RyoHazuki

The rule of thumb here at DVDtalk is never say someone American or widley known is the best at something because you get the obligatory "No way! Yustafev Gustannavich could kick his ass any day" post. (No smiley can save me from flaming but i thought id try it anyways.)

D-Ball

I'd rank John Williams in my top three of all time. The other two being Bernard Hermann and Ennio Morricone.

Giles

my top five favourite composers:

1) Ennio Morricone
2) Vangelis
3) Jerry Goldsmith
4) Basil Poledouris
5) Ryuichi Sakamoto


Honourable mention goes to Peter Gabriel's score to "The Last Temptation of Christ"

scroll2b

Vangelis is the man. I can't believe his music for Blade Runner. It's off the ****ing hook!

V-ism

I think John Williams is comparable to Steven Spielberg. They have made some of the most memorable works of all time, but there are many that aren't fans of them because of their usual formula. But yes, I consider John Williams #1 because of his impact on our culture. Same with Spielberg. And yes, many will disagree. Although I do feel John Williams has been a bit under performing as of late, except with Catch Me If You Can. I thought that one was a very different change of pace and I liked it. And I thought the Harry Potter theme is pretty catchy.

Giantrobo

So true , so true

Stoolie

I put Goldsmith, Poledouris, and Morricone before Williams.

Michael Corvin

Dances with Wolves

F For Fake

Williams is good for those instantly recognizable, big, swelling Wagner-ripoff themes, but I wouldn't call him the best composer for film. Not by a longshot.

First and foremost is Herrmann.
Then Mancini.
Then Rota.
Then Morricone.

After that I jump around a bit. I like Jerry Goldsmith a lot, and John Barry too.

Williams would probably make my top 10 though.

Panda Phil

AND Somewhere in Time, my all-time favorite sappy romance film.

Groucho

Mainstream + Popular = Crap

Kal-El

Spooky

Yes, but how many of these are household names? Even the casual movie viewer recognizes the name John Williams. So while it's arguable that Williams is the best (I happen to believe that he is), there's little doubt that he's considered the best by the majority of the population.

GuessWho

100 years from now, orchestras will still be playing Williams' work. Russia House's soundtrack will be a distant, distant memory.

wendersfan

That's like saying that Justin Timberlake is a better singer than Bryn Terfel because Timberlake is a "household name" and Terfel isn't. In other words, and I say this with all due respect, your argument is full of it.

Kal-El

Bad analogy. I'm not even gonna explain why.

Inverse

You gotta love these "100 years from now" arguments. People are always so confident that whatever's popular now will be remembered in ages to come.

That's very rarely true. And if you don't believe me, well, try to name the most beloved composer of popular symphonic music ... in 1903.

Stoolie

The question asked if John Williams is the best, not the most popular. I would definitely say Williams is the most popular, and if you walk down the street whistling Star Wars or Indiana Jones, people will recognize it. But that doesn't make him the "best" film composer.

wendersfan

Probably for the best, actually.

My bad, I guess John Grisham and Tom Clancy are the world's greatest novelists, too...

jekbrown

well one of the reasons people will recognize the tune you are whistling could be because the music made such an impact on them when they saw the film...not merely that the movie was "popular"... there are lots of movies that I absolutely love, that I couldnt hum a single note of the music too.

I agree with many of you guys that JW hasnt done much recently, but IMO his career from Jaws to the Patriot solidifies his quality. Lots of classical composers are the same way.. either their early work or their late work is considered virtuoso and the rest of their stuff is politely forgotten/dismissed. I just can't think of a composer who can have such a powerful impact on the feeling of a film. I mean jaws? superman? come on! the music did soooooo much for those movies.

j

Pants

Nino Rota, Bernard Hermann, Ennio Morricone, Michel LeGrand, or Ry Cooder How many are household names? I'd say 3 of them.

Nino Rota: famous for his music to the Godfather, everybody knows that theme

Bernared Hermann: From Citizen Kane to Taxi Driver this guy worked with everybody. His score for Psyco is easily the most well known film music ever

Ennio Morricone: all those Eastwood westerns. People know his Good, Bad, Ugly theme by heart even if they haven't seen the movie

These people are definately household names (at least in households that also know of John Williams)

Spooky

I didn't say he was the best, I only said that the majority of the population would consider him "the best". And - as I pointed out - I also happen to believe he is "the best".

Plus, if you ask the average person who wrote the score for Star Wars or Indiana Jones, they automatically know it's John Williams. You ask the same question about The Godfather or Rocky, and most non movie buffs will be scratching their heads.

The argument about who is "the best" is one that can never be determined. But the arguement about who is considered the best can be...and right now, it's Mr. John Williams.

wendersfan

I see. So your problem is that my response to one question is not the same as your response to a completely different question...

(And a question that is not the topic of this thread, I might add)

F For Fake

I still don't follow that. What's the difference in "who is the best" and "who is considered the best"? Right now, in my household, Bernard Herrmann is the best. "The Best" will always be a matter of opinion, and expanding the topic to mean "who is considered the best by the largest amount of movie watchers in the world and not just movie geeks" won't change the fact that "the best" is STILL going to be an OPINION, whether it's held by a majority or a minority of people.

If the argument about who is "the best" can never be determined (because it is opinion based) then it would also hold that the "arguement about who is considered the best" can't be determined either. It's all opinion. In your opinion, and MAYBE in the opinion of a majority of moviegoers, John Williams is 'the best'. I can't possibly argue that your opinion is wrong. Just like you couldn't possibly argue that "John Williams is considered the best" with any sort of tangible evidence.

And to the people who seem to think that Herrmann, Mancini and Rota are some sort of film snob choices: WTF? Citizen Kane, Psycho, The Godfather and THE PINK PANTHER aren't exactly obscure themes or films.

audrey

Let’s assume that your assertion is correct (though I personally doubt the majority of “average” people, i.e. a non film buff, would respond with the correct answer). Still, all that suggests is that he has name recognition. I suspect more people know who Arthur Fiedler is than know the names Herbert von Karajan or Leopold Stokowski, but does this familiarity make Fielder a “better” conductor?