‘Music by John Williams’ documentary shows the maestro’s ‘gigantic contribution to the world of music’
John Williams “has made a gigantic contribution to the world of music at large, beginning with making film music legitimate but also his concert work.” For our recent webchat, director and producer Laurent Bouzereau makes that claim about the subject of his new documentary “Music by John Williams,” which now streaming on Disney+. In fact, Bouzereau ranks Williams as the #1 composer of the 20th century, ahead of Gershwin, McCartney/Lennon and Simon, adding, “My argument is that there are very few people” (especially who started in the 1960s and 1970s) who “have survived the test of time.”
He admits that he’s “been preparing for this my entire life” by watching the films of Steven Spielberg with the scores by maestro Williams. He adds that it’s “an honor to be the one who tells this story, because I’m not the first one to approach John. He said ‘no’ many times, even to myself.”
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SEEJohn Williams: All 54 Oscar Composer Nominations with 5 Wins
The career of Williams has included five Oscar wins among 54 nominations for “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Jaws,” “Star Wars,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” and “Schindler’s List.” He has also won 26 Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards, and received the Kennedy Center Honors and American Film Institute life achievement award. His career has included the Indiana Jones movies, “Superman,” “Jurassic Park,” “Home Alone,” “JFK,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Lincoln,” and the first Harry Potter films.
The film features commentary by several collaborators, including Spielberg, George Lucas, Ron Howard, J.J. Abrams, and Chris Columbus, along with contemporary composers Thomas Newman, David Newman, and Alan Silvestri.
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