John Williams’s Darkest Hour |
John Williams has become a pop culture and classical music icon over the course of his 92 years, the composer of scores (for films like Star Wars, Jaws, Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the Harry Potter series) that are known by heart around the world. But just before his greatest musical achievements, Anthony Breznican writes, the composer’s life spiraled after the devastating loss of his wife. Music by John Williams, out November 1 on Disney+, explores how Williams got out of that spiral, with some help from Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Getting the notoriously modest Williams to discuss such personal history was a challenge. “We could talk, John and I, about the intimate and about the ups and downs, but my approach to those moments was through music,” director Laurent Bouzereau tells Breznican. “That, to me, was a key to making him feel comfortable. It was always done as an entry point into a musical phrase, almost.”
Elsewhere in HWD, John Ross takes us inside the 2024 Academy Museum Gala; Keziah Weir chats with writer Bruce Eric Kaplan about his new book and the next season of Nobody Wants This; Richard Lawson surveys more of the best movies of the year so far; and Karlie Kloss and Phoebe Gates share an exclusive trailer for their new video series about reproductive freedom. |
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