Music by John Williams is a new documentary that is now on Disney+ that shares the story of the life and career of maestro John Williams. This documentary about the legendary composer features interviews with a wide range of his collaborators through the years. This includes 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. These are all people who have had their life and careers impacted by John Williams. They all clearly adore this man.
In short, this is an incredible documentary that follows the life and music of this amazing man. It follows chronologically throughout his life and career. This begins with how John Williams originally got into music as a child and how much he practiced… which was a lot. As he grew up, he ended up serving in the military, getting married, and having kids. While he was doing all of these, he was also starting to build the foundation for what would be a fantastic career in composing and conducting. However, he began as a performer. Music John Williams goes into this in more depth than most features about John Williams have in the past. It gives new information while also not letting it get slow or boring.
The story of John Williams growing from a young musician to a legendary maestro includes a look beyond the music and into his personal life. His daughter shares about his life and their relationship throughout the documentary. This program also shares about John Williams meeting and marrying his first wife. Williams also shares how her death impacted him in a very candid way that isn’t often seen as well. Couple this with stories from his friends and collaborators, and a picture of who John Williams develops. He is a man who often works alone on his music, is humble when he collaborates with filmmakers, passionately loves what he does, and is kind. He is a genius with
Throughout Music by John Williams, the music of John Williams is played. Sometimes this is during montages, other times it accompanies what is going on. At one point, Williams even shows why the five notes in The Close Encounters of the Third Kind are so perfect for this score. He shows alternatives and it becomes clear why they wouldn’t work. His contributions to the bigger world of music are also shown, whether for the small screen, big screen, or the concert/performance world.
Music by John Williams isn’t just a documentary that shows the facts of life about John Williams. It is a beautiful and moving look at the maestro himself, and not just his music. It shares the ups and downs of his life as he created the soundtracks for so many other people’s lives. These ups and downs take the viewer not just through the journey of his life, but also an emotional journey while watching the film.
This is a documentary that should not be missed on Disney+, or even better on the big screen during its limited release. It is one of my favorite documentaries to be released on Disney+, and there have been quite a few good ones! Without hesitation, I take my hat off to this documentary. I can’t wait to watch it again!
Mr. DAPs Hat Rating Scale
- No Hat – Didn’t meet expectations
- Hat Nod – It was ok
- Hat Tip – It was good
- Hat’s Off – Loved it!
