Trumpeteer 302 Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 In my spacious bedroom on a sunny weekend in 1994, I sat down to watch all five films for which John Williams won an Oscar. It was a way to celebrate his birthday and honor the greatest film composer in history.The tradition continues today. Some years life has intruded on the film festival, but I always manage to make it happen. I cannot think of a better way to honor John Williams. It's the one weekend of the year that is devoted to plunking down on the couch and watching seven movies in about 48 hours.Here's this year's schedule.Friday p.m. -- Fiddler on the RoofSaturday -- Star Wars original trilogySunday -- ET, Jaws, Schindler's ListSo, since I will be a little busy on Sunday, allow me to be the first to wish John Towner Williams a happy 77th birthday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hlao-roo 389 Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 And here's what a certain Jeff Commings had to say about Fiddler on the Roof back in 1997:Back in the 1970s the movie musical genre was on its last legs. MGM's grand successes of the 50s and 60s were not holding out when 1970 came along, but one film made MGM think twice about closing up its musical shop. Fiddler on the Roof is one grand spectacle of a film. Though you get tired looking at the extreme sepia toned landscapes of WWI-Russia, you never get tired of looking at the fine performances, or listening to them sing. And John Williams brings the Broadway music to life like no other man can, giving it new breath and energy. None of the songs seem to be too gratutitous, nor do they seem to just pop out of thin air. Issac Stern's violin playing is truly magnificent; it contrives to show all at once the sorrow and good nature of the villagers in Anatevka.I give high praise to John Williams for taking on what back then would have been considered a monster of a project. I'm not sure if he was asked to compose some underscore for the film, but to adapt almost two hours of music would seem daunting for anyone. He makes the happy songs seem happy, the romantic songs even happier ("Miracle of Miracles" comes to mind). But my favorite song in the entire film is "Tevye's Dream." There's a lot going on in that song that makes it stand out. For one, the instrumentation is phenomenal, acting as a sound effect for some of the onscreen action and building up on a campy dream sequence. This is some of the best music Williams has never composed, though knowing his style it's hard not to hear the fact that he put his own tastes in the score without letting go of the original style and flavor. Not many people could do that and get away with it. This musical was Williams' first Academy Award, and I think it gave him the confidence to continue to put his mark on American films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trumpeteer 302 Posted February 7, 2009 Author Share Posted February 7, 2009 Wow. I'm good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hlao-roo 389 Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Wow. I'm good.Correction: you were good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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