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Steven Spielberg & John Williams reflect on 50-year partnership in new 'The Fabelmans' featurette
"When a movie is working well, the music is not going to stand out in front of the film, nor is the film going to smother the music."
For half a century, Steven Spielberg has delivered some one of the most iconic films ever committed to celluloid. But we'd be willing to bet a small fortune that none of his movies would be half as beloved without the musical involvement of composer John Williams. Their impressive partnership is the stuff that moviegoing dreams are made of. When you can pair a visual genius with a sonic one, the results are absolutely staggering. And when that partnership ends up lasting five decades...well, there really are no words, are there?
"John rewrites my films musically," Spielberg explains in a new featurette dedicated to his latest movie: the semi-autobiographical The Fabelmans (now playing and available on Digital). "If I have six drafts of a movie by a writer, John is the seventh and final draft. And that's the draft I go out with ... John's music is global and it lives beyond its source material and it deserves to."
"Look what he's given me, the canvass that he's given me over 50 years to write everything. All the way from Jurassic Park to Schindler's List and back again," adds Williams, who plans to retire from scoring after completing work on this summer's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. "He's given all that to the public and to the people around the world. This film, The Fabelmans, is a special gift, I think."
Check out the featurette below:
Inspired by the director's own upbringing in Arizona and California, The Fabelmans tells the story of Sammy Fabelman (played by Gabriel LaBelle), a young man who dreams of becoming a professional film director in Hollywood. Throughout his life, Sammy grapples with anti-Semitism and his parents' failing marriage — two themes that have factored heavily into Spielberg's many projects over the years.
Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Jeannie Berlin, Julia Butters, Robin Bartlett, Keeley Karsten, and Judd Hirsch round out the ensemble cast. Spielberg co-wrote the screenplay with longtime collaborator, Tony Kushner (Munich, Lincoln, and West Side Story). He and Kushner produced the film alongside Kristie Macosko Krieger. Carla Raij and Josh McLaglen serve as executive producers.
The Fabelmans is currently playing in theaters and available to rent/purchase on digital platforms.
Hankering for more Spielbergian escapism? The Goonies and Back to the Future are now streaming on Peacock.
