Critical popcorn

John Williams. The ultimate film composer. I could put a question mark after that statement but we all know he’s the legend, the man and his influence spans generations of music and film lovers. To celebrate his 90th Birthday, which is incredible in its own right, the team over at Scala Radio have polled fans to find our collective favourite John Williams score in the UK!

While every composition here is something special, I am definitely here for the number one, which was the iconic soundtrack for E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. Released in 1982, Steven Spielberg‘s timeless work, with music composed and conducted by Williams, was the fourth score in history to win the Academy Award, Golden Globe, Grammy, and a BAFTA! 

1993’s Schindler’s List (also Spielberg) took the runner up spot, with that original score featuring an inspiring solo by violinist Itzhak Perlman. The album also won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, the BAFTA for Best Film Music, the Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media along with a Golden Globe nomination. 

One of my personal favourites, Jurassic Park came in at number three, with the iconic Jaws at number four and Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV) at number five. In fact, the Top 10 features 6 of Williams’ collaborations with Spielberg also including Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In total Williams and Spielberg have collaborated on 28 films together with Spielberg as director, what a legacy!

As a composer, John Williams has won an incredible twenty-five Grammy’s, seven BAFTAs, five Academy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. With 52 Academy Award nominations, he is the second most-nominated individual, after Walt Disney. Here’s that Top 10 in full:

1.       E.T. The Extra Terrestrial    
2.       Schindler’s List   
3.       Jurassic Park   
4.       Jaws   
5.       Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV)    
6.       Raiders of the Lost Ark   
7.       Close Encounters of the Third Kind   
8.       Superman   
9.       Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone   
10. Home Alone 

Fancy getting your film score fix?

Scala Radio subscribers can listen to non-stop Williams here: planetradio.co.uk/celebrating-john-williams