Episode 7: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull marked John Williams’ 100th film score of his career. Returning after a 19-year hiatus, Williams said that it was like “sitting down and finishing a letter that you started 25 years ago.” Williams’ writing harkens back to the style of adventure music he was writing in the 1980s. Join me as I discuss the adventurous but conceptually odd main theme for the character of Mutt and the sexy, noirish main theme for Cate Blanchett’s villainess Irina Spalko. At the center of the score is the stand-out cue called “The Jungle Chase” featuring Williams’ great skill at thematic action scoring.