The Legacy of John Williams

The Paper Chase

Table Of Contents

Film Details

Year: 1973
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: James Bridges
Producers: Robert C. Thompson, Roderick Paul
Writer: James Bridges, based on the novel by John Jay Osborn, Jr.
Main Cast: Timothy Bottoms, Lindsay Wagner, John Houseman, Graham Beckel, James Naughton, Edward Herrmann, Craig Nelson, Robert Lydiard
Genre: Drama

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

Music Credits

Music Composed and Conducted by John Williams

Orchestra Contractor: Meyer Rubin
Concertmaster: Israel Baker
Orchestrator: Richard Hazard
Recorded at 20th Century Fox Scoring Stage, Century City, California
Recording Dates: March 23, April 4 and June 26, 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
First release of the film score; CD also contains music from Conrack (1973) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Selected Re-recordings

Single – 45rpm vinyl (1973)
20th Century Records – TC-2063
“I Want To Spend My Life With You (Love Theme from The Paper Chase)”
Music by John Williams
Lyrics by Larry Weiss
Vocals by John Davidson
Produced by Mike Post
Arranged by Pete Carpenter
Song not featured in the film

Quotes and Commentary

For John Williams, The Paper Chase marked the middle of a cycle of small-scale, quirky projects like Pete ‘n’ Tillie, Images, The Long Goodbye and Cinderella Liberty. With the movie playing off the tension between its callow young characters and the rich New England tradition of the law school, Williams balanced his score between contemporary stylings (including a couple of background source cues) and the tongue-in-cheek adaptation of several pieces of Baroque music to underscore the school’s educational activities.
The type of music Williams associates with each character is as important as its substance: Hart’s brilliant friend Ford listens to Bach, while his less successful friend Kevin listens to innocuous jazz. Hart is caught in the middle: his most intense moments of scholastic endeavor are accompanied by Bach and Telemann, while his romance with Susan is scored with a contemporary love theme.
For this central relationship, Williams wrote a melody that could be played in a pop mode with rhythm section accompaniment, in full orchestral mode, or by piano alone for a more intimate feeling. It has a gentle, piano-exercise structure, suggesting Hart’s innocence and relaxation with Susan—despite his often insensitive behavior—as well as a wistful quality (particularly in its bridge) that characterizes the rocky nature of the onscreen romance.
Also important is the absence of music. the love theme doesn’t appear until half an hour into the film, after Hart has discovered Susan’s secrets. Similarly, there is no music associated directly with Kingsfield—Hart never does discover what makes him tick—only a muted, distant fanfare heard in the professor’s absence.1
-Jeff Eldridge

Videos

“Hart To The Hotel” scene from The Paper Chase | 20th Century Fox | 1973

“Real Identity” scene from The Paper Chase | 20th Century Fox | 1973

The Paper Chase (1973) | Original Theatrical Trailer (featuring music by John Williams)

Brett Mitchell performs his original piano arrangement of the Love Theme from The Paper Chase

Bibliography and References

. Bond, Jeff – Eldridge, Jeff – The Paper Chase/Conrack/The Poseidon Adventure liner notes, Film Score Monthly, 1998

Footnotes

  1. Eldridge, The Paper Chase/Conrack/The Poseidon Adventure liner notes liner notes, 1998 ↩︎

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