Title – Music by John Williams (2024) 

Director – Laurent Bouzereau (Faye)

Cast – John Williams, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Chris Martin

Plot – Explores the musical life of legendary musician and film composer John Williams as we hear from the man himself and many of those that have become admirers or close friends of his work over his incredible career.  

“The man behind the maestro”

Review by Eddie on 30/01/2025

Currently 92 years of age and still actively involved in his career he has dedicated much of his life too, there’s really no understating how much of an influence legendary musician/composer John Williams has had on not only the movie/music industry but all our lives over the years, whether we know it or not. 

Nominated across his working life for an astonishing 54 Academy Awards (that’s not a typo), Laurent Bouzereau’s rose-tinted glasses look at Williams in the Disney+ released Music by John Williams is a lovely reminder to us all just how lucky we are to have been passengers to Williams works that have spanned multiple decades and enhanced our lives and those that he was making music for in the cinematic landscape. 

Employing a range of Williams close working companions and friends to help him that includes Hollywood heavyweights such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Ron Howard, plus a range of other well-known experts and industry icons, Bouzereau is clearly a big of a fan of Williams as anyone, meaning this is a one note approach to exploring Williams life but there’s no harm in that when the evidence on display speaks for itself. 

From the uncomplicated mastery of dread in Jaws, the cinema-changing sounds of the original Star Wars, the adventure seeking thrills of Indiana Jones through to the giving of life to long lost dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, one could spend countless hours delving into the genius of what Williams has created across his unforgettable career so what Bouzereau crams into his 100 minute doco is no easy feat and covers about as much as you could ever want to be transported into the world of a once in a life time talent. 

Gifting us a chance to slow down and appreciate all that Williams has done for us, the wider cinematic landscape and the characters and worlds his helped bring to life across his time is something that Bouzereau should be commended for as while we all know of Williams mastery of his craft too some level, this documentary allows us to really contemplate what a life without Williams would have looked like. 

At various times throughout this feel-good doco there are scenes from famous movies Williams have scored, played with and without his musical cues, themes and motifs and each one of these segments showcases what a world looks like that doesn’t include the life Williams has sprung into existence and its a sad and sorry world we can be thankful we never had to endure thanks to the heartfelt works of a once in a generational talent. 

Final Say – 

While there’s nothing ground-breaking about the way in which this documentary is done there’s no denying that this joyous ode to an icon is a must-watch for diehard and casual fans alike, all who have been influenced or inspired to some level by the works of the one and only John Williams. 

3 1/2 lightsaber wielding conductors out of 5