Legendary STAR WARS Composer Gets Documentary
By Movieguide® Contributor
A new documentary about John Williams, the legendary composer behind the STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES soundtracks as well as many others, will come to Disney+ and theaters later this year.
“Today the American Film Institute (AFI) announced MUSIC BY JOHN WILLIAMS, from Lucasfilm Ltd., Amblin Documentaries, and Imagine Documentaries, which will debut with a world premiere at AFI Fest on October 23, before a limited theatrical run,” the official Star Wars website reported Aug. 22. “You can also watch MUSIC BY JOHN WILLIAMS when it arrives on Disney+ on November 1.”
Movieguide® reported on Williams last March:
“People ask about a legacy,” Williams said. “If I could be remembered as someone who did his job well and remembered as a good solid musician, I would rest very happily.”
The odds that he will be remembered like that are in his favor.
Williams received his 54th Academy Award nomination this year, a number surpassed only by Walt Disney. At 92, he’s also the oldest person ever nominated for an Oscar.
The composer created all the STAR WARS scores, right up to the last movie, ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY.
The documentary covers the musician’s beginnings as a jazz pianist and takes viewers through the musical contributions he’s made over his lifetime.
“The documentary features interviews with Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Kate Capshaw, Gustavo Dudamel, J.J. Abrams, Chris Martin, Ron Howard, Chris Columbus, George Lucas, Itzhak Perlman, Lawrence Kasdan, Yo-Yo Ma, Ke Huy Quan, James Mangold, Alan Silvestri, David Newman, Thomas Newman, Seth MacFarlane, Anne-Sophie Mutter, and Branford Marsalis, whose lives have been touched by Williams’ timeless music,” Star Wars reported.
Spielberg produces the picture alongside Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Meredith Kaulfers, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Laurent Bouzereau. Markus Keith and Michael Rosenberg executive produce. Award-winning Laurent Bouzereau directs.
“His scores made me fall in love with music, and made me realize at a very young age, the power that a score had on cinematic storytelling,” Bouzereau said. “This was an important story to tell, not only because it is about one of the greatest composers of all time, but because of the message it carries about the survival of orchestral music, and musicians.”
“It’s no exaggeration to say that John Williams is the greatest film composer of all time,” Kennedy said. “His music has transcended cinema and become a part of our global culture, touching the hearts of billions, both young and old. John’s music has done as much to keep classical music alive as it has to shape the world of film.”
The AFI awarded Williams with its Life Achievement Award in 2016. He was the first film composer to ever receive the award. And earlier this year, Sony dedicated a building in his honor.
“John Williams is an American icon with a true and timeless global impact,” said AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale. “One could say we are ‘over the moon’ to host the World Premiere of the film, but that sentiment would hardly soar without the music of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
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