It’s incredible to think John Williams’ music is still finding its way into moviegoer ears, here in 2023. The legendary composer-conductor scored The Fablemans for his longtime film partner Stephen Spielberg in 2022. This year, Williams returned to the franchise that sealed his place in history as the greatest modern film composer: Indiana Jones.
No matter what people think of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (it’s good!), you cannot deny that its score is just as stunning as the one Williams originally brought to life 42 years ago for Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Williams–who turned 91 earlier this year, and composed his first film score for 1958’s Daddy-O–is still the master of drawing emotion from viewers. Spielberg, whose relationship with the conductor goes back five decades, explained in a recent Forbes interview: “I’ve always said, I can always get the audience to the brink of crying, but Johnny’s music makes the tears fall.”