John Williams scores again: Legendary film composer returns for Indiana Jones sequel

NEW YORK – When the New York Philharmonic honoured the work of American film composer John Williams in April, Hollywood director Steven Spielberg introduced a clip of the opening scenes of Indiana Jones And Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) – without the music.

The effect, he noted apologetically, was like something out of the French new wave.

The clip was played again, this time with the orchestra joining in. Like magic, the adventuresome spirit of the movie was restored.

The rugged archaeologist at the heart of that film – played by American actor Harrison Ford – will return for the fifth entry in the franchise, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny.

He will be accompanied, as ever, by Williams’ indispensable music.

The 91-year-old composer had said it would be his final film score. Speaking during a video call more recently, he walked back his retirement plans. “If they do an Indiana Jones 6, I’m on board.”

Ahead of the latest sequel’s opening in Singapore cinemas on Thursday, Williams shared his thoughts – with contributions from others closely connected to this work – on milestone moments in an extraordinary career.

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)

How to sum up the Williams-Spielberg collaboration? Beginning with The Sugarland Express (1974) and concluding – for now, at least – with The Fabelmans (2022), the partnership has spanned 29 films.

Spielberg has described Williams’ score for Schindler’s List (1993) as “one of the most stunningly evocative gifts that John has ever given us”.

It says something about the range of their collaboration that Jurassic Park came out the same year, featuring another towering Williams score – infused with an almost religious awe for the prehistoric creatures of the film.

In an interview, Emilio Audissino, author of The Film Music Of John Williams (2021), made the case that Close Encounters Of The Third Kind was the movie on which “the two fully realised the mutual advantage and compatibility of their partnership”.

One moment in that film captures some of Spielberg and Williams’ alchemy: The musical dialogue between the humans and the otherworldly visitors, itself an artistic collaboration of sorts.

Williams remembers spending hours with Spielberg, listening to countless musical phrases. “We were waiting for that eureka moment.”

Many years later, Williams figured out why the phrase they ultimately chose (re, mi, do, do, so) feels so perfect. The “re, mi, do” feels musically resolved, he explained, after which “do, so” – the alien response – feels like an appropriately startling interjection. “I realised that 20 years after the fact.”

Superman (1978)

Remember when superheroes had memorable themes?

The score for Superman demonstrated one of Williams’ own musical superpowers: Making the unbelievable feel thoroughly believable.

His indomitable sounds are essential to audiences’ accepting – and being stirred by – the sight of a man in flight.

American director Richard Donner had a theory that the three-note motif in the main theme – the one that makes you want to punch the air in triumph – is a musical evocation of “SU-per-MAN!”

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

Williams remembers feeling “a little bit insecure” on the first day of recording Star Wars in 1977. But Lionel Newman, the studio musical supervisor, “who was sitting there next to me, said, ‘This is really going to work very well – you’ll see.’”

The music for the central Star Wars saga was consistently extraordinary even when the films themselves failed to strike a chord.

This is true of The Phantom Menace, which, despite its 51 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, features some of the composer’s most exciting work.

Today, the Carl Orff-inspired symphonic banger Duel Of The Fates is the most streamed piece of Star Wars music on Spotify.

Scoring The Rise Of Skywalker in 2019, after more than 40 years with Star Wars, Williams said he did not want it to be over. “My feeling was: ‘This is fun. Let’s go back and do nine more.’”

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny (2023)

The Indiana Jones movies feature a number of Williams’ most recognisable character themes. They also feature swaths of swashbuckling music precisely calibrated to the action on-screen.

“I don’t see John as simply a genius of themes and tunes, which he is, of course,” said American director James Mangold, who is helming the movie.

“Rather, it’s John’s moment-to-moment scene work that astounds me. Film scoring is really a kind of duet between the director and the composer. It’s John’s sensitivity to this partnership that most defines his work for me.”

On the appeal of scoring a fifth Indiana Jones movie, Williams said: “I just thought, if Harrison Ford can do it, I can do it.”

The movie features a new theme for the character of Jones’ charming god-daughter Helena, played by English actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge. “I had a wonderful time writing a theme for her,” Williams said.

Mangold said: “When John first played that theme for me, with the orchestra, I was wowed, of course. But I was also a bit nervous that it was just too much – too lush. Too romantic.

“John just smiled gently and let me babble, because I think he knew it was going to work beautifully.” NYTIMES

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny opens in cinemas on Thursday.