‘Music by John Williams’ Review: Laurent Bouzereau Beautifully Scores the Life of Hollywood’s Most Prolific Composer | AFI FEST

Film score is a very particular and essential art form, setting scenes from sweeping, epic romance to claustrophobic terror. Now, our most prolific composer, who for decades has crafted some of the most unforgettable cinematic moments in history, steps in front of the camera to star in his own movie, Music by John Williams.

To truly understand the impact Williams has had on cinema and cinephiles, one need only visit the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in July. Every summer for nearly 50 years, the stars have shone over the beloved amphitheater as the Maestro of the Movies and the Los Angeles Philharmonic summon film and music lovers to hear iconic themes and forgotten melodies. In crafting the setlist for each year’s shows, he includes some of the greats that came before him: Morricone, Bernstein, Mancini. He also introduces audiences to scores they might not have known were his: The Reivers, The Cowboys, JFK.

And every year, with a neon sea of lightsabers at his back, he closes out the show with selections from the vast library that is Star Wars. His shows always sell out and every one of them feels magical. For two hours, 17,000 people are transported in time or place, caught up in the beauty of a violin solo or a rumbling timpani. 

When you step back and consider what is really happening at these annual concerts, you’ll see people from all walks of life: industry professionals, band geeks, old friends, young families. It is a beautiful cross section of humanity, all gathered together to listen to an orchestra play instruments like the cello and the oboe and the clarinet. John Williams is a rarity, not only for his musical gift, but for the way he uses that gift to bring so many people together. 

This past summer, long after the July events had sold out, those of us fortunate to have snatched up tickets received emails informing us that, due to an illness, Mr. Williams would not be able to attend, but that the show he curated would go on under guest conductor David Newman. Even in his absence, the audiences still showed up, the house was still packed, and it was a beautiful night. A documentary about the life of John Williams feels both inevitable and long overdue.

Director Laurent Bouzereau is best known for Hollywood documentaries about movie stars like Faye Dunaway and Natalie Wood, as well as behind-the-scenes movie docs about the making of films from Band of Brothers to West Side Story. Here, he blends together the story of how a jazz pianist named Johnny from Flushing, Queens became – as Coldplay frontman Chris Martin says in an interview – “the biggest pop star in the world.”

Bouzereau understands that with a man like John Williams, the story isn’t just where he came from or how he ended up going from playing piano to scoring Star Wars. Williams’ story is ultimately about how his music changed film and how it has and continues to affect people. Through interviews with friends, archival footage, movie clips, and interviews with Williams himself, the film elevates itself not through innovative documentary storytelling but through its subject. Everyone knows his work, but very few know him.

Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard produced through Howard and partner Brian Glazer’s doc arm of Imagine Entertainment. Spielberg and Howard both contribute on-camera interviews, regaling the audience with stories of hearing themes from Close Encounters or Far and Away for the first time. Spielberg also visits his friend Johnny’s home and we see the two of them working and reminiscing. Together they share the story of the meeting in which Williams played him just two notes on the piano and announced this would be the theme for a great white shark. “I thought he was kidding!” Spielberg says with a laugh, five decades later.

Introducing the film on the opening night of AFI Fest, Spielberg declared, “He is the best creative partner I’ve ever had.” Hearing their stories and seeing how closely they have collaborated, it becomes clear that at some point, probably very early on, they became much more than simply a director and composer, but more like two halves of a music team. Something akin to Elton John and Bernie Taupin, perhaps.

Bouzereau includes other collaborators and fans too. George Lucas has delightful stories to share about the first recording session with the London Philharmonic. We also hear from creators like Seth Macfarlane and Kathleen Kennedy, as well as musicians including Alan Silvestri, Alex Ross, Branford Marsalis, and Thomas Newman. These interviews are intercut with Spielberg home movies, behind-the-scenes clips, and Williams sharing his vast collection of scores and awards. 

In format, Music by John Williams is a nicely assembled and fairly straightforward biography. But for those of us who still fall asleep some nights to the soundtrack of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial or Jurassic Park, this is a heartwarming and sometimes emotional journey through the soundtracks of our own childhoods.

Grade: A

Music by John Williams is coming to Disney+ on November 1.