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In a rare and candid interview for a forthcoming biography, iconic composer John Williams, the man behind some of the most memorable music in cinema history, expressed a stunning critique of his own life's work.
The 93-year-old, a five-time Oscar winner with a record 54 nominations, confessed that he 'never liked film music very much,' believing it pales in comparison to the great works of the classical concert hall canon.
Williams argued that film music, however good it can be—and he added 'it usually isn't'—is often only effective in short, eight-minute stretches within a movie.
He suggested that the perceived greatness of classic film scores is often viewed through a lens of nostalgia rather than objective musical merit.
The composer firmly stated that the idea of film music holding the same place in the concert hall as the best canonical works is a 'mistaken notion.' He described a lot of film music as 'ephemeral' and 'fragmentary,' noting that until someone reconstructs it specifically for concert performance, it isn't a complete piece.
Biographer Tim Greiving was taken aback by these comments, clarifying that they were not false modesty but a genuine, self-deprecating view shared by Williams, who referred to his film-scoring assignments as 'just a job.' Despite this, Greiving was quick to defend Williams's contribution, stating that the composer perfected the art of film scoring and elevated it to a high art form, taking it to its greatest heights through his work on over 100 films, including 'Jaws,' 'Star Wars,' 'Indiana Jones,' 'E.T.,' 'Schindler's List,' and the first three 'Harry Potter' films.
Williams also expressed a degree of professional regret, wishing he had made a 'cleaner job' of unifying his film music and his concert works.