Is the Raiders March your favorite theme John Williams has ever written?

[ThePenitentMan1 741]

On 11/11/2022 at 3:16 PM, Andy said:

I'll put it this way... If I am ever in the position where I'm swimming for my life to attempt to board a submerging Nazi Submarine, I wouldn't want the Jurassic Park theme to get me there.

 

I wouldn't want the Jaws theme, either.  For...  slightly different reasons.

[Brando 1,848]

On 9/11/2022 at 1:22 PM, MrJosh said:

One thing I do love about Raider's March is that it works wonderfully both in march form and also in slower, contemplative form. 

The insert when the child tells Indy if he drinks the blood, he won’t wake up from the nightmare is sooooo good.

[Faleel 5,326]

My favorite statement of the theme has to be the end of Fast Streets.

[Brando 1,848]

2 hours ago, Clockwork Angel said:

My favorite statement of the theme has to be the end of Fast Streets.

As the plane is taking off against the sky? That plays in my head anytime I'm merging onto a road and begin to accelerate to join traffic

[Faleel 5,326]

11 minutes ago, Brando said:

As the plane is taking off against the sky? That plays in my head anytime I'm merging onto a road and begin to accelerate to join traffic

Nice try Lao Che!

[Bellosh 3,369]

20 hours ago, Brando said:

The insert when the child tells Indy if he drinks the blood, he won’t wake up from the nightmare is sooooo good.

 

yes!!!!  this one right?

 

 

i won't believe my ears the day we have all these missing cues. 

[Jay 37,268]

Technically the insert plays after that line and seems to have been added to punctuate Shorty looking at Indy and him looking back, with Indy's theme instead of the dramatic chord on the album version

 

 

[Bellosh 3,369]

that synthwave outro was throwing me off in that clip!! 

[Brando 1,848]

4 hours ago, Bellosh said:

 

yes!!!!  this one right?

 

 

i won't believe my ears the day we have all these missing cues. 

So good.

 

3 hours ago, Jay said:

Technically the insert plays after that line and seems to have been added to punctuate Shorty looking at Indy and him looking back, with Indy's theme instead of the dramatic chord on the album version

 

 

Yeah, you're right, that was the only identifiable line I thought of for that moment that I knew people would recognize since that's such a deep moment.

[Andy 4,071]

The best emotional use is the celli playing as Indy and Shorty give their hats back to each other. 

[Jay 37,268]

Yesssss

 

 

https://youtu.be/5X1qCDIMSWQ&start=269

 

 

[Andy 4,071]

I’m not crying, you’re crying. 

[Bellosh 3,369]

Andy just make the switch to 'Yes'

 

You know you wanna

[Bellosh 3,369]

@Andy

[Tallguy 3,359]

It tells you all you need to know about JTW is that he wrote the Raiders March and it is NOT my favorite Williams theme. That would have been any other composer's crowning achievement. Williams says "I have others."

[Andy 4,071]

1 hour ago, Bellosh said:

Andy just make the switch to 'Yes'

 

You know you wanna

[Bellosh 3,369]

24 minutes ago, Andy said:

 

you crazy son of a bitch you did it

 

[Tallguy 3,359]

11 hours ago, Bellosh said:

 

you crazy son of a bitch you did it

 

 

So... You want him to pick Jurassic Park?

[Andy 4,071]

Simple, eh?   Repetitive?  Bit through this piano wire?  Don’t you tell me my business again. You get back on the bridge. 
 

[Bellosh 3,369]

"I think my only input was can't you use both??? And he did! He made the latter the bridge and he made the former, the main theme."

 

😂 I've listened to that interview on disc 5 so much 

[Jurassic Shark 12,009]

Objection! Leading question. 

[Brando 1,848]

3 hours ago, Andy said:

Simple, eh?   Repetitive?  Bit through this piano wire?  Don’t you tell me my business again. You get back on the bridge. 
 

“John that doesn't prove a damn theme.”

”Well it proves one thing Mr Spielberg: it proves that you wealthy college boys don’t have the education enough to admit when you’re wrong.”

[Tom 4,632]

A whole thread about a silly little march.  

[Bellosh 3,369]

7 minutes ago, Tom said:

A whole thread about a silly little march.  

 

[Bellosh 3,369]

my god do i love this performance:

 

 

[MaxMovieMan 269]

Something about the Force theme is so legendary and iconic to me. It emotionally affects me more than any other theme I’ve ever heard so in my opinion that’s my favorite Williams theme even though it’s more like a motif. If not for that though easily Raider’s March. I actually like the B phrase more than the A phrase.

 

There’s no concert suite Force theme is there?

[Jay 37,268]

Nope, just The Throne Room which gives it a B section it didn't have in the score 

[Ludwig 1,120]

1 hour ago, MaxMovieMan said:

Something about the Force theme is so legendary and iconic to me. It emotionally affects me more than any other theme I’ve ever heard so in my opinion that’s my favorite Williams theme even though it’s more like a motif. If not for that though easily Raider’s March. I actually like the B phrase more than the A phrase.

 

There’s no concert suite Force theme is there?

 

  I've always felt that the opening of "The Rebel Fleet/End Title" from TESB is what a concert version of the Force Theme might sound like since it has a mini B section that leads to a reprise of the theme. And, since the theme is short and almost like a motif as you say, it would make sense to combine it with the Solo and the Princess theme as it is here (another theme from the same film with a very contrasting emotion). So it could be like The Rebellion is Reborn from TLJ, which combines Rose's Theme and the Luke in Exile Theme. You can kind of imagine it if you listen to the first couple of minutes of the cue with that in mind:

 

 

 

[Bellosh 3,369]

My favorite end credits ever in my favorite theme's thread. You guys....

[Brónach 1,301]

not the single best adventure theme of his (i really like how longlined it becomes and it's irreplaceable), however, when it plays, specially in some specific spots and variations, it is suddenly the best adventure theme and you brain is filled with it

 

i always thought it had a very specific mood. it's rythm and the hook of the A theme is hard to plaster on a screen mindlessly. it's not a generic adventure theme. there's a specific vibe. juvenile.

 

wether my mood accepts or not the raiders march affects greatly playing one of these scores.

 

however, i can't pretend that things like the Shiva theme or Jurassic Park/The Lost World or Rey's Theme with all its neat little segments or whatever didn't happen. it's hard out there. it's hard to be a JW theme and compete with others.

[Tallguy 3,359]

The end of Empire is so perfect it's beyond describing. It almost can't possibly be that good, but it is. It's hard to appreciate how good an ending that film has. It's both a near total cliff hanger as well as a very satisfying ending. And the music steps up to match it.

 

So I'm watching that Japan video back when Williams would conduct perfect pieces perfectly. And it occurs to me that as good as Temple of Doom and Last Crusade are the Indy theme kind of becomes just a piece of music that gets played. But in Raiders... Wow, that's something else. It's weird that Indy is both a throwback adventure film while at the same time being like nothing we'd ever seen before. (Especially if you were 11.) And that THEME! While the Nazi music takes his RUMPTY TUM TUM TUMMMMMM! bad guy kind of music from Empire and refines it the main theme isn't nearly the "oh, that's just the kind of music that Williams writes" that say Superman is.

 

I can't really think of anything he's written quite like it. And it was back when he'd write a main theme and then vary it within an inch of it's life! I mean, Desert Chase!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,490]

THE RAIDERS MARCH is a fantastic piece of work... and the march from 1941 pisses all over it, from a very great height.

[Tallguy 3,359]

So where does that put Midway? 

 

1941 is a much more definable march. It's WWII. It's a slightly / more than slightly over the top parody. Elmer Bernstein or Jerry Goldsmith would have gotten close to the same thing. (And occasionally did.) 

[Brónach 1,301]

clearly they're not going for the same vibes

[Bellosh 3,369]

by the time 'Flight From Peru' plays, WE'RE BARELY INTO THE MOVIE AND SCORE AND John Williams already has the Raiders March in the palm of his hand like he's been conducting it for years!

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,490]

4 hours ago, Tallguy said:

So where does that put Midway? 

 

In the middle 

[Bellosh 3,369]

Hey whomever said in another thread that I can't find that the coda to the raiders march reminds them of Indy back on campus....just wanna say I think about that every time I hear it now.

 

I'm fully onboard with that theory.

[filmmusic 1,822]

Nope.

Favorite John Williams theme I guess is Schindler's List. (although favorite score overall is E.T.)

(I'm a sentimental and sensitive kind of guy! )

[Bellosh 3,369]

5 hours ago, filmmusic said:

(I'm a sentimental and sensitive kind of guy! )

 

 

The Raiders March has that covered though if ya ever want to change your mind!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Faleel 5,326]

2 minutes ago, Bellosh said:

 

 

The Raiders March has that covered though if ya ever want to change your mind!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't forget the film version of Keeping up with the Joneses

[Bellosh 3,369]

1 hour ago, Faleel said:

Don't forget the film version of Keeping up with the Joneses

 

i didn't want to overload them with sentimental.  I know salesmen can't be too pushy.

 

i only have 6 yes's in this poll.  gotta be strategic.

[TolkienSS 405]

Best one is Luke & Leia.

 

ImO

[filmmusic 1,822]

42 minutes ago, Bellosh said:

The Raiders March has that covered though if ya ever want to change your mind!

Nah... you didn't convince me... 

[Faleel 5,326]

50 minutes ago, Bellosh said:

 

i didn't want to overload then with sentimental.  I know as a salesmen you can't be too pushy.

 

i only have 6 yes's in this poll.  gotta be strategic.

[Bellosh 3,369]

1 hour ago, TolkienSS said:

Best one is Luke & Leia.

 

ImO

 

JW's best love theme from the OT.

 

Leia had a trilogy of themes and that's the best one in my book. 

[Loert 2,509]

If you mean "theme" as in a melody that is re-used throughout the score, I don't think I could ever give a favourite, however the first theme that came to mind was the A.I. Theme, which I really adore. But I also really love the Slave Children's Crusade theme (its rendition in the ToD end credits is perhaps my favourite section in any JW score).

 

If you mean "theme" as in a title theme/track, I would probably go for either The Towering Inferno titles, or The 1941 March.

[Bellosh 3,369]

i dunno i'm making this up as i go

 

[Tom 4,632]

I would suggest to start a new thread that asks what is Williams best theme with two questions: One, what is the best theme as a standalone melody.  Two, the best theme in terms of score permutations and such. 

 

I have got to think that there a thread dedicated to this topic, but maybe not.  

[Jay 37,268]

What type of person comes across this year-and-a-half old post of mine and decides to put the sleepy Reaction on it?  Weird.

[Loert 2,509]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

What type of person comes across this year-and-a-half old post of mine and decides to put the sleepy Reaction on it?  Weird.

 

Maybe they were just really tired...