The moment you start listening to this music, you know it is Star Wars. It was composed and produced in conjuction with the films. The music was written by composer John Williams. Let us go through his best movie scores.

John Williams, born in 1932, is an American composer with a career spanning over six decades. He has worked with some of the better film directors and won five Academy Awards. We want to dedicate this post to enjoy his music.

It is not easy to pick the best movie scores composed by John Williams, but here is our list (ranked by chronological order)

 

Jaws 1975

 

This American thriller film was directed by Steven Spielberg and it the story of a giant man-eating great white shark who attacks beachgoers in a fictional New England summer resort town. Roy Scheider, Martin Brody and Robert Shaw starred. John Williams won the Academy Award with this score, which he himself described: “”grinding away at you, just as a shark would do, instinctual, relentless, unstoppable.”

 

 

Star Wars 1977

 

Once again John Williams got the Oscar. Spielberg recommended Lucas to hire Williams. The soundtrack was recorded in 12 days with the London Symphony Orchestra. IT is ranked the number one best film score by the American Film Institute.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rQSJDLM8ZE

 

Superman 1978

 

Williams worked with the director Richard Donner to score this film. He again conducted the London Symphony Orchestra to record the soundtrack and was one of the last pieces to come into place.

 

 

Raiders of the lost ark 1981

 

Created by Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg. The well-known Raiders March was used in the scores for the other three films. Spielberg loved it and insisted to use. The score received an Oscar nomination bout lost to Chariots of Fire, by Vangelis.

 

 

ET 1982

 

Spielberg and Williams kept on working together. ET surpassed Star Wars to become the highest grossing film of the 1980s.  John Williams composed the score and Spielberg love the music that he edited the sequence to suit it.

 

 

Jurassic Park 1993

 

This American science fiction is centred on an attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. Based on the novel by Michael Crichton

 

 

Schindler list 1994

 

This drama film was directed and coproduced by, guess who? Yes, Steven Spielberg.  Williams loved the film and thought he was not too difficult for him to score it. “You need a better composer than I am for the film”. Spielberg answered: “I know. But they’re all dead”.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv6umONV7iw

 

Saving Private Ryan 1998

 

This war film is set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. Written by Robert Rodat and directed by Spielberg is one of the best war drama films ever released. Nominated for 11 Academy Awards.

 

 

 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 2001

 

Despite his age, Williams kept on working and he was asked to score the Harry Potter movies. The most important theme is dubbed “Hedwig’s theme”

 

 

Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Empire of the Sun, The Witches of Eastwick, Home Alone Amistad, Seven Years in Tibet, are some other examples of this great musician. Thank you John Williams for letting us enjoy your music!