As far as I’m concerned, John Williams is not only the greatest living movie composer in today’s Hollywood, but also my favorite of all time. While watching Music by John Williams, the 2024 movie about the prolific composer who’s worked on iconic film scores like Jaws, Star Wars, and Jurassic Park, I kept finding myself smiling and laughing through tears as I looked back on how much his music has meant to me over the years. But then came the Schindler’s List portion of the Disney+ original documentary.
I’m going to be completely honest and tell you all that I wasn’t weeping, I was full-on crying big ugly tears and not able to speak through the overwhelming emotion of this relatively brief yet remarkable section of one of the best movie documentaries I’ve ever seen. But what was it about Williams and his longtime collaborator, Steven Spielberg, talking about the Best Picture Winner that broke me? Come with me as I break down my breakdown.
First Off, Music By John Williams Is An Incredibly Powerful And Moving Documentary
If you haven’t already, watch Music by John Williams, especially if you grew up falling in love with the Academy Award-winning composer’s massive and iconic body of work. But even if you don’t listen to the Harry Potter, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, or Indiana Jones scores or have life-long cherished memories of experiencing Williams’ compositions, it’s still an incredibly powerful and moving documentary. The sentimentality throughout the nearly two-hour documentary, which has some remarkably candid moments from the legendary composer, brings new life to some of the best sci-fi movies like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, gripping historical dramas like Amistad, and everything in between.
At the same time, the documentary doesn’t really shy away from tackling important life lessons, especially whenever the focus turns to topics like loss, grief, and the enduring nature of the human spirit. And this is never truer than it is in the section about Schindler’s List, a movie that somehow took one of humanity’s darkest moments and turned it into an unforgettable and mesmerizing cinematic masterpiece.
Steven Spielberg And Kate Capshaw Talk About Hearing The Theme For The First Time, And The Rawness And Emotion Really Broke Me
A little more than one hour into Music by John Williams (right after the Jurassic Park section), the documentary shifts its focus to talking about Schindler’s List and the emotional toll the movie had on Steven Spielberg while directing the picture and John Williams while composing the now iconic score.
There’s one moment in particular where Spielberg and wife, Kate Capshaw, revisit a meeting they had with Williams all those years ago where they first heard early sketches of what would become the theme from Schindler’s List. Capshaw, overwhelmed with emotion, broke down crying recalling the fateful day before Spielberg said something that resonated with me profoundly:
I cannot remember a time where I was so emotionally devastated by these very simple, melodic, soulful, anguished sketches he was performing for Kate and I on the piano. Johnny hadn't gotten five notes out where Kate began crying. Nine notes later, I was crying. And then Johnny was crying and playing at the same time. It was a mitzvah. He had honored that story of the Shoah through music.
These words, shots of Capshaw weeping, and scenes from Schindler’s List (most notably the young girl in the red coat) all worked together to make me cry like I haven’t in years. It was touching, so cathartic, and so needed. It broke me, but it’ll be a memory I won’t soon forget.
Music by John Williams is currently streaming for anyone with a Disney+ subscription. If you haven’t already, this is an incredible documentary that you need to watch.
