The Film Music of John Williams by Emilio Audissino

Author:Emilio Audissino [Audissino, Emilio]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780299332389
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press

Opening the Ark

The U-boat arrives at some Mediterranean island and docks in a hidden military base. Jones disembarks and spies on Marion and Belloq from behind some crates. We hear “Indy 1” played by the clarinets and flutes in low register, backed by the low-pitched pedal point by the contrabasses. Two pizzicato notes by the contrabasses pinpoint a soldier in a long shot being suddenly pulled away behind some crates. Having knocked him out, Jones steals his uniform. During the gag in which Jones discovers that the uniform is too tight for him, the comic effect is strengthened by “Indy 1” played by the clarinet and reprised in canon-like imitation by ironic contrabasses pizzicato. “Indy 1” is then interrupted when another soldier arrives. His legs threateningly enter the on-screen space and create a frame-in-the-frame of Jones’s face—our hero has apparently been trapped. A minor-mode trombones chord and martial repeating notes by the trumpets accompany his unexpected arrival. Yet the soldier does not recognize the impostor and believes he is just a shabby recruit. He yells in German, evidently ordering Jones to tidy up. Jones plays along, smiling embarrassedly and proving his compliance by combing his hair. The music presents a comic version of “Indy 1” backed by violins pizzicato. The gag ends when Jones suddenly kicks the soldier down, catches his hat in midair, and dons it: an upward run by the clarinets comically duplicates his catch. Then, Jones mingles effortlessly with other soldiers, and—in case viewers might have missed something—the music draws our attention to his presence among the Nazis by presenting a cell of “Indy 1” played by a solo clarinet as he passes by.

In the next sequence, the Ark is brought into a gorge. The Ark motif arranged as a minor-mode march accompanies the soldiers on the trek. Jones is at the tail of the line of soldiers: the music indicates his presence with “Indy 1” played by the horns. Jones breaks away from the convoy and hides behind some crates: a harp glissando reinforces our perception of his abrupt movement and serves as a musical bridge to the reprise of the Ark motif when the narration cuts to the next shot. Jones appears on an upper ridge saying “Hello!” and threatens the soldiers below with a bazooka. His elevated position mirrors the previous scene with Belloq looking down from the trapdoor of the Well of Souls and similarly saying “Hello.” A telling crescendo precedes Jones’s appearance, and a thinning of the music makes room for Jones’s cue, while a stinger emphasizes the surprise of the soldiers. The music inconspicuously tails out under the dialogue.

Now on the mountain’s plateau, the Ark is placed on a stone altar, around which we see Toht, the Wehrmacht colonel, and Belloq, who is dressed as an ancient Hebrew priest. Before them, soldiers are filming the event with swastika-branded cameras. Jones and Marion are on the side opposite the altar, tied to a pole. At the beginning of the scene, wind blowing

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