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| Williams |
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: (John
Williams) Some say that 1984's sequel to the classic Steven Spielberg
film
Raiders of the Lost Ark nearly killed the Indiana Jones
franchise. Indeed,
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was not
received well by either critics or, in the same overwhelming numbers, by
audiences. Their serial format wasn't particularly different, though
Spielberg and writer/producer George Lucas did their best to push the
title character in completely fresh new directions to avoid claims of a
rehash. The adventures of America's favorite archeologist took him to
India and the Far East, tackling a voodoo fortress, saving a village
missing its children, and wisecracking with Spielberg's future wife in
tow. The director fought to avoid an "R" rating for
Indiana Jones and
the Temple of Doom, barely obtaining a "PG" rating instead by toning
back some of the intense, ritual sacrifice scenes (though still, in
part, inspiring the creation of the "PG-13" rating). In retrospect, the
film is better than many gave it credit for, especially the almost
nonstop twenty minutes of action near the beginning. The incorporation
of a sidekick was a tiresome aspect of the plot, however, and few were
ready to accept Kate Capshaw as a replacement for Karen Allen from the
original film. Still,
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom has
plenty to offer, and composer John Williams was prepared to build upon
Raiders of the Lost Ark, a score destined to be considered among
his very best, with an extensive, wall-to-wall effort that balanced
familiar themes with an emphasis on a plethora of new constructs. Many
listeners readily agree that
Temple of Doom stands far apart from
the other three scores in the franchise, the only one not to make
reference to the theme for the Ark of the Covenant from the first film
or share another secondary construct (outside of the title theme and a
short in-joke) with another film. The thematic material in
Temple of
Doom, for instance, would never resurface in the two later scores.
Also distinguishing the second score, however, is the incredible amount
of source material that Williams had to write and incorporate into the
score. Add to this equation the need for chanting choral elements,
performed with Sanskrit lyrics, and
Temple of Doom exists apart
from the remainder of the franchise as a very unique entry.
One area in which Williams hit the nail directly on the
head for
Temple of Doom was in the exploration of new musical
territory while remaining loyal to both the symphonic sound and title
march from
Raiders of the Lost Ark. With so much music required
for
Temple of Doom, the composer needed to supply several new
themes and a wealth of source material without losing the franchise's
identity, and in this task he admirably succeeds. Fans of the title
march will appreciate its spirited entrance during the chase sequence in
"Fast Streets of Shanghai," including a performance very similar to the
early escape sequence in
Raiders of the Lost Ark (including even
the horn-performed bridge section of the theme). The subsequent cue,
"Map/Out of Fuel," treats the franchise's famous map sequences with
another bubbly performance of the theme, meanwhile introducing two other
themes in traditional Williams romanticism. The title theme's trumpet
reminders continue in action cues like "Bug Tunnel/Death Trap" and
"Short Round Helps" before being allowed extended treatment during the
finale and end titles. The only other part of
Raiders of the Lost
Ark to inform
Temple of Doom is "The Basket Chase" cue from
the original, translated into the percussive rhythm and wild violin
figures early in "Slalom on Mt. Humol" (with a few brass progressions
that will also remind of the idea), as well as the humorous reference to
the infamous confrontation within "The Basket Chase" in "The Sword
Trick" to match a similar scenario in the new story. There are three
primary new themes joining the old favorites in
Temple of Doom,
along with two lesser motifs. These five ideas are surprisingly
engrained in both each other and the existing material, producing a very
satisfactory level of intelligent development. The primary new identity
of
Temple of Doom is the theme for the temple itself and the
slave children within. This driving march is a complicated piece,
consisting of a forceful primary statement in the minor while switching
to a secondary phrase that provides some of the score's most victorious
major exclamations. Both sections are led by a martial rhythm on snare
and clanging metallic percussion. The woodwind overlays and the elegant
string bridge of this piece evoke Eastern sensibilities, the meandering
string portion eventually used as counterpoint over the primary thematic
structure. Williams' concert version of this theme is best heard in
"Slave Children's Crusade" and "End Credits."
The other two major new themes are often intertwined in
their upbeat spirit, one frequently used as an answer to the other and
both existing in fragments that appropriately accompany the returning
title march. The first of these two is the theme for Short Round, a
Spielberg favorite that represents Indy's young sidekick. This
distinctly Oriental-flavored theme is first heard in "Fast Streets of
Shanghai" and receives its own concert arrangement in "Short Round's
Theme" (actually used in the elephant riding scene) before making
several noteworthy appearances in "Short Round Escapes," "Short Round
Helps," and as counterpoint to the other remaining themes in the finale
before its obligatory reference sandwiched in the middle of the theme
parade in "End Credits." First heard in two flourishing string
performances during the flying sequence of "Map/Out of Fuel," the love
theme is perhaps the least entertaining of the new ideas that Williams
provides for
Temple of Doom, though it is appropriate to the
period and, at the very least, memorable in its romantic sways.
Occupying much of the first half of "Nocturnal Activities" in comical
fashion, this theme receives several fragmentary references before
repeated attention in the finale sequence (and closing the central "End
Credits" section). Two other motific identities exist in
Temple of
Doom, neither making much impact but both of moderate interest. The
first of these is a five-note progression for the magical stones
worshipped and stolen in the story. Williams extends this theme to
represent the village that the main troop encounters after their descent
from the plane. Performed on what sounds like an electronically mutated
sitar at its lowest capabilities, this theme (which some might consider
similar to the forthcoming crystal skull motif) can be heard in this
subtle form in "Indy and the Villagers" and "The Scroll" before being
transferred to choir for scenes actually involving the stones later in
the film, including "Approaching the Stones" and "The Broken Bridge."
The final theme is for the evil voodoo priest, Mola Ram, and the Pankot
Palace that stands above the temple. This impressive theme explodes in
"To Pankot Palace" and is heard during a later exterior shot. The idea
eventually accompanies the priest in his struggle for the stones in "The
Broken Bridge." This theme, which would seemingly fit in comfortably
with Williams' later
Star Wars prequel work, is a hidden gem in
the score, taking the form of resoundingly bold brass proclamations over
exotic percussion in "To Pankot Palace." It is unquestionably the most
surprising highlight of the entire work.
Aside from these three major and two minor new themes,
Williams' source usage yields significant influence over the straight
underscore in two portions of the film. The opening night club scene in
Shanghai introduces Capshaw's character through her mostly Cantonese
performance of Cole Porter's song "Anything Goes." Williams follows a
snippet of Busby Berkeley thrown into the stage rendition of the song
with a few adaptations of the theme into the score, first as straight
background material and then as a frantic passage within the cue "The
Nightclub Brawl." Unfortunately, this cue on album includes Williams'
original recording, and while you can hear a piece of Porter's intro at
about 0:45 and a little more at 2:00, the actual portion of "Anything
Goes" recorded to take the place of Williams' action material (a
hysterical rendering) is missing. The other section of the score highly
influenced by source-like material is all of the music heard in the
actual Temple of Doom scenes. Most of this material is summarized by the
Sanskrit and percussion performances heard in the cue by that name, but
the rest of the worship and ritual-related music is unavailable on
album. Another part of
Temple of Doom needing discussion is its
action material. Only in "Bug Tunnel" does Williams directly emulate the
Nazi fighting and snake evading structures from
Raiders of the Lost
Ark; otherwise, despite the infusion of the title march into several
places, the adventure rhythms and associated sounds for the chasing in
Temple of Doom are fresh. Williams' music for the opening half
hour is, like the nonstop chasing, remarkably appealing, matching the
first score in intensity and orchestral complexity, introducing most of
the new themes along the way. This style of material does become
anonymous in the entire underground sequence later in the story, leading
to cues that are really only highlighted by their short bursts of
thematic grandeur (the use of the temple/slave and sidekick themes in
"Short Round Help" are a good example). This changes with "The Broken
Bridge," which offers massive choral interludes for the temple and stone
themes that effectively provide a body-crushing, jaw-snapping climax for
the score. In "British Relief," Williams offers a singular fanfare for
the cavalry that reminds of the composer's many pastoral concert works.
Throughout the score, some of the most evocative conversational material
comes in the form of the temple/slave theme on yearning strings in "Indy
and the Villagers." Otherwise,
Temple of Doom is mostly a
powerful symphonic romp of suspense and adventure from start to
finish.
In its entirety, the music from
Temple of Doom
is, like the film, underrated. A poor representation of the score on
album helped fuel such low opinions for years. The Polydor label issued
the LP contents of the score on CD outside of the United States during
the first ten years after its debut, with both the identical Japanese
and German editions extremely rare. These CDs presented 40 minutes from
a score than ran, with all of the source recordings, over 125 minutes.
Williams, as per usual, edited together several cues and chose alternate
takes over those that were heard in the film for inclusion on the
product, yielding a basically sufficient but still unsatisfactory
presentation. For decades, fans expressed interest in a proper treatment
of
Temple of Doom, and that relief finally came in late 2008,
when all four Indiana Jones scores were released together in an
extensive set from Concord Records (which had purchased the rights with
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) that expanded
the amount of material available from the first three scores. For many
collectors, the cost of the $45 set was worth attaining
Temple of
Doom alone, and, true to the label's claims, the score's remastered
sound in this case is very impressive. There will still be some
controversy involving this set's treatment of
Temple of Doom,
however, for it provides 86 minutes from the score (with three less
vital cues on a fourth, compilation addendum CD), leaving at least
another twenty of actual orchestral music unreleased. Not well
represented is both the palace fine dining scene and the sacrifice
rituals in the middle of the film. The latter is especially unfortunate,
with eight minutes of missing material including a notable performance
of Ram's palace theme. Also missing is "The Child Returns" and the
percussion of "The Rope Bridge." Fans still hoping to hear the correct
merging of the "Finale" and "End Credits" will note that the 30-second
bridge connecting them is still missing. On the whole, though, the
Concord presentation of
Temple of Doom is very strong, and with
the improved quality of sound, proves that the performances by the Los
Angeles performers for this recording were up to the task of matching
their London counterparts. The primary CD of that presentation was
re-issued by Disney in 2024 as part of a useless and expensive franchise
set. Only the most ardent fans will truly miss the 40 unreleased minutes
of music from this score, and for everyone else, the set is a fantastic
opportunity to finally appreciate a score that is, for those who have
little interest in hearing Williams' frenetic scherzos, an arguably
superior work to
The Last Crusade. Eat your heart out!
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
| Bias Check: |
For John Williams reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.67
(in 90 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.54
(in 356,795 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
|
None of the inserts for the 1984 to 1991 Polydor products contains extra information
about the score or film.
The 2008 Concord and 2024 Disney sets contain bloated packaging with extensive photography
and short notes from the composer and director, but they surprisingly contain no analysis
of the music itself.
