From Jaws to Star Wars to Harry Potter: John Williams, 90 today, is our greatest living composer

abc.net.au ^ | 2/8/22 | Dan Golding

[rlmorel]

Eh...it wasn’t about the Shark, really, was it? It was the expectation of when it would appear from the deep!

Just like the movie “Aliens”...they didn’t show them all the much, but having them just out of sight coming for you with malignant intent was enough to make you squirm!

[allendale]

Imagine if there was background music during real time life. Music goes right to the midbrain and evokes emotion. The major question is does really evoke higher intellectual function such as logical thought, analysis and problem solving. However it is certainly enjoyable.

[billorites]

If you haven't seen it before, this is pretty cool.

[Scarlett156]

Dude, what????!!!!! “Greatest living composer” - WHAT????!!!!

Yeah, he changed symphonic musick into background squiggles highlighting the scripted sayings of posing, self-important freaks.

[shotgun]

I thought they were talking about Paul Williams

[rlmorel]

I meant “Alien” not “Aliens”...

They showed them a lot in “Aliens”, but not so much in “Alien” and that was a pretty scary movie.

[1Old Pro]

Music goes right to the midbrain and evokes emotion. The major question is does really evoke higher intellectual function such as logical thought, analysis and problem solving.

No, you need LSD for that :)

[discostu]

Yeah, it was the dread. Where is it?

It’s funny how two of the scariest movies ever are so scary because of prop failures. We hardly see the alien in Alien because they just couldn’t manage to make it not look like a guy in a rubber suit. So you get the bits. Probably the worst aspect of CGI is now you can do anything, so they do. Amazing creativity comes from “this prop sucks, how do we deal with it?”

[Borges]

How is it different from writing incidental music for a play? This was also technically “movie music”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7_m1om82o4

[Clutch Martin]

Ennio Morricone was influential and innovative as far as I’m concerned.

[Restless]

His score for Jaws was brilliant, especially the haunting music to start the film. My other favorites include Superman, Empire Strikes Back, and Schindler’s List.

[Disambiguator]

Don’t be such a wet blanket.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uqQglwBzFT4

[one guy in new jersey]

He has worked with skill and subtlety, certainly. But the greatest living composer? One would think that would require true originality, uniqueness, a career on the cutting edge. Not sure Williams has earned that kind of reputation.

[Borges]

Something like this is pretty much timeless...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLgJQ8Zj3AA

[Fiji Hill]

Movie music is the only listenable contemporary music.

[know.your.why]

Most of his stuff sounds the same. pretty sappy composer in my book. And they are movies, not like it’s real art.

Well thats depressing. Not art? His Imperial March was epic! I didnt even have to see the movie and just listening to the music made it feel like a dark powerful army was marching to battle. Spielberg actually changed Jaws to conform to Williams music when its "supposed to be" the other way around. No, man. Williams' music defined a huge part of movie experiences in the 1970's and on. The fact that this guy was given a script and artists conceptions drawings and he captured the emotions of the scenes perfectly in music...even made them more real...is absolutely an art. I still listen to the symphony of SW4 and never get tired of it. Williams is a Jedi Master Composer as far as I'm concerned and the Force is definately with him.

[rlmorel]

That’s a very good point!

[rlmorel]

I found his score for Saving Private Ryan to be quite haunting.

[reg45]

I was watching a western some years ago and I started thinking about Doctor Zhivago - sure enough Maurice Jarre did the music for both movies.

[know.your.why]

Yup! I’ve often thought that if Joseph Goebbels would have had the Imperial March score back in 1937 and he pair’d with movie reels of Third Reich scenes, Hitler might have gone drag and married him.