So, I was in a mood, so decided to escape with one of the most emotive film composers. He’s also one of the best; I only place Erich Wolfgang Korngold clearly above him. Williams’s music as made films work. Without the power of this themes, many of our modern film “classics” would just be nice. He made them something more. So, let’s get to the best. I will be counting franchises as a single entity.
#10 – 1941
Ah, time and fandom has not been kind to 1941, but if you want jaunty, military-type scores, it takes work to beat this.
#9 – NBC News
Yup, John Williams composed the NBC music theme, and it’s great. It was part of a package usable by related news organizations to give them a air of importance.
#8 – Harry Potter
Can you think of Harry Potter without hearing this music in your head? It is actually entitled “Hedwig’s Theme” which I find rather odd, but it has the right feeling of creepy and adventure so I suppose the name doesn’t matter.
#7 – Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977 was a big year for Williams (more on that later). His beautiful score was needed for a film that picked a ridiculous pseudo-science topic that was all the rage amongst the stupid in the ’70s and wanted to elevate it to religious ecstasy. The music did the trick.
#6 – Fitzwilly
I’m guessing this is less well known. Fitzwilly is one of my favorite Christmas films and Williams’s score perfectly merges the upper class feeling with a touch of dishonesty and a lot of fun.
#5 – Raiders of the Lost Ark
If you are going to make an old fashioned heroic adventure, you need an old fashioned adventure theme. As soon as you hear this you know you are in for a good time.
#4 – The Olympics
Let’s face it, The Olympics aren’t really important, but they sure feel important with this music. Williams wrote at least four different pieces for four different Olympics. If I was separating out “songs” or breaking up franchises, he’d have two in the running from his Olympics works: Summon the Heroes (Atlanta) and Fanfare and Theme (LA), though the second is closer to an arrangement of a previous song, Bugler’s Dream.
#3 – Superman
No superhero score has come close to this one. And few heroic themes can compete. It’s easy to forget what a mess the film is. Part of that is due to Christopher Reeve, but the rest is the score. After the amazing opening, somehow I can even take post-acting Marlon Brando seriously for a few moments. Again, if I was looking at best Williams songs, this film would have three in the fight: Main Title March, The Planet Krypton, and the Love Theme.
#2 – Star Wars
Would Star Wars have become a cultural icon without Williams’s score? I doubt it. It embodies heroism, fun, and adventure. It makes things that would otherwise be silly seem reasonable and fun. It elevates everything. That opening announces that the cinema world has changed. Individual highlights include the Main Title, The Imperial March, Princess Leia’s Theme, and Duel of the Fates.
#1 – Jurassic Park
Of all of Williams’s works, this is the one I just sit and listen to. Of course it is amazing in the film. It has a touch of melancholy and a whole lot of wonder. Clearly Steven Spielberg had no interest in the “don’t play God” theme, but Williams put the nail in it. How can you not want to make dinosaurs that will kill you with that music playing. I want to create a few that will slaughter everyone right now.