Attendees at the gala premiere of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” in Los Angeles Wednesday received something more than just the new film. Alongside the usual cast and creatives introducing the movie, they were also treated to a surprise 15-minute orchestral performance of the iconic “Indiana Jones” theme music, conducted by John Williams himself.
You can see a clip from that performance below:
Williams was introduced by Steven Spielberg, who spoke after director James Mangold had introduced a number of cast members, including Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, John Rhys-Davies and Toby Jones. Spielberg then took the microphone to pay special tribute to three people he said were indispensable to the Indiana Jones movies. He started with “the man who created Indiana Jones,” George Lucas, and “the man who played him,” Ford.
Then he acknowledged Williams, who unlike Lucas and Ford was not standing on the front of the stage of the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. As the audience began to applaud for the veteran composer, the curtain rose to reveal the 91-year-old maestro and a 70-piece orchestra.
They received a rousing standing ovation after performing three numbers: a playful and sprightly section of score that incorporated variations on the familiar “Indiana Jones” fanfare; “Helena’s Theme,” a gentle tune that Williams said he wrote for Waller-Bridge’s character after Mangold asked for a theme reminiscent of music from movies of the 1940s; and a dynamic and fully fleshed-out version of the Indy theme that has been one of Williams’ most familiar pieces of work since “Raiders of the Lost Ark” premiered in 1981.
The film formally lands in theaters June 30. Alongside Ford, who returns as Indiana Jones for the fifth and final time, “Dial of Destiny” also stars Waller-Bridge, Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, Rhys-Davies, Jones, Shaunette Renee Wilson, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook Oliver Richters and Ethann Isidore.
Steve Pond contributed to this report.