Here’s our ranking of his most iconic compositions.
The legendary film composer has crafted the soundscapes for myriad films likeJaws(1975),E.T.
Read on for EW’s ranking of some of John Williams' most outstanding, essential work.
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Home Alone (1990)
Breaking into the Christmas canon isn’t easy.
He’s answered each withan instantly recognizable themethat helped cement these imaginary places in our brains.
However, it doesn’t come much bigger than World War II.
Phillip Caruso/Universal
(1996) pulled it off witha title trackthat doesn’t get old despite endless plays.
Both in the movie and as part of the score, it works against all odds.
Spielberg was right to lean on Williams and the Academy rewarded him for Best Original Score.
Macaulay Culkin in “Home Alone.".20th Century Studios
Jurassic Park (1993)
How can you capture the awe at being confronted with the truly incomprehensible?
What is the sound of your first encounter with the impossible?
John Williams typically has the answers to these questions.
Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor in ‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.'.Lucasfilm Ltd.
the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
By the time John Williams got the call for Spielberg’sE.T.
the Extra-Terrestrial, he was well-versed in creating the sound of outer space.
The challenge withE.T.comes in making the vastness of it all sound more cute and cuddly than frightening and awe-inspiring.
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This choice was largely forced onto the young director due to problems with his massive animatronic creature.
It’san instantly iconic themethat set the tone for Spielberg and Williams’ long and fruitful creative partnership.
Williams was asked to score a piece of filmmaking that would forever change the way that movies are made.
Tom Sizemore and Tom Hanks in ‘Saving Private Ryan’.David James/Dreamworks
That feeling was still fresh decades later when theAmerican Film Institute named the score the greatest of all time.
How could we give the top spot to anything else?
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Lucasfilm Ltd.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
‘Jurassic Park’.Universal Pictures
Henry Thomas as Elliott in ‘E.T.'.Everett Collection
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Lucasfilm Ltd.
