Category: Indiana Jones

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2023 Film I Indiana Jones Music Reviews Soundtracks Soundtracks by Title Year

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny – music by John Williams

4 min read

Order this CDFirst things first: I’m listening to this soundtrack without having seen the movie; the track list might spoil something for you, but I won’t. John Williams is still one of those “get the soundtrack sight unseen/unheard” composers for me, and to even be listening to this is a surprise. Wasn’t he announcing his retirement from film scoring not that long ago? What happened? Did Mr. Burns (or Steven Spielberg) tap the “don’t forget, you’re here forever” sign on the wall?

But if the result is Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, I can make peace with Williams’ quick punch-of-the-undo-button on his retirement announcement. Like I said, I have no idea what to expect from the movie itself; reviews have been…colorfully mixed…at best. And honestly, I’m not sure how high my personal bar is set after Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. I’m not sure I’ve even set up a bar, I just want a more dignified exit for Indy than what Han Solo got. In some respects, Williams’ music for The Dial Of Destiny does hearken back to The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi – there are major action setpieces that rank among Williams’ Best, but for the most part, we’re getting a somewhat more contemplative take on the ongoing adventures.

The lengthy prologue is a good reminder that Williams’ superpowers extend to building tension and dread, not just big action scenes. It’s followed by “Helena’s Theme”, which is also reprised at the end of the album (and as a standalone single) with solo violin by Anne-Sophie Mutter; this initial appearance is a more widescreen orchestral version highlighting thematic material that turns up later in the score, and it’s a typically gorgeous Williams theme. “Germany 1944” is the first major action piece on the album, and the first time that Indy’s theme shows up on the album as well, and – as intended – it’s a rewind to Indy’s glory days in the ’80s. Never mind the de-aging CGI, Williams is doing the heavy lifting here.

“To Morocco” is a musical travelogue that leans heavily on “Helena’s Theme”, while “Voller Returns” builds more tension. “Auction at Hotel L’Atlantique” has some moments of whimsy leading up to action, providing a good segue into the next big action piece, “Tuk Tuk in Tangiers”. “To Athens” spins the “Helena’s Theme” motif into something more adventurous, and joins it with Indy’s theme. “Perils Of The Deep” is more contemplative and slightly menacing; “Water Ballet” picks up that menace and runs with it, with some intriguing sounds that are clearly the movie’s big “horror” scene. “Polybius Cipher” and “The Grafikos” pour on the mystery and the swashbuckling, both with Indy’s theme and suggestions of Helena’s theme. “Archimedes’ Tomb” continues the mystery, while “The Airport” and “Battle Of Syracuse” are more action oriented.

It all comes together in “Centuries Join Hands” and “New York 1969”, the latter of which closes things out with the fullest statement of Indy’s theme to be found on the album. (It’s a given that there’s probably quite a bit more music in the movie than we’re getting here, a quandary to be solved by an adventurous soundtrack specialty label at some point in the future, hopefully before the day someone decides that CD reissues belong in a museum.)

4 out of 4Even if the movie isn’t the return to form that everyone is, deep down, hoping it is, John Williams’ score is the real marvel of time travel going on with this movie. It’s a period piece within a period piece: a rewind to his 1980s-style musical accompaniment for characters of an even-more-bygone era. Whether or not the movie successfully delivers that, the soundtrack doesn’t let up, and doesn’t let the listener down. Any five-minute stretch of this score does more to proclaim that Indiana Jones is back – and does more to make you believe it – than the best trailer ever could. And that’s probably why no one’s letting John Williams retire.

  1. Prologue to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (06:01)
  2. Helena’s Theme (03:30)
  3. Germany, 1944 (04:43)
  4. To Morocco (03:21)
  5. Voller Returns (03:06)
  6. Auction at Hotel L’Atlantique (02:59)
  7. Tuk Tuk in Tangiers (03:36)
  8. To Athens (02:18)
  9. Perils of the Deep (02:31)
  10. Water Ballet (04:53)
  11. Polybius Cipher (02:39)
  12. The Grafikos (04:40)
  13. Archimedes’ Tomb (03:02)
  14. The Airport (04:46)
  15. Battle of Syracuse (02:51)
  16. Centuries Join Hands (03:02)
  17. New York, 1969 (04:17)
  18. Helena’s Theme (For Violin and Orchestra) (04:59)

Released by: Disney Music
Release date: June 28, 2023
Total running time: 1:07:06

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Action Figures Indiana Jones Non-Sci-Fi

Indiana Jones 2008 Action Figures

Indy PackagingTwo words come to mind when you first see the new line of Indiana Jones action figures from Hasbro: Star Wars. And that’s a good thing. Either in an act of synergy or luck of them winning the likely bidding war, by choosing Hasbro, Lucasfilm practically guaranteed that these figures would be of the classic 3 3/4″ variety and not the increasingly common 5″ or 6″ sizes. And, frankly, as they have shown with their mostly excellent new “Anniversary” line of G.I. Joe figures, this is a great time for Hasbro to relaunch a figure line of this size, thanks to years of development of the Star Wars and pre-Sigma 6 Joes. The Indiana Jones line, encompassing original film (Indiana Jones and the) Raiders of the Lost Ark and the new film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, takes some inspiration from both Star Wars and G. I. Joe, but leans more heavily on the somewhat less articulate Star Wars line. (More on that later.) … Read more

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1989 Film I Indiana Jones Soundtracks

Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade – music by John Williams

2 min read

Order this CDIn Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, John Williams composes the music for the last film in this famous series (or at least, we thought back then). In my review of Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom, I said that the album had an overall majestic feel. In this album, Williams decides to go for a more orchestral feel, with heavy usage of stringed instruments. It almost feels ambient in certain places, with very quiet sustained notes and light dynamics in the piece, like in “The Penitent Man Will Pass”.

The album starts with “Indy’s Very First Adventure”, a calm track that soon breaks into strings and flutes and then later on picks up in excitement and dynamics. “X Marks The Spot” builds up the usage of horns, but soon falls into the aforementioned ambience.

In “Scherzo For Motorcycle And Orchestra”, John Williams shows off his classical chops. “Scherzo” is an Italian word for “joke”, and usually used as a term for a single movement in a larger symphony. Williams lives up to the title by giving the song a playful feel, with a return of the Indiana Jones theme throughout the song. Unfortunately, there seems to be no motorcycle included in the piece.

“Ah, Rats!!!” returns to Williams’ use of dissonance, using it to punctuate deep dark tones and create a sense of anxiety (most likely to Indiana Jones’ loathing of the aforementioned rodents). “The Keeper Of The Grail” starts with sustained notes and again, a sense of ambience, but soon breaks into a slow emotional piece. On the other hand, “Keeping Up With The Joneses” is an up-tempo track, brassy and dramatic.

3 out of 4Williams again upholds a fine standard for film music, and give The Last Crusade a worthy send-off. It will be interesting to hear what he has up his sleeve for Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, but one can almost be assured that it will fall neatly with the rest of the music from this series.

  1. Indy’s Very First Adventure (8:13)
  2. X Marks The Spot (3:11)
  3. Scherzo For Motorcycle And Orchestra (3:52)
  4. Ah, Rats!!! (3:40)
  5. Escape From Venice (4:23)
  6. No Ticket (2:44)
  7. The Keeper Of The Grail (3:23)
  8. Keeping Up With The Joneses (3:36)
  9. Brother Of The Cruciform Sword (1:55)
  10. Belly Of The Steel Beast (5:28)
  11. The Canyon Of The Crescent Moon (4:16)
  12. The Penitent Man Will Pass (3:22)
  13. End Credits (Raiders March) (10:37)

Released by: Warner Bros.
Release date: 1989
Total running time: 58:40

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1984 Film I Indiana Jones Soundtracks

Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom – music by John Williams

3 min read

Order this CDJohn Williams. Steven Spielberg. Two great tastes that taste great together. Ever since Williams worked on Spielberg’s first theatrical film, The Sugarland Express, the two have been nearly inseparable. So, again they pair up for Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom, Spielberg’s 8th film (and Williams’ 47th).

This soundtrack album starts off, interestingly enough, with a Mandarin rendition of the famous Cole Porter song, “Anything Goes” sung by the Kate Capshaw, the female lead of the film. This is from an early part of the film where our hero sees her for the first time. Later on, in “Fast Streets Of Shanghai”, Williams employs Oriental influences (as the name suggests) and a dramatic flair that Williams is well known of. Bits of the Indiana Jones theme carry throughout the piece.

On the track “The Temple Of Doom”, chanting is used to give the song a dark, ominous feel as we come across the temple for the first time. “Bug Tunnel And Death Trap” has brief moments of dissonance, underlining the horror of the place. Melodies reach higher and higher, creating a sense of anxiety and confusion. On the other hand, the track “Slave Children’s Crusade” is loud and majestic, with booming cymbals and a strong string section serving as the anchor of the piece.

An interesting thing to note is that John Williams often employs leitmotif in his scores. That is to say, he composes and assigns themes to certain characters or ideas in the films. For example, in the Star Wars series, he composed separate themes for the characters Princess Leia, Yoda and Darth Vader as well as others (although it is Darth Vader’s theme that everyone usually thinks of). On this album, Williams downplays that aspect a bit. Even though the character Short Round has a theme, most of the music is incidental music and not specifically tied to a character. Even Indiana Jones’ own recognizable theme doesn’t make a full appearance until the finale. In my opinion, not having a “stand-out” piece detracts from the work as a whole.

3 out of 4The soundtrack carries a dramatic feel. One of the recognizable strengths of John Williams is that he very much as a unique styling in his music. You can listen to a piece by Williams and immediately sense that, even if you don’t know explicitly that it is Williams’ work, you know at least it’s meant for a film or a similar endeavor. Overall, a fine score that stands up well on its own apart from the movie.

  1. Anything Goes (2:51)
  2. Fast Streets Of Shanghai (3:44)
  3. Nocturnal Activities (6:01)
  4. Short Round’s Theme (2:32)
  5. Children In Chains (2:44)
  6. Slalom On Mt. Humol (2:26)
  7. The Temple Of Doom (3:00)
  8. Bug Tunnel And Death Trap (3:33)
  9. Slave Children’s Crusade (3:29)
  10. The Mine Car Chase (3:42)
  11. Finale And End Credits (6:27)

Released by: Polydor
Release date: 1984
Total running time: 40:29

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