Irina's Theme is a masterpiece

[filmmusic 3,269]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but i was listening to the soundtrack of Crystal skull these days.

believe it or not, I had seen the movie only once, and the same goes for the soundtrack.

Now I've seen the movie again, heard again the soundtrack, and studied the music.

I must say that I think Irina's theme is a masterpiece, one of the best Williams themes of the last years.

Too bad that it didn't benefit from a better film.

I strongly believe that if this was the main theme of an old classic film-noir (or a Hitchcock film or a Bette Davis movie or something) it would become an instant classic, like the Laura theme or others!

The concert arrangement is sublime!

Also, the way it climaxes to 1.33 of the cd track!! Although the theme starts as a theme for a dangerous and seductive woman, in that spot the music becomes like it's written for a long lost love or something!!

[Jay 46,243]

Definitely!

[Smeltington 2,008]

I really like Irina's Theme too. Having the sessions now, I'm not sure how I feel about the "concert" version on the CD being scattered around the various cues that it was originally edited from. The album edit had been one of my favorite tracks. I'm wondering if I should reinstate it in my edit somehow...

[Jay 46,243]

The true concert arrangement that Williams wrote later and has only been performed live is brilliant!

The edit of film cues into a theme track for the OST is good too

[Smeltington 2,008]

I'm sure it is! Sadly it doesn't do me much good :[ I second the motion to get a recording one day.

The OST edit is very satisfying though. The theme for Irina's minion dude (can't think of his name... the filth of KotCS is washing away!) is a highlight of the score for me.

[Jay 46,243]

Dovchenko.

You can find the Irina's Theme concert arrangement on youtube

[Rachael Foley 10,162]

Nothing to see here.

[Smeltington 2,008]

Yeah, that dude. Tell me his theme isn't awesome!

I found Marion's theme from that concert. Still looking for Irina's

Edit: n/m, thanks Faleel

[Jay 46,243]

Faleel you just posted links to Marion's Theme, we've been talking about Irina's Theme

[Rachael Foley 10,162]

Shoot.

[Smeltington 2,008]

I'm not sure if it's on YouTube. I'm not seeing it, and I feel like I tried once before and couldn't find it.

Oh well, it shall be released. I can be patient!

[filmmusic 3,269]

I'm not sure if it's on YouTube. I'm not seeing it, and I feel like I tried once before and couldn't find it.

Oh well, it shall be released. I can be patient!

here you are:

[Smeltington 2,008]

Wow! That's really different. He added a lot of new material - it was more noticeable than I expected. Funny, it almost sounded like they were going into Dovchenko's theme for a second, but no.

Thank you, filmmusic!

[crocodile 9,724]

Gee, this version is absolutely awesome.

Karol

[King Mark 3,975]

yeah, it excellent. I wish there was a studio recording of it and Marion's theme update

something the Prague orchestra should have put on their last compilation

[Jay 46,243]

Indeed

[Incanus 5,890]

Gee, this version is absolutely awesome.

Karol

I have always thought Johnny should have scored film noirs. Irina's theme exudes such class and sensuous tragic fatality.

And it is high time the concert versions of Irina's and Marion's themes were recorded and released.

[Naïve Old Fart 13,021]

Gee, this version is absolutely awesome.

Karol

I have always thought Johnny should have scored film noirs. Irina's theme exudes such class and sensuous tragic fatality.

And it is high time the concert versions of Irina's and Marion's themes were recorded and released.

Incanus, JW did score a flim-noir: "The Long Goodbye", and he scored it so originally that no film since has ever been scored like it (way to go, JW!).

BTW, I've always considered "Presumed Innocent" to be a modern flim-noir, much in the vein of "Body Heat". Film-noir doesn't have to be all moody shadows, and low camera angles.

[Incanus 5,890]

Perhaps I should have said "scored more film noirs".

And indeed JW has scored numerous movies with those noirish elements in them. I was just expressing the sentiment that JW would have composed awesome scores for those classic noir films of the past.

[Naïve Old Fart 13,021]

Oh, in that case I agree fully!

As for the "classic noir films of the past", we got just a little flavour of that with "Angels With Filthy Souls".

Nino would be proud.

[Jay 46,243]

JW didn't write Angels With Filthy Souls.... Though he did write the one for the sequel

[Naïve Old Fart 13,021]

Thanks for that, Jason. Who wrote "AWFS" for "HA"?

[Jay 46,243]

I forget, its in a thread here somewhere

[Jurassic Shark 16,430]

On 3/21/2013 at 8:21 PM, Jay said:

Dovchenko.

You can find the Irina's Theme concert arrangement on youtube

 

Do you have a link to the concert arrangement?

[Jay 46,243]

It's in the twelve post of this thread.

[Jurassic Shark 16,430]

Oh, missed that! 

[Jay 46,243]

[Chen G. 6,142]

On 21.3.2013 at 7:59 PM, filmmusic said:

I've seen the movie again

 

Oh, I'm so sorry.

[John 2,034]

1 hour ago, Chen G. said:

Oh, I'm so sorry.

 

Says the one who adores the Hobbit trilogy.

[Chen G. 6,142]

 

I’ll watch An Unexpected Journey, my least favorite of the bunch, ten times on repeat before I’ll watch Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

 

And I don’t adore things. I like things.

[Jurassic Shark 16,430]

You really need more diversity.

 

[Chen G. 6,142]

I’ll rewatch Braveheart, then!

[crumbs 16,007]

What a fantastic concert arrangement that is! Straight out of 60s Hollywood film noir.

 

Wish the film had followed suit as a tribute to that era of filmmaking. Would've been much more suited to the sensibilities of modern Spielberg and Kaminski.

[hornist 1,261]

No it is not. Rare thing to say, I do not know what was going on then. Only score I do not understand. I'm more than happy he found a new gear for the next decade, its just lovely😍😍😍

 

 

 

 

[Incanus 5,890]

I just wish Williams had re-recorded this concert arrangement along with Marion's theme for the Spielberg/Williams collaboration 3. Still after all these years such a gorgeous piece.

[Thor 9,362]

I can't even remember how the theme goes. It's been ages since I listened to the album.

[Jurassic Shark 16,430]

I'd say the theme itself isn't that great, but the atmospheric orchestration lifts it quite a bit.

[crumbs 16,007]

2 hours ago, Incanus said:

I just wish Williams had re-recorded this concert arrangement along with Marion's theme for the Spielberg/Williams collaboration 3. Still after all these years such a gorgeous piece.

 

Saving it for Collaboration Edition 4, along with Indy 5, The Lost World, War of the Worlds, The Post, Artificial Intelligence and his new Hook arrangement 

 

[Jurassic Shark 16,430]

1 minute ago, crumbs said:

 

Saving it for Collaboration Edition 4,

 

 

And it will only be available in a new 4 CD box set.

[Thor 9,362]

7 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

I'd say the theme itself isn't that great, but the atmospheric orchestration lifts it quite a bit.

 

Thanks. I'll pay better attention to it the next time I listen. As I've said many times, I have a very cool, detached relationship to Williams' film music since 2005 (except WAR HORSE and THE POST). At some point, I'd like to sit down and engross myself in these 9 feature film scores more properly.

[Jurassic Shark 16,430]

40 minutes ago, Thor said:

 

As I've said many times, I have a very cool, detached relationship to Williams' film music since 2005.

 

I feel basically the same.

[Brundlefly 2,402]

13 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

I feel basically the same.

Me too (except WAR HORSE, LINCOLN and THE LAST JEDI).

[hornist 1,261]

As I said before I think it is one of JW's greatest era. Except indy 4 of course.

I do not even know how Irina's theme goes.

[cuartosur 12]

 

[artguy360 2,228]

I like the orchestrations and the mood/atmosphere of the piece. I think it makes use of a sax for a good bit. But the melody itself is a little too repetitive and kind of goes nowhere, not a lot of melodic development. In terms of a femme fatale golden age theme, I think Helena's theme is far better.

[GerateWohl 6,494]

5 hours ago, artguy360 said:

I like the orchestrations and the mood/atmosphere of the piece. I think it makes use of a sax for a good bit. But the melody itself is a little too repetitive and kind of goes nowhere, not a lot of melodic development. In terms of a femme fatale golden age theme, I think Helena's theme is far better.

I like Irina's Theme a lot. By modern Hollywood standards the melody linie is probably three times as log as the average modern love theme. And it perectly fits the musical Indiana Jones family. Helena's Theme is the foundation of the whole DoD score. Irina's Theme just appears in a few scene's where Irina appears. Therefore, of course Helena's Theme is far superior. But Irina's Theme does the job perfectly as a theme for a 50s Russian female secret agent. I don't like the term femme fatal in context of Irina, as a femme fatal is supposed to be secutvive and bringing men to ruin by making them fall in love with her. But that's not the case at all with Irina.

 

 

 

 

 

[Richard P 5,303]

5 hours ago, artguy360 said:

I like the orchestrations and the mood/atmosphere of the piece. I think it makes use of a sax for a good bit. But the melody itself is a little too repetitive and kind of goes nowhere, not a lot of melodic development. In terms of a femme fatale golden age theme, I think Helena's theme is far better.

 

Yes, I respect the tone and golden age feeling of the piece but I've never liked the melody in any other form than brief quotes. (such as when it appears in Jungle Chase). In terms of a theme and a piece that evolves, Helena's Theme is much more interesting to me.

[Gabriel Bezerra 776]

I found it amusing that this thread apparently is resurrected every 5 years.

[Marian Schedenig 11,694]

[mrbellamy 8,244]

8 hours ago, Gabriel Bezerra said:

I found it amusing that this thread apparently is resurrected every 5 years.

 

Even weirder than that, this thread had been used exclusively in March up until now, so we're either 11 months late or a few days early depending on how you look at it