John Williams is probably the most recognizable film composer ever. His music is well-known in households across the globe. He’s the second most nominated person in Academy Award history after Walt Disney, and he happens to be my favorite film composer.
In a lot of circles, people would either agree with me or at least expect that he would be my favorite. However, there are certain circles who might look down upon that opinion. I’ll get into reasons for that another time. For now, here is my top 10 of Williams' scores.
10. "Home Alone"
Not many people know how important Williams’ music is to this film. Some might not even know that he was involved in the film at all. It’s magical, festive and timeless.
9. "Jurassic Park"
This score has an incredible mixture of terror and wonder. The main themes perfectly capture the Isla Nublar in all of its beauty, nature and horror.
8. "Hook"
Talk about adventure. This movie has such an innocence and playfulness to it. It perfectly encapsulates the boy from Neverland.
7. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone"
All of the themes you know and love come from this film. They have been used and reused by his predecessors Patrick Doyle, Nicholas Hooper and Alexandre Desplat - but never quite matched.
6. "Sabrina"
Williams isn’t known for his work in the romantic comedy area, mainly because he hasn’t done much. Nonetheless, he absolutely knows how to support this remake of the Billy Wilder classic.
5. "Schindler’s List"
With the help of Israeli-American violinist Itzhak Perlman, Williams’ score is perfectly cultured and emotional. Every note in the score does something to your heart strings.
4. "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
This movie is a classic and a nearly perfect film. The score is definitely a huge part of its success. With nods to the old timers like Franz Waxman, Max Steiner and Bernard Hermann, this adventure film knocks it out of the ballpark.
3. "Jaws"
When most people think of this score, they think of the opening two-note motif, but there is so much more to this score. There are so many great moments of suspense and so many great tranquil melodies. It’s no wonder why Spielberg decided to keep working with him after this film.
2. "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope"
When thinking of which Star Wars film to include on the list, I almost didn’t choose this one. But after a lot of listening, I have decided that I believe this to be the best score of the saga. It not only introduced themes that became known to every living being on earth, but it also has a lot of music unique to this film that is outstanding.
1. "E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial"
This score perfectly joins all of Williams’ strong-suits as a composer: the adventure, the suspense and the mystique. Its 15-minute ending sequence is a thoroughly-composed piece in and of itself. It is so incredible that Spielberg decided to recut the end to match the music rather than the other way around.
After surveying his resume, it is obvious to me why people regard him so highly. He is such a wonderful person and such a great composer. I could only imagine what it would be to make the impact he’s made on our culture.
