Popular Post Sunshine Reger 3,581 Posted May 21, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted May 21, 2020 picture from @Falstaft's theme collection "The Medallion" theme is a seductive melody full of teasing by minor sixth leaps, triplets, and slow descents, and at first playful, sharpened notes, and then by relaxing flattened notes. It's in a (romantic) key full of flats, and the choice of Eb major in particular over neighbouring keys comes in handy in the finale, when the theme seemingly briefly portrays the 'raiders'' triumph in achieving their objective. Eb major has no significance in relation to the instruments that it is voiced in, as far as I was able to find, so the choice is rather likely to be dramatic than stricte utilitarian. The chord structure seems rather inconspicuous. It follows Williams' trend of harmony accompaniments of love themes, maybe slightly more on the mysterious side. The rhytm change in the pivotal moment of the theme and the "open" ending on a III (G) chord seems to give a glimpse of something; a promise of a shift with an ending left unknown. It is first heard voiced by a voxine cor anglais, lower in pitch and so closer to a seductive direction than an oboe would be. The point of this post is that the interpretation that Williams wrote a rather elaborate theme for the medallion, which does not play in the inscription reading scene in Cairo, or when major Toht shows the mark on his burned hand, or in the map room scene (!) and only plays for a nebulous reason in the finale, is rather suspicious, and that I think I have found a better explanation of what it represents. Part 1: We first hear it when Marion looks at the golden medallion and considers selling it. It starts playing when the medallion is shown, but then she looks at it on one hand and on money in the other hand (literally), and contemplates for a moment. It stops playing when she leaves the medallion on the table and walks away with money. It plays again when Indy and Sallah are carrying the Ark away in the Well of Souls, and the camera follows the shadow cast by them. They look like cartoon thieves. We finally hear it when Belloq, a man who likes luxuries, sells his morality for money, and dreams of possessing a "radio to God" for not exactly pious reasons, is amazed by his apparent victory and the ghostly visions. I am convinced that It is not a motif of the physical object (the medallion), but rather a theme of sin. The weak point of the interpretation is that in the second instance Indy and Sallah have no ill intentions. But a theme of sin playing still makes more sense than an unrelated medallion theme, doesn't it? We can definitely look for clues in why does 'The Medallion' theme play in the finale. We know that Williams likes to plan writing music based on where it is going, based on the end. He did it on larger scale just a year later---in E.T.... So let's analyze the logic of the theme succession in the track The Miracle of the Ark: Following the textbook use of themes in this score and the apparent narrative logic, since Indy and Marion are powerless in the finale, their themes do not play; the only themes at play are those about the active parties: God, the ghost maidens, and... the Raiders, apparently. The Nazi menace theme cannot play, because the goons throw down their weapons and look around scared. The suggestion that the "Medallion Theme" plays simply because it is a part of the Ark magic doesn't seem very convincing to me. I don't think it's the "sounds nice" Yoda's Theme situation in the Cloud City from a year prior either. Yoda's theme was something special for Williams, while the 'Medallion Theme' was confined to the film and never heard from again. The theme is a triumphant statement with extremely agitated strings and proud horns. It plays after the 'mortal danger' rendition of the Ark theme---God's last warning to the Raiders----and is directly preceded by a figure based on a romantic theme from Dracula; a figure which portrays the dance of the beautiful ghost maidens [btw. there was a glimpse of it already in the winds in Map Room Dawn]. I think that in this context the statement of the theme clearly portrays the overwhelming human urges that Belloq feels. It's a seeming triumph of the very worldly desires of the Raiders of the Lost Ark. The final tone is held long, as if God's offer still remained open, until it is proven beyond question that the conviction of the villains is unshakable. The Ark theme responds with a boil [on the album and in the cut that Williams scored, anyway; they clearly later cut out these few seconds of the film for a more drastic surprise value], and a shower of murderous atonal clusters follows; all the villains are wiped out. These clusters do not appear to have any connection to the theme. Raiders of the Lost Ark has some rather obvious symbolism concerning the theme of God punishing or rewarding depending on morality (the Hakenkreuz on the Ark crate is burnt off, people who opened the Ark are killed, ropes of the innocent Indy and Marion are burnt away). And since Williams conceptualised the Ark theme as a devillish tritone inside a perfect fifth, is a theme of a temptation to sin so far away? Some might instinctively object to Williams writing a theme about such an abstract concept as sin, but the entire score is full of beckoning, mystery, and romance, starting already with the jungle opening, and including the Ark theme itself. Secondly, since the love theme is quite bitter-sweet and "bruised", and Indiana Jones's heroic theme is frequently described as overcoming character's failures, we can conclude that the musical themes in Raiders are a bit deeper than, say, Star Wars OT themes. For these two reasons already I don't think a theme of sin in this particular score it is a far-fetched proposition. Part 2: There are no indications in the transcript of the story room discussions whatsoever that the medallion has any significance or qualities other than as a physical McGuffin that leads to the Ark. I doubt Spielberg or Lucas would have asked Williams to write a theme for it. An early draft of the script describes the scene introducing the theme so: Quote She takes the chain from around her neck and lets the medallion slide off it into her hand. She places it on the bar next to the pile of money, thinking. Then, having reached some decision, she picks up the pile of bills, walks up the back of the bar and pulls a small wooden box from under the bar. It is more likely that they would highlight to Williams that Marion contemplates the artifact and the money. The storyroom transcript says about Marion: Quote L — I don't want to soften her. I like the fact that it's greed. and about Belloq: Quote His arch-rival [Belloq] is really a top smuggler, diamond dealer, antiquity... He's the corrupt version of our guy. He's the one who really goes in and rapes the temples and steals all that stuff and sends it off to private collectors, and takes antiquities and breaks them into small pieces and sells each piece for the price of the original. He's a real corrupt guy. Maybe he's the head of his own museum or something. He's sort of legitimate, only he's a real corrupt person, and our guys knows that. and, for a contrast, about Jones: Quote They offer him [Jones] money in the first place, but he's still skeptical. They offer him a lot of money. "That's only if I get it, and I'm not going to get it. It's just a wild goose chase. There's not enough in it for me." Maybe they add a little bit more money, or they give him a guarantee, whether he finds it or not. Or something just to find out what the Germans know. "Then I'm just a spy. I'm not a spy. I'm an archeologist. So a theme of sin might play for Marion and for Belloq, but is unlikely to play directly for Jones. This is consistent with my interpretations of the 3 uses of the theme in the film. The only alternative of what happened in the spotting session I see is that they asked Williams to write a theme highlighting the artifact, and Williams dropped the theme in all further meaningful contexts, but decided to use it in two random moments instead. We all know the fandom memes, but cmon, this would be some sort of a record at the time. Truth be told, the story room conversations of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Larry Kasdan are centered on the pulp adventure and don't touch on the religious or serious aspect of the film too much. The conversations between Kasdan, Phil Kaufman, and Debby Fine, on the other hand, go very deep into literary sources and the historical context. That the thoughts about the mystical elements of the film underwent some maturation over time can be seen in the effects of scenes such as that of the introduction of the Ark to the Washington agents. Initially the agents were supposed to be the ones convincing Jones about a military danger of the Ark, and in the film proper they are the ones slowly realizing that the biblical Ark might be real and have some power when Jones tells them about the wrath of God. But let's return to the composition level. Williams' McGuffin and non-human themes tend to be short (Shark, Death Star, Hoth, The Ark). This one is much longer, and is very voxine and lyrical, as if it was expressing human emotions, or speaking to a character's thoughts. If it was a theme for the medallion, what would his decisions about the content of those bars mean? Why would it be in the romantic Eb major and not in C minor, like the ark theme, or in a mysterious G minor? And why such "whimsical" triplets? The medallion itself has no effect on Marion, other than as a sentimental trinket. I don't think Williams wanted to say that God tries to make Marion desire the artifact, since throughout the entire film God only ever warns people and tries to scare them away from the Ark. What she wants is the money, for which she is willing to sell the semi-sacred medallion (and the Bible really frowns upon such motivations---see: the wrath of God at the end). Williams worked deliberately and for quite some time to make this melody very good, note after a note, and express what he wanted it to express. He probably spent hours working on this. It's tight and on a Tchaikovsky level. Every other theme in the film is constructed very deliberately to express what it accompanies. It would be inconsistent if this one did not. But in the end, there is no definitive proof. It's a leap from the lion's head either way. So... what do you think, gents? Should the "Medallion Theme" henceforth be known as the Theme of Sin? That_Bloke, Marian Schedenig, Jurassic Shark and 2 others 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 39,156 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 I've always just thought of it as the B section of the Ark Theme >shrug< oierem 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine Reger 3,581 Posted May 21, 2020 Author Share Posted May 21, 2020 But the Ark theme plays in its entirety in "The Miracle of the Ark". It gets a full ending there, and the statements are quite thunderous. It's not like the A and B parts of the Raiders March... These are clearly two distinct themes. Why would Williams send two themes? Edit: It never occured to me that the theme could describe the Ark. If it was some sort of discarded prototype, then the initial thought process of Williams concerning the Ark would have to be very far removed from his ultimate plan for the film. It's just... too light and lively for an artifact of power. I cannot imagine that George Lucas did not convey during the spotting session that the Ark Theme should be mighty, ancient, or awe inspiring---things that the "Medallion theme" is not. Ok, it can get powerful when played by horns in the finale, but especially with those strings above it sounds to me like a clear echo of Belloq's extatic "It's beautiful!", so something more from his, human perspective, and not something impartial, like the Ark Theme. It's a dramatic human theme straight from Dracula end credits. But again, the thought that it is a theme of falling in love with the Ark itself conflicts with the use of it in the introduction scene with Marion, where it accompanies the train of thoughts that leads her to the selling of the medallion, a direct opposite. Why would Williams write music directly against what the character is drifting towards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisAfonso 198 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 What Jay is probably thinking of is the moment in Ark Trek, where the second half of the medallion theme does appear as the b section of the Ark theme, creating a single moment of unity of the two themes. Following your interpretation, this could be seen as the point in the story where the raw power of the Ark and the corrupt ambition to use it finally come together? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oierem 173 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 The analysis is really interesting. However, I always think music fans have a tendency to over-analyze the meaning of music themes. John Williams has always been very liberal in how he uses themes. He does spend a lot of time creating the "right" themes, but I don't think he spends a lot of time thinking deep meanings for them. I agree that the theme seems to represent a more seductive aspect of the Ark/Medallion, and as Jay says, it always appears alongside with the main Arc theme, except for its first appearance (which is why it's usually associated with the Medallion). Therefore, I agree that the theme is not necessarily a "Medallion theme", but rather a secondary melody associated with the Arc. (There's another hidden appearance of the theme, during the "Map Room" scene, where it's briefly quoted as well). By the way, why do you say the theme is in Eb major? The theme is obviously in C minor, as is the main arc theme. Nick Parker and Docteur Qui 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crumbs 14,696 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 It's the 'Thinking of the Ark' theme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine Reger 3,581 Posted May 21, 2020 Author Share Posted May 21, 2020 Oh, I missed that moment, not sure why. My answer would go like this: the theme is heard again when the main focus of the screen become the Nazi soldiers carrying the Ark and lingers on the evil major Toht. It's a stronger version of what played when Indy and Sallah were taking the Ark away. The transition between the two themes is not seamless(!) These are still two separate themes. I should have made that more clear. It is a sin in the sense of using the Ark for personal gain. It's not a theme of the Ark, but of those who do something non-kosher with it. The introduction in the Washington scene of what the Ark is, the concerns Sallah raises, and the payoff in the finale are about God's wrath. It's elementary theology that in the Old Testament God's wrath is because of sin, and the moral categorization of characters in the movie is what determines who gets fried and who gets freed, so I don't understand why would Williams writing a theme about it is considered too intellectual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Falstaft 2,172 Posted May 21, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted May 21, 2020 I wouldn't overthink the label here. The initial few statements of the theme link it with the Medallion, but most subsequent usages are looser. This is not atypical for Williams, or indeed any composer who uses the leitmotif technique in a non-mechanical way. I love the thought and detail you've put into this analysis, @Fabulin, but I confess I'm puzzled by a number aspects, not least of which is the claim the theme is in Eb major. Don't mean to be too dogmatic here, but it's about as unambiguously in Cm as a theme can be. In particular, the G-major at the conclusion constitutes a half-cadential dominant, which may or may not lead to the return to the tonic C-minor. There are Williams themes where tonal function is more ambiguous, of course, but alas this isn't one of them. At the same time, I agree with you that it is an autonomous theme, not a B-section of the Ark Theme. (Though it does retroactively serve that role rather well in Ark Trek and the Miracle of the Ark!) oierem, Docteur Qui, The Illustrious Jerry and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine Reger 3,581 Posted May 21, 2020 Author Share Posted May 21, 2020 Ok, I rest my case. Falstaft 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Gonzales 6,201 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 I mean, it scores a closeup of the Medallion in "Flight To Cairo"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeltington 1,555 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 I appreciate your in-depth analysis and I enjoyed reading it. I never thought too much about this theme, so it's cool to stop and consider what its meaning might be. And I think you're right that we shouldn't consider it a theme for the medallion. You make a great point that there are too many missed opportunities to use the theme if that was really what it was for. I also think you're correct that this and the ark theme are two distinct themes, even though they may appear together (similar to the Rise of Skywalker trio/victory themes). I haven't seen the film in a while, so I'll have to give this some thought next time I see it. I disagree that the theme is strictly about "sin" as you suggest, but I think you're on the right track. Williams does a fantastic job at writing themes that don't just signal when a specific character or other story element appears onscreen, but represent whatever that character or thing represents. Often, his themes even express some larger undercurrents and themes of the film itself. Notice each Star Wars film has heroic themes, romantic themes, evil themes, and they're usually associated with specific characters, but they also reflect larger requirements of the story. Here's how Williams described Luke's theme in an interview: Quote Flourishes and upward reaching; idealistic and heroic, in a very different way than Darth Vader of course, and a very different tonality—a very uplifted kind of heraldic quality. Larger than he is. His idealism is more the subject than the character itself, I would say. Note the last line there. Luke's theme isn't just describing Luke's character, but the specific qualities he represents or possesses that are important to a heroic story like Star Wars. The themes in Raiders of the Lost Ark function the same way. The Ark theme doesn't exist only to address the physical object, or signify when it's on screen. It fills the role, musically, of expressing an important driving force of the film - the awesome power of God that is not to be trifled with. And the theme has a dark quality to it that directly foreshadows what ultimately happens when it's opened. So, with all that said, I think it's possible that the "medallion" theme is also meant to represent the ark, and some of the things the ark represents. But maybe it suggests slightly different ideas about the ark (and the film). "Sin" could be one of those things, although its meaning is probably broader than that. I would guess Williams wrote both themes loosely around the ark, and then chose to deploy one theme or the other as he intuited was appropriate for each scene. Compare it to the situation with the two themes for Kylo in The Force Awakens. What was on his mind when he wrote two themes for the same character? Well, we don't really know for sure. But we can agree the two themes express different qualities of the character, so they are not completely interchangeable. But it might also be a mistake to try and pigeonhole them by assigning strict meanings beyond the idea that they're themes for Kylo. Maybe we should describe these two ark-related themes by their mood, similar to how we talk about Kylo's themes, e.g. Kylo (tragic). Sunshine Reger and Cerebral Cortex 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Quintus 5,421 Posted May 21, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted May 21, 2020 Really nice scrutiny and breakdown OP. This is one of Williams' very best minor motifs. The whole Ark theme together including this B section... it is one of my earliest musical memories. This theme had a profound effect on me when I was young. Sunshine Reger, crumbs and Nick Parker 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dutton 7,251 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 The best part in Miracle of the Ark sounds like Dracula, but better. I used to play it over and over on the hi-fi. Sunshine Reger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,412 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 It's an amazing theme, that's for sure. I was listening to this score the other day actually. It is the best in the series. Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,891 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 6 hours ago, The River (Fal) said: I mean, it scores a closeup of the Medallion in "Flight To Cairo"... 7 hours ago, oierem said: John Williams has always been very liberal in how he uses themes. He does spend a lot of time creating the "right" themes, but I don't think he spends a lot of time thinking deep meanings for them. 6 hours ago, Falstaft said: I wouldn't overthink the label here. The initial few statements of the theme link it with the Medallion, but most subsequent usages are looser. This is not atypical for Williams, or indeed any composer who uses the leitmotif technique in a non-mechanical way. I think it's an interesting consideration. I've always known the theme as the "medallion theme", because my first version of the score was the Silva Screen album, where Lukas Kendall calls it that. But nearly as long as I can think back I've been perplexed by this, because it's used so rarely, and only once in clear connection with the medallion. That happens to be the first time we hear it, so it's an obvious connection to make, but why write a very distinctive theme for a specific object and then only use it for the first time we see that object and then a bunch of other times when we don't (including its biggest statement when the medallion has long left the story)? And if it were a part of the ark theme, why prominently introduce it on its own, in a scene not (directly) related to the ark, but then not use it in most of the major statements of the ark theme? Sunshine Reger and Jurassic Shark 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datameister 2,241 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 It's a very interesting lens through which to view this theme, but I definitely agree with those who'd say it's simply associated with the ark, providing a different emotional color than the creepy doom and gloom of the main ark theme. Imagine that theme playing for the reveal of the medallion, or for the moment before the trip to Cairo, or for the swirling ghosts. It wouldn't communicate the right emotions; this other theme does. I think we can analyze it till the cows come home and I wouldn't denigrate anyone for it, but in terms of original intent, I doubt it was much more complicated than that. oierem 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,679 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 I also hear it as the B section of the Arc theme 4 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said: And if it were a part of the ark theme, why prominently introduce it on its own, in a scene not (directly) related to the ark, but then not use it in most of the major statements of the ark theme? the medallion leads to the Ark . A lot of Williams themes have and b sections that play in different scenes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That_Bloke 123 Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 I love your analysis and the conclusions you make. The only thing I would question is the key: to me it looks and sounds like it's in C minor, not Eb major. Using teh G major chord at the end of the theme very much sounds like it finishes on the dominant of the key (a classic imperfect cadence), not the mediant. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciarlese 265 Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 On 5/21/2020 at 2:47 AM, Fabulin said: picture from @Falstaft's theme collection Where can we get more info about this "theme collection"? Is it available anywhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmmusic 2,151 Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 2 hours ago, ciarlese said: Where can we get more info about this "theme collection"? Is it available anywhere? https://franklehman.com/indiana-jones-themes/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciarlese 265 Posted May 26, 2020 Share Posted May 26, 2020 This is amazing! I have been looking for something like this for decades. Thank you. But I think the tempo of the Ark's theme shown here is too fast , maybe "=60" is the right number? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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