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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (soundtrack)

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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Album cover
Film score by
John Williams
ReleasedJune 29, 2023
RecordedJune 28, 2022–February 10, 2023
StudioSony Scoring Stage, Sony Pictures Studios, Culver City, California
GenreFilm score
Length1:07:06
LabelWalt Disney
Producer
John Williams chronology
The Fabelmans
(2022) 		Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
(2023)
Indiana Jones soundtrack chronology
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
(2008) 		The Dial of Destiny
(2023)
Singles from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
  1. "Helena's Theme (For Violin and Orchestra)"
    Released: June 22, 2023

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the film score to the 2023 film of the same name, composed by John Williams and orchestrated and conducted by Williams and William Ross.[1][2] Recorded during June 2022 and February 2023 at the Sony Scoring Stage, and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony, the score was digitally released by Walt Disney Records on June 29, 2023, followed by a physical CD and vinyl LP release on August 9, 2023. A version of "Helena's Theme" for violin and orchestra, featuring Anne-Sophie Mutter as soloist, was released as a single on June 22, 2023.

Background

[edit]
John Williams (left; 2011) returned to the franchise to compose the score for the film. The soundtrack album includes a second version of Williams's theme for the character Helena Shaw for violin and orchestra, featuring Anne-Sophie Mutter (right; 2019) as soloist.

In June 2016, Steven Spielberg confirmed that John Williams, who scored the previous films in the Indiana Jones franchise, would return to compose the music for the fifth film.[3] The scoring began on June 28, 2022.[4] The same month, Williams stated that it would be his final film score, following plans for a retirement,[5] though he later backtracked on this decision.[6] In an interview to The New York Times, director James Mangold, who collaborated with Williams for the first time in his career, recalled that he did not see Williams as "simply a genius of themes and tunes" - it was also Williams's "moment-to-moment scene work" which astounded him.[7]

Mangold had written the basic sketches for the film in conjunction with the themes Williams had initially created.[8] He insisted that Williams score the first reel in the edit as for a 1970s film, which he obliged as "the flow of the movie was falling off this cliff into Indy’s current reality. And then he begins to gather himself, steel himself, and heads onto the road. By the time he and Phoebe [Waller-Bridge] are in full mode racing around Morocco with Mads Mikkelsen, the music found itself back and by the time they get out at sea, in Greece, it’s full-on an Indiana Jones movie with an old Indy."[9]

Williams wrote over 90 minutes of music for the film. The score includes reworked older themes from previous installments along with several new themes and motives representing individual characters, including a theme for the character Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge),[10] and the titular Dial of Destiny. Williams also created a second version of "Helena's Theme" for violin and orchestra, featuring German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter on the soundtrack album.[10][11] On February 10, 2023, Williams confirmed that the score for Dial of Destiny has been completed.[12]

Live performances

[edit]

At Mangold's request, Williams premiered "Helena's Theme" at the Hollywood Bowl on September 2, 2022.[13][14]

"When John first played that theme for me, with the orchestra, I was wowed, of course [...] completely knocked over by the music. But I was also a bit nervous that it was just too much — too damned lush. Too romantic. John just smiled, gently, and let me babble, because I think he knew it was going to work beautifully."

— Mangold, on Williams' composition of "Helena's Theme"[7]

On June 14, 2023, coinciding with the film's premiere in Dolby Theatre,[15] Williams conducted an orchestral performance of several themes from the Indy franchise, including "Helena's Theme".[16][17]

Marketing and release

[edit]

A two-minute featurette titled "The Final Score" debuted through social media platforms on June 20, 2023 to promote the film.[18][19] On June 22, 2023, "Helena's Theme" for violin and orchestra was released as a single.[20][21] The soundtrack was released digitally by Walt Disney Records on June 29, 2023,[22][23] which was followed by a CD and vinyl LP release exclusively through Disney Music Emporium on August 9, 2023.[24][25] On July 19, 2023, Disney Music Emporium announced that the CD, whose listing had been taken down from their online store some time before, was in fact a limited edition and had sold out while still in pre-orders before its release date.[26] The CD was made available again in limited quantities beginning August 21, 2023.[27]

Dial of Destiny's physical home media release on December 5, 2023 included an exclusive "music-only" version featuring the complete score from every single scene of the film without any dialogue or sound effects.[28] This version features previously unreleased music not included on the official soundtrack album, including a cue titled "Pulse of the City" by William Ross,[29] but the film's presentation of the score is heavily edited and does not always reflect the original form of Williams' compositions.

Reception

[edit]

Williams' score was well received, with critics calling it "fabulous",[30] "memorable"[31] and "joyful".[32] Patrick Gibbs of Slug Magazine wrote, "While John Williams’ score is even more of a cut and paste of previous works than his recent Star Wars soundtracks, it still elicits excitement merely by evoking the old themes."[33] Rachel Labonte of Screen Rant complimented Williams' score as "sweeping and epic as one would expect, eliciting chills from the first moment his iconic theme is heard".[34] Adam Nayman of The Ringer wrote "no matter how loud the soundtrack gets, there’s less at stake. Even the brief burst of John Williams’s triumphal theme at a key moment feels ersatz: an echo of glory days that Mangold and his army of skilled, detail-oriented craftspeople can only chase."[35] Tim Grierson of Screen International called it "a score that reprises memorable themes".[36] Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks praised the score's "smart interpolations" of its themes and how it overall extended "the quality of the prior two works [of the franchise] and continues to espouse the uniquely superior aspects of Williams's writing from decades past."[37] Jonathan Broxton of Movie Music UK similarly praised the score as "an outstanding work", writing that "even when you take nostalgia out of the equation and try to assess it objectively, it still succeeds on multiple levels."[38]

In December 2023, the score was shortlisted for Best Original Score at the 96th Academy Awards.[39]

At the 2024 Grammy Awards, Helena's Theme won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition.

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by John Williams.

No.TitleLength
1."Prologue to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"6:00
2."Helena’s Theme"3:30
3."Germany, 1944"4:42
4."To Morocco"3:21
5."Voller Returns"3:06
6."Auction At Hotel L’Atlantique"2:58
7."Tuk Tuk In Tangiers"3:35
8."To Athens"2:17
9."Perils of the Deep"2:31
10."Water Ballet"4:53
11."Polybius Cipher"2:39
12."The Grafikos"4:39
13."Archimedes’ Tomb"3:01
14."The Airport"4:46
15."Battle of Syracuse"2:50
16."Centuries Join Hands"3:02
17."New York, 1969"4:17
18."Helena’s Theme (for Violin and Orchestra)" (feat. Anne-Sophie Mutter)4:59
Total length:1:07:06

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "SWCE 2023: New Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Trailer Reveals Story, Action, and Adventure". Lucasfilm. April 7, 2023. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "John Williams Always Settles the Score". Vanity Fair. June 26, 2023. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  3. ^ Evry, Max (June 10, 2016). "John Williams Will Score Indiana Jones 5 & Star Wars: Episode VIII". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  4. ^ "Why John Williams is the beating heart of the Indiana Jones series". Why Now. June 28, 2023. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  5. ^ Coyle, Jake (June 22, 2022). "John Williams, 90, steps away from film, but not music". Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  6. ^ Jirak, Jamie (January 13, 2023). "John Williams Walks Back Retirement Claims". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  7. ^ a b King, Darryn (June 24, 2023). "John Williams on 'Indiana Jones' and His Favorite Scores". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  8. ^ O'Connell, Sean (April 9, 2023). "Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny's Director Explains The 'Complex' Process Of Getting John Williams To Score The Film". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  9. ^ Thompson, Anne (June 27, 2023). "James Mangold Believes in Indiana Jones, but His Real Hero Is Steven Spielberg". IndieWire. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Burlingame, Jon (February 24, 2023). "For 'Indiana Jones 5,' John Williams Scored 'An Hour and a Half of Music, Maybe More' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  11. ^ Gonzalez, Sandra (March 3, 2023). "John Williams leaves door open for more film work after 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'". CNN. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  12. ^ "John Williams Says 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny's Score Is Finished". Collider. February 24, 2023. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  13. ^ Travis, Ben (November 21, 2022). "Phoebe Waller-Bridge Is Indy's Goddaughter Helena In Indiana Jones 5: 'She's A Mystery And A Wonder' – Exclusive Image". Empire. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  14. ^ ANI (September 5, 2022). "'Indiana Jones 5' music premiered by John Williams at Hollywood Bowl". ThePrint. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  15. ^ Kreps, Daniel (June 15, 2023). "See John Williams Conduct Surprise Set at 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' Premiere". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  16. ^ Kaufman, Gil (June 15, 2023). "John Williams Surprises Audience at 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' Hollywood Premiere With Orchestral Performance". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  17. ^ Fleming, Ryan (June 20, 2023). "Watch John Williams' Surprise Performance At 'Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny' Premiere As Team Indy Celebrates "The Great Maestro"". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  18. ^ "'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' Video: Listen to John Williams' Score". Collider. June 20, 2023. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  19. ^ "Watch: A John Williams Featurette for 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'". FirstShowing.net. June 20, 2023. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  20. ^ Harvey, Lauren (June 24, 2023). "John Williams And Anne-Sophie Mutter Share 'Helena's Theme,' From 'Indiana Jones'". uDiscover Music. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  21. ^ "'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny': Listen to Helena's Theme". Collider. June 28, 2023. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  22. ^ "Exploring John Williams' nostalgia-filled score for 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'". Classic FM. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  23. ^ "'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' Soundtrack Album Details". Film Music Reporter. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  24. ^ "John Williams / Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny [2-LP Set]". Disney Music Emporium. Archived from the original on June 17, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  25. ^ "John Williams / Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny [CD]". Disney Music Emporium. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  26. ^ https://twitter.com/DisneyMusicEmp/status/1681701345542430721
  27. ^ "Disney Music Emporium: John Williams / Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) - CD". Disney Music Emporium. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  28. ^ "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Now Available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD | Lucasfilm.com". Lucasfilm. December 5, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  29. ^ "IMDb: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) - Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  30. ^ "'Dial of Destiny': Harrison Ford's final 'Indiana Jones' plays it safe raiding past films". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  31. ^ Bumbray, Chris (June 27, 2023). "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Review". JoBlo. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  32. ^ "Here is what our reviewer thought of the new 'Indiana Jones' movie". The Seattle Times. June 28, 2023. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  33. ^ "Film Review: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny". Slug Magazine. June 27, 2023. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  34. ^ "Indiana Jones & The Dial Of Destiny Review: Ford Is Brilliant In Final Indy Adventure". Screen Rant. June 28, 2023. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  35. ^ Nayman, Adam (June 28, 2023). "'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' Is Big, Silly, Stupid, and Awe-Inspiring". The Ringer. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  36. ^ Grierson, Tim (May 19, 2023). "'Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny': Cannes Review". Screen. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  37. ^ "Filmtracks: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (John Williams)". www.filmtracks.com. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  38. ^ "INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY – John Williams". MOVIE MUSIC UK. July 4, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  39. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (December 21, 2023). "2024 Oscar Shortlists Unveiled: 'Barbie,' 'Poor Things,' 'Maestro,' and 'The Zone of Interest' Make the Cut". IndieWire. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
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