A new documentary film on the life and career of legendary Maestro John Williams, the composer of countless film scores that made the history of movies, is coming soon!
Music By John Williams, a feature-length documentary from Lucasfilm Ltd., Amblin Documentaries, and Imagine Documentaries, will world premiere as the opening film at the AFI Fest on October 23rd, 2024, before a limited theatrical run in New York City, Los Angeles and London. Music by John Williams will then be available from November 1 on the streaming platform Disney+.
The documentary will feature interviews and testimonials from a large number of film and music personalities, including longtime friends, collaborators and people whose lives have been touched by his music: Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, J.J. Abrams, Gustavo Dudamel, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Lawrence Kasdan, Alan Silvestri, David Newman, Thomas Newman, Seth McFarlane, Chris Martin, Branford Marsalis, among others. The documentary, which will feature also brand-new interviews with John Williams himself, celebrates the Maestro’s incredible career as a musician and his unparalleled contribution to the artform, from his early days as a jazz pianist to the international fame and success with the music scores for such blockbuster films as Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and many others, but also his contributions as a composer and conductor of music for the concert-hall, and the indelible mark his opus left on popular culture, to become one of the most revered, celebrated and respected living composers in the world.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau (the Netflix documentary series Five Came Back, HBO Original documentary Faye), Music By John Williams is produced by Steven Spielberg, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Meredith Kaulfers, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Laurent Bouzereau, with Markus Keith and Michael Rosenberg serving as executive producers.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that John Williams is the greatest film composer of all time,” Kathy Kennedy says. “His music has transcended cinema and become a part of our global culture, touching the hearts of billions, both young and old. John’s music has done as much to keep classical music alive as it has to shape the world of film.”
“His scores made me fall in love with music, and made me realize at a very young age, the power that a score had on cinematic storytelling,” adds director Bouzereau. “This was an important story to tell, not only because it is about one of the greatest composers of all time, but because of the message it carries about the survival of orchestral music, and musicians.”
The Legacy of John Williams will follow the release of the documentary with articles and special features. Stay tuned!
The Legacy of John Williams 