Music by John Williams (Bouzereau, 2024)
On this day a year ago, RNZ posted the written version of my At the Movies review of the wonderful documentary, Music by John Williams.
For the radio version, I went longer than I would normally as there were so many great clips to use but if you are a reader rather than a listener the written version is still OK:
Music by John Williams brought me so much happiness that I had to go right back to the beginning and watch it again.
A film that reminded me why I got into this business in the first place, a film that will send you back to your DVD collection, your favourite streaming service or – if you’re lucky – your local video store.
The new documentary Music by John Williams restores your faith in the power of cinema to transport you – to make your day better, your life better, the world around you look and feel better.
…
The documentary is produced by Ron Howard’s company, Spielberg’s Amblin and Lucasfilm, so it’s obviously going to be a celebration of their joint achievements, but that clip gives you an idea that there are some fascinating musical details that a genius like Williams is able to share.
Questions about the future of motion picture scoring, and the fact that Williams’ love for the symphony-sized orchestra was already a bit of an anachronism back in 1974, come up.
The clash of cultures as classical musicians at the Boston Symphony are forced to play “trashy” film music at Williams’ Pops concerts in the 80s – they hissed at him in rehearsals – has eventually been overcome by the fact many of the current generation of classical musicians fell in love with orchestral music thanks to hearing Williams’ music for Jurassic Park at their local movie theatre.
Bonus listening
The At the Movies review caught the ear of RNZ Concert’s Bryan Crump who invited me in to play some favourite examples of Williams’ music. This was a fun conversation (as chats with Bryan always are).
Where to watch Music by John Williams
Worldwide (except where noted): Streaming on Disney+
India: Not currently available
