Film Review: Music By John Williams

Music By John Williams
Director: Laurent Bouzreau
Lucasfilm, Amblin Documentaries, Imagine Documentaries, Nedland Media
Streaming on Disney+: 11.01

As a general rule, I may be the single least knowledgeable person at SLUG when it comes out music and the music scene, or at least I often feel that way. Still, music is an important part of me, and the artists who shaped that love are sacred to me. Most beloved of all, for as long as I can remember, there has been Music By John Williams. 

This loving tribute documentary takes a deep dive into the life and career of legendary composer John Williams, tracing his journey from a jazz pianist in Queens, New York, to a five-time Oscar winner with a record 54 nominations. After moving to Los Angeles, Williams studied at UCLA, served as an Air Force musician and honed his skills at Juilliard before becoming a sought-after studio musician, working with composers like Henry Mancini and Elmer Bernstein. When a young filmmaker named Steven Spielberg, who had fallen in love with Williams’ scores for The Reivers (1969) and The Cowboys (1972) sought out the composer and asked to score his first feature, a collaborative partnership began. The day these two met would not only change both of their lives, but it would lead Williams to scoring Star Wars (1977), Superman (1979) and eventually Jurassic Park (1993), as the maestro’s neo romantic compositions shaped popular music and saved the grand orchestral film score from extinction. 

If you’re looking for an innovative documentary that reinvents the art form, Music By John Williams isn’t that movie. If you’re looking for a surprisingly emotional and deeply nostalgic look at the last 50 years of music and movies told through the life story of one of the most impactful figures in the past century of art and culture, however, then get ready for a symphony of feelings, stories and insights that will penetrate your soul. Still images, behind-the-scenes footage and film clips are mixed with extensive interviews with Williams, Spielberg and other filmmakers like George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, Ron Howard, J.J. Abrams and Chris Columbus, and well as musicians, including Itzhak Perlman, Branford Marsalis, Gustavo Dudamel, Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Yo-Yo Ma. Then there’s Jennifer Williams, John’s daughter, who candidly shares memories of the death of her mother, actress Barbara Ruick(Carousel) at age 41, leaving three teenagers to be raised by a loving but constantly working father. While the interviews with both John and Jennifer on this subject are heartbreaking, they are far from the only stirring and impassioned moments. Kate Capshaw can barely get through the story of the first time that Williams played the main theme for Schindler’s List for her and Spielberg, and every word from Chris Martin is packed with heartfelt love and hero worship that can be felt on a visceral level. From composing the Olympic anthem to conducting the Boston Pops, the mark that Williams left on orchestral music has extended beyond the movies, and when Martin refers to him as “the ultimate pop star,” there’s a realization that when you consider how entrenched his themes are in the cultural zeitgeist, it’s not an unreasonable assertion. 

Music By John Williams is very definitely a movie for fans, though it always effectively contextualizes the influence of this magnificent composer on multiple generations, and includes enough examples that if you didn’t call yourself a fan before the film, you will after seeing it. As someone who grew up holding his vinyl albums with a feeling of reverence and carries his themes with me every day in my mind and heart, this movie was an overwhelming roller coaster of feelings and memories that I never want to get off of, and I couldn’t be more enthusiastic in recommending it as an unforgettable and joyful experience. –Patrick Gibbs 

Read more film reviews here: 
Film Review: Joker: Folie à Deux
Film Review: Your Monster