The Best of John Williams

[MovieWes]

I voted for Star Wars: Episodes I-VI, mostly because of The Empire Strikes Back, possibly one of the most memorable scores of all-time and the best of the entire series. "The Imperial March", "Yoda's Theme", "Cloud City", "The Battle of Hoth", "Han Solo/Princess Leia's Love Theme" -- all in one movie. The score for the first (or fourth) Star Wars film is also really fantastic. The other films also have some good compositions as well. In the lesser films, we have "The Duel of the Fates" (Episode I), "Anakin/Padme's Love Theme" (Episode II), and "The Battle of the Heroes" (Episode III), although the rest is unmemorable (well, I actually think that the score to Revenge of the Sith is pretty impressive, even if it is nowhere near as good as Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and even Return of the Jedi).

[rolotomasi99]

i would have voted for either JFK or NIXON if they had been up there. NIXON has some really strong and beautiful moments, and JFK adds such a conspiratorial and tense tone to the whole affair.

though, i still have to say the score for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is quite incredible. "the imperial march" i think is his best theme music...yes, even better than the JAWS theme.

[HarryGoldfarb]

I just listened the Memoirs of a Geisha soundtrack and now I understand why it was the favorite one at Oscar time, it's brilliant and amazing and mesmerizing, extremely elegant but at the same time very emotional... but...

It caught my attention that a particular theme (Going to School) was incredibly similar to Last Emperor's Main/Opening Theme. It starts exactly the same! Maybe a small change in the percussion, but even the chord (the violin, I guess) begins at the very same time than the one in the academy award winning score. I even thought it was a mistake on the album! That it actually included The Last Emperor's theme!

I mean, If even I noticed this, might some member of the academy done it too? Might this be a reason that helped Santaolalla in the end? (of course, it also helped that Brokeback's one of the best scores from the last 10 years). I don't know, I'm just amazed...

I wonder if that beginning is some kind of cliche in Asian composition (cause Emperor's happens in China and Geisha in Japan), might it be that traditional themes has that tune as an underlying theme...?

Venezuelan tradional music (Joropo) is extremely basic in its composition and that's why songs are very similar. Is that what happen with asian themes? I don't know, but I don't think so...

[Booster Gold]

I voted other. The Accidental Tourist is my fave.

[OscarGuy]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned his theme for the Olympics.

hehehe.

[paperboy]

Jaws, easily. So iconic.

[criddic3]

I have a soft spot for Superman's theme (and the rest of the score good, too). I was impressed with Sleepers, Seven Years in Tibet and Amistad (both 97). Jaws is always a favorite for its theme. Schindler's List beautiful, haunting. But I chose E.T., because the score underlines the overall emotion of the film. It's joyous and sad and memorable, just like the movie.

Amazing he's on his 44 & 45th nominations this year. You know he's been nominated in all but one of the last 10 years (i believe the off year was '03)!

[OscarGuy]

The reason I voted Schindler's List was this:

All of John Williams' scores, including Catch Me If You Can and Harry Potter have contained very similar elements and Schindler's List was his first score that hasn't relied on them. Heavy use of horns. I like both Catch Me and Harry Potter but even after their respectively catchy intros, the longer portions tend to return to the fanfare style of Williams as a composer.

[FilmFan720]

Other...probably Catch Me If You Can

Tripp

[Damien]

But then there's Sabrina . . .

John Williams composed that, too.

Wow. Brilliant Sonic -- the John Williams full circle.

Actually, the Sabrina remake is very special to me because my beloved and I saw it being shot outside of St. Eustache the first time we went to Paris.

[Sonic Youth]

But then there's Sabrina . . .

John Williams composed that, too.

[Damien]

If the first Star Wars picture had stood alone, I would have voted for that. But since it was lumped together with the crap that followed, I voted for Other, as a nod to The Reivers.

But when you're talking John Williams, I much prefer the actor John Williams to the composer, and the Best of John Williams is therefore Dial M For Murder. Or maybe To Catch A Thief. Or perhaps Kind Lady. But then there's Sabrina . . .

[HarryGoldfarb]

I'm post-guard, I mean, I just came from the hospital and I have only two neurons working on by now so I didn't see the last option... I went for E.T. for sentimental reason, I cry everytime I heard that score, I don't know why but it touches me very deeply, all the same I know that ain't his best work... Catch me if you can and Amistad are my favorite ones, with that string extravaganza that Born on the 4th of July is, the heart-aching Schindler's List score and that haunting theme from JFK very close...
I have Oscars recorded on tape since 1991 and everytime I hear the end of the best score presentation in 1997 with Amistad theme sounding so gloriously great and with that big energy, it gives me the chills... at the time I thought wow, this thing is actually going to block Titanic's chance... that was just a good fast dream...
By the way, when I was 14 years old, I was in the Juvenile Statal Orchestra and the teachers asign us a free task for a test and I choose Schindler's List when I was onto Violin... later on, I went on for Counter-bass and after I left the orchestra, in a reunion in 1999 a friend taught me the bass part from Amistad, those were great times...

[Sonic Youth]

Couldn't Jaws/Close Encounters/Superman/Raiders/E.T. have been lumped, too? Then there could have been room for Dracula, The Fury, Sleepers, Nixon, and Catch Me if You Can.

I'm delighted (and surprised) to see Images on the list. But I'm choosing OTHER for Catch Me if You Can.

[jack]

I picked Schindler's List, but his best, to me at least, is Jurassic Park - composed the same year as Schindler's List 9a good year for Williams). There's always the very under-rated Amistad and Prisoner of Azkaban - though, the latter may not be so under-rated.