In the immortal words of Lizzo, “It’s about damn time.” At long last, a documentary about the life and times of legendary composer John Williams is happening. Steven Speilberg is organizing the John Williams documentary project through Amblin Television with Imagine Documentaries and Nedland Media in the early stages of orchestrating production. Laurent Bouzereau, an established documentarian, is directing the feature-length retrospective. If you’re familiar with Spielberg’s oeuvre, you’ll know Bouzereau is an expert at documenting some of the filmmaker’s most outstanding achievements.
In addition to organizing the John Williams documentary, Spielberg is executive producing with Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Justin Wilkes, Sara Bernstein, and Meredith Kaulfers. Many consider John Williams to be the most accomplished composer in Hollywood history. He’s composed scores for some of the industry’s most beloved films, including Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Superman, Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Home Alone, Schindler’s List, and more.
Williams initially thought about surrendering his conductor’s baton after arranging music for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. However, Williams shocked Spielberg earlier this month when he told his friend and filmmaker he’s continuing his career. Rest is for the wicked, as they say.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had a disagreement,” Spielberg said about working alongside Williams for more than 50 years, “I mean, what am I going to do? Sit down and write the music myself?”
Williams cut his teeth composing music for hundreds of television episodes, including programs like Gilligan’s Island, Lost in Space, M Squad, Bachelor Father, and Checkmate. He also created themes for NBC Nightly News (“The Mission”), NBC’s Meet the Press, and the PBS arts showcase, Great Performances. He’s even dabbled in sports by composing themes for various Olympic events across Summer and Winter games.
I can’t imagine a world where Williams’ music doesn’t reign supreme among cinephiles. Even if he’s not your favorite composer, Williams’ contributions to Hollywood are the stuff of legend. I look forward to seeing what Spielberg, Bouzereau, and the rest of the team can present for their John Williams documentary. How about you? Feel free to let us know your thoughts about this project in the comments below.