Six Things We Learned Watching ‘Music by John Williams,’ The Glowing Documentary on the Beloved Composer

Music by John Williams, the documentary that is now airing on Disney+ after premiering at AFI Fest in October, is a love letter to the world’s famous living composer. But, quite frankly — what’s not to love?

The multiple Oscar winner and probably the only film composer that most people can name has scored dozens of movies, many of whose themes are embedded in our collective consciousness, whether it be the two-note refrain to Jaws that instantly causes heart-pounding anxiety, the five-note theme to Close Encounters of the Third Kind that conjures images of alien life — or, of course, the bombastic opening fanfare to Star Wars that ushered fans into the kind of movie-going experience they had never witnessed before. “It’s the most famous anthem in music history,” filmmaker James Mangold says.

“The music comes from the sky and envelopes him. It’s the purest form of art I’ve experienced from any human being,” says director Steven Spielberg of the 92-year old’s prowess. The two have worked together continuously, starting with Spielberg’s first theatrical release, The Sugarland Express in 1974.

As Coldplay’s Chris Martin simply sums, “Nobody has a worse day from hearing some of this music.”

As the documentary notes, before Williams started composing classic scores, he played piano on some of the most recognized television and movie themes, including Henry Mancini’s Peter Gunn theme and the child-like, magical opening theme for To Kill a Mockingbird by Elmer Bernstein.

The film, directed by Laurent Bouzereau, is produced by Spielberg, as well as Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. And while it’s easy to wish it had a little more teeth — has Williams ever disagreed with a director or a studio? (The only mention is that George Lucas asked him to rewrite a cue for one of the Star Wars films and he said “sure.”) Was there a film that he could not get a grasp on or a director that he couldn’t relate to? Is there a score that he doesn’t like? Maybe his career has simply gone that smoothly. Regardless, it’s a career that deserves to be celebrated.

Here are six facts we learned watching the new documentary.