right after Marion’s theme —
this theme doesn’t reach its apex until “The Map Room: Dawn,” where
Indy finally discovers the true location of the Ark of the
Covenant. It is later repeated in “Reunion And The Dig Begins.”
Later on, it makes a full-fledged return with “The Miracle Of The
Ark,” where the villains finally get what they deserve. There’s
also a theme for Marion’s medallion — first appearing in the
aptly-named, “The Medallion” — that is closely tied to the Ark’s
theme. It is later united with the Ark’s theme in “Ark Trek.”
Besides those two themes, Williams also composes some low music
to designate Indy’s explorations. “In The Idol’s Temple” is creepy
as hero and his sidekick move through the Amazonian temple. “The
Well Of The Souls” is also atmospheric and dangerous. Both
underscore the dangers that Indy places himself into — booby
traps, natural dangers and the decay of centuries of neglect — to
reach his various prizes.
However, this wouldn’t be a true Indy movie without some
adventures. Williams manages to create music that is both light and
heavy for these sequences. On the fun side, we have “Flight From
Peru,” where Indy is forced to flee from the Hovito warriors. Here
the music, though Indy is in danger, turns more fanciful and
heroic, culminating in the first statement of the “Raiders March.”
More amusing is “The Basket Game,” where Indy and Marion are
attacked in the streets of Cairo. While we know the dangers they
face in the Nazi henchmen, the scenes never take any gravity until
the very end, when the music turns dark.
On the more serious action pieces, we have “Airplane Fight,”
where Indy fights a gigantic Nazi thug. The music gains more
urgency as Marion becomes trapped in the flying wing. “The German
Sub/To The Nazi Hangout” is also filled with urgency, as the Nazis
seem to have won. Suddenly the low sounds give way to a triumphant
rise of the “Raiders March” — as the hero manages to outsmart the
Nazi men. It turns low and creepy again for Indy’s infiltration
into the Nazi base.
The best action sequence in the entire score has to be, without
a doubt, “Desert Chase.” Changing tempos and themes so quickly that
you barely get the chance to recognize all of the nuances, this is
one of the best pieces in all of Williams’ career. Matching the
fast speed pace of the scenes, Williams’ score twists and turns as
both Indy and the Nazis take turns placing each other in check. If
you want pure adrenaline-filled action music, play this piece over
and over.
In the end, with this score, Williams breathed life into a whole
new series. The themes introduced here would flesh out the emotions
and sequences of one of the most adventurous movies of the last
twenty years. To paraphrase Steven Spielberg, Indy knew when to
creep, when to run, when to duck and when to fight because he paid
close attention to the music Williams was playing. Do you hear the
music playing behind you? Dum-duh-dum-dum/Dum-duh-dum…