John Williams was trending yesterday on Twitter and I immediately feared the worst. Thankfully the maestro was trending because James Gunn posted a motion poster of his upcoming Superman Legacy movie using a slowed-down version of Williams’ iconic score.

Williams’ Superman score is one of my favorite scores of all time, certainly at the top of my list of Top 10 John Williams Scores. It’s been nearly half a century since Superman: The Movie came out and no other Superhero movie is as iconic and instantly recognizable as what Williams created. Music by John Williams is directed by Laurent Bouzereau, the filmmaker behind the majority of the documentaries about how Steven Spielberg’s movies were made.

The 92-year-old composer seemed destined to have a music career, as his father Johnny Williams was a jazz drummer and percussionist. He initially sets out to be a concert pianist before shifting to music composition. My favorite parts of the film are hearing Williams himself talk about his past, his work, and his collaborations. I love seeing him play some of the most famous work on the piano. It’s amazing how he still remembers a lot of the scores he wrote many decades ago. It warms my heart to see him play one of his loveliest but most underrated scores, that is Sydney Pollack’s Sabrina (also on my top 10 list).

As a huge fan of movie music, it’s a treat to hear from famous filmmakers who’ve worked with Williams: Steven Spielberg (Jaws, E.T., Saving Private Ryan, etc.), George Lucas (Star Wars), Ron Howard (Far & Away), James Mangold (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone). There are also fellow renowned composers like Alan Silvestri and Thomas Newman; the Newman family’s ties with Williams go way back to Thomas’ dad Alfred Newman who mentored him. Famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma and conductor Gustavo Dudamel showcase Williams’ one-of-a-kind musical style  I find it so interesting that Williams sticks to composing by hand, choosing the classic pen-and-paper method over digital tools.

I must’ve read Williams’ bio on Wikipedia numerous times, but there were still new tidbits I learned from this documentary. Apparently, Spielberg convinced Williams to pass on Richard Attenborough’s historical war drama A Bridge Too Far to do Star Wars instead. Williams wasn’t sure at first as he didn’t know who George Lucas was, but of course, it ended up being one of the greatest collaborations of his illustrious career. In the end, Williams and Attenborough’s paths crossed again over a decade later when he scored Jurassic Park. I had the privilege of seeing Williams in concert at the Hollywood Bowl a few years ago, and more than half of the people brought lightsabers with them. Few scores have become so ingrained into the American culture as the music of Star Wars.

The film also talks about some of the tragedies in Williams’ life, such as losing his wife, actress and singer Barbara Ruick who died from an aneurysm at the age of 41, leaving him to raise their three children as a single dad. I also just realized that one of his kids, Joseph Williams, is the lead singer in the rock band Toto! There’s also a fun anecdote from Itzhak Perlman, the violinist of Schindler’s List. Perlman talked about being scolded by his wife for saying to Williams ‘I’ll think about it’ when offered to play the violin for that movie. Spielberg’s holocaust masterpiece won seven Oscars out of twelve nominations, including a Best Original Score Oscar for Williams.

The title of the film is absolutely fitting. While it covers much of Willaim’s life from jazz-infused youth to Hollywood glory, Bouzereau sets this up as more as a tribute to the music that Williams created. It doesn’t overwhelm us with facts nor a deep dive into music theory but offers how this incredible artist has spent decades capturing the essence of storytelling and the tremendous effect of music. We love Williams’ music not just for its lovely melodies, but for the emotions it stirs in us. I really enjoyed diving into Williams’s music, and I could watch a series that explored each decade of his career. I could listen to stories about his creative process and work for hours on end.

Music by John Williams made me appreciate him even more, and it’s truly uplifting to see the happiness he brought to so many lives. Thank you, maestro, for creating all the wonderful soundtrack of our lives. 

This film is currently streaming on Disney+.

Have you seen this documentary? What are your favorite scores by John Williams?

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