The Legacy of John Williams

Conrack

Table Of Contents

Film Details

Year: 1974
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Martin Ritt
Producers: Martin Ritt, Harriet Frank Jr.
Writers: Irving Ravetch & Harriet Frank Jr., based on the book “The Water Is Wide” by Pat Conroy
Main Cast: Jon Voight, Paul Winfield, Hume Cronyn, Madge Sinclair, Tina Andrews, Antonio Fargas, Ruth Attaway, James O’Reare
Genre: Drama

For synopsis and full cast and crew credits, visit the IMDb page

Music Credits

Music Composed and Conducted by John Williams

Harmonica Soloist: Tommy Morgan
Guitar Soloist: Tommy Tedesco

Orchestra Contractor: Meyer Rubin
Concertmaster: Paul Shure
Recorded at 20th Century Fox Scoring Stage, Century City, California
Recording Dates: December 27, 28 and 31, 1973

Essential Discography

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – CD (1998)
Film Score Monthly – FSMCD Vol.1 No.2
Produced by Lukas Kendall and Nick Redman
Mastered by Dan Hersch
Liner notes: Jeff Bond & Jeff Eldridge, Lukas Kendall
Includes first release of the main title cue from the film; CD also contains the soundtracks for The Paper Chase (1973) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

In Williams’ Words

“[Director] Martin Ritt […] is tough, serious, realistic, theatrically orientated -if you have ten minutes of music in one of his films you’ve done well, because he doesn’t like the cosmetic distraction of music.”1

Quotes and Commentary

1974’s Conrack was an adaptation of Pat Conroy’s autobiographical novel The Water is Wide, which concerned his efforts to bring modern education to the backwards inhabitants of a South Carolina island. Jon Voight portrayed Conroy (who is referred to as Conrack by the schoolchildren); Paul Winfield was a local hermit. Director Martin Ritt turned to Williams to write a charming, good-natured score that established the movie’s playful, bucolic tone perfectly. Ritt had first employed Williams on his previous project, the offbeat comedy Pete ‘n’ Tillie, and worked with Williams again in 1990 on Stanley and Iris.
Williams’ approach to Conrack echoes both the folksy Americana of The Cowboys and anticipates effects he would later bring to the 1984 farm drama The River. While Conrack barely made a mark on the ’74 box office, it was critically praised and is well-remembered today for Jon Voight’s winning performance. The score is one of Williams’ shortest and clocks in at nearly 15 minutes. 2
-Jeff Eldridge

Videos

Main Title from Conrack | 20th Century Fox

Conrack (1974) | Original Theatrical Trailer (featuring music by John Williams)

Brett Mitchell performs his original piano arrangement of the main theme from Conrack

Bibliography and References

. Bond, Jeff – Eldridge, Jeff – The Paper Chase/Conrack/The Poseidon Adventure liner notes, Film Score Monthly, 1998
. Elley, Derek – “The Film Composer: John Williams – Pt. 2”. Films and Filming, August 1978
. Kael, Pauline – “A Brash Young Man: Conrack Film Review,” The New Yorker, March 11, 1974

Legacy of John Williams Additional References

John Williams and the American Sound, essay by Maurizio Caschetto

Footnotes

  1. Quote from the interview with Elley, Films and Filming, 1978 ↩︎
  2. Eldridge, The Paper Chase/Conrack/The Poseidon Adventure liner notes, 1998 ↩︎

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