You frequenters are all well, well aware that I'm obsessed with movie soundtracks. You're probably also all aware that I'm relatedly obsessed with John Williams. Both of these are for good reasons. The best large ensemble composers of our age are all involved with movie soundtracks, and the best of those composers is John Williams.
Yes, there were no "in my opinion"s or "arguably"s in there. I'm stating all of the above as categorical facts. Fight me.
BUT! Just because John Williams is inarguably the best composer of the past 50 years doesn't mean everything he's written is better than everything else it's competing against. For your perusal I have compiled a list of John Williams soundtracks that aren't simply the best soundtracks in their respective genres.
I am, of course, excluding soundtracks that are only beaten by other John Williams soundtracks, which is why you won't see Close Encounters of the Third Kind here just because it's not as good as E.T., for instance. Enjoy!
Yes, there were no "in my opinion"s or "arguably"s in there. I'm stating all of the above as categorical facts. Fight me.
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| Or better yet, fight this guy. His beard game has me handily beat. |
BUT! Just because John Williams is inarguably the best composer of the past 50 years doesn't mean everything he's written is better than everything else it's competing against. For your perusal I have compiled a list of John Williams soundtracks that aren't simply the best soundtracks in their respective genres.
I am, of course, excluding soundtracks that are only beaten by other John Williams soundtracks, which is why you won't see Close Encounters of the Third Kind here just because it's not as good as E.T., for instance. Enjoy!
Westerns - The Cowboys
Okay, first thing's first. The Cowboys is a great soundtrack, and it's pretty recognizable. No self-respecting fan of westerns would be unable to identify the main theme. But good ol' John never really got into westerns, and so it's this one soundtrack against a sea of iconic western soundtracks. For my money Silverado takes the cake in this genre, but even setting that one aside, there are many other westerns I would consider to have better soundtracks than The Cowboys.
Musicals - Fiddler on the Roof
I'm going to go on record with this as my favorite version of Fiddler on the Roof, and that includes the music. Yes yes, Johnny boy didn't actually compose this music. But he did arrange, orchestrate, and conduct the whole thing, so I feel just fine calling this his soundtrack. And even if we just stick to stage-to-movie musical adaptations, so the playing field is level, I still don't think this is the best. Musically I think The Sound of Music does a better job, and My Fair Lady also gets a better score in my book due to Rex Harrison's utter disinterest in notes.
Animated Adventure - The Adventures of Tin Tin
I am specifying "animated" here, because "adventure" movies could also include stuff like E.T., Hook, and Indiana Jones, and those soundtracks are... well, frankly brilliant. But The Adventures of Tin Tin, while accompanied by a good soundtrack, wasn't anything particularly special. In comparison to something like Fievel Goes West, The Incredibles, or Moana, it's just not as memorable or interesting.
WWII Movies Not Directed By Steven Spielberg - Midway
Look look, I know this seems weirdly specific. But seriously, by eliminating Spielberg's movies from the equation you get rid of Empire of the Sun, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, and Memoirs of a Geisha, all of which's soundtracks are Academy Award Winning works of pure gold. Maybe it's just that Spielberg is really good at working with composers, and John Williams has an unfair advantage because Spielberg picks him so much. Yeah, that's probably it. But take away Spielberg's films and you're left with Midway, which when placed against something like Patton or Enemy at the Gates, doesn't hold up super well.
Movies With An Enya Song In The End Credits - Far and Away
Okay okay okay, just hold it together for a bit longer. And yes, this is a film genre now. How dare you suggest that I really just couldn't come up with five genres in which John Williams hasn't produced an objectively amazing film score? Because this is a legitimate film genre. Always has been, right from the very first "talkies" and Enya's excellent and relevant performance of Amarantine during the credits for The Jazz Singer. I'm just saying that Far and Away's soundtrack isn't as good as The Fellowship of the Ring's. So back off.
And try not to think about it too hard.
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