John Williams and Steven Spielberg’s Friendship Timeline Explained

Disney’s new documentary Music by John Williams looks at the legendary composer’s career and his friendship with an equally acclaimed director. The documentary is an insightful and intriguing look at one of the film industry’s most celebrated musical experts, showing the lengths to which Williams will go to compose music for films across genres. His work has been used in many iconic films, including Star Wars, Alone at home, and the Harry Potter franchise.

Throughout the documentary, Williams sheds light on the different ideas behind many of his celebrated compositions, including the origins of Star Wars theme. Music by John Williams also features interviews with figures such as Chris Martin, George Lucas and Ke Huy Quanwho discuss how Williams’ music affected and inspired them. Arguably the person most affected by Williams’ work is celebrated director Steven Spielberg, with whom Williams has collaborated for over five decades.

John Williams and Steven Spielberg have worked together since 1974’s The Sugarland Express

Spielberg first heard Williams’ music in 1969’s The Reivers

The close friendship between Williams and Spielberg is at the forefront of the Disney documentary. In the opening segment, when Spielberg arrives on set, he and Williams greet each other warmly. Spielberg once “I fell in love“with the soundtrack of the 1969 film The Reivers and promised that the film’s composer, Williams, would work on his film debut, The Sugarland Express, released in 1974. Spielberg also discussed his fondness for Williams’ work while growing up with The Hollywood Reporter.

On their first meeting, Spielberg and Williams were impressed by each other. Williams admits in the documentary that he “adored” Spielberg from the first time he met him, praising the young director’s unique talent. Spielberg showed Williams The Sugarland Express, and Williams agreed to compose the music for the film. Spielberg said he was so impressed with the soundtrack that he committed to continuing working with Williams, beginning a professional friendship that has lasted more than 50 years.

How many Steven Spielberg films did John Williams work on?

Williams won Oscars for his music in three Spielberg films

Music by John Williams it also shows the piano where the most famous themes from John Williams’ films were composed; Williams plays film music on the piano, including Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and The Fablesconsidered some of Steven Spielberg’s best films. Between 1974 and 2022, Williams and Spielberg collaborated on a total of 29 films. According to VarietyWilliams also served as a musical consultant on Spielberg’s 2021 film West Side History, which is one of five Spielberg films for which he did not compose original music.

Williams has received numerous awards and nominations for these works. Of the 54 Oscar nominations Williams received for Best Original Score, 18 of them were for Spielberg films; he won three Oscars for his scores in Jaws, ET, the Extraterrestrial, and Schindler’s List. Williams’ ability to connect to Spielberg’s films through music proved successful for both film icons, while Music by John Williams it is a warm reflection of the love and respect they have for each other.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety