Steven Spielberg Clashed With John Williams While Creating Their Most Emotional Score
30 years ago, "Schindler's List" earned Steven Spielberg his first Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. It was a long-delayed coronation, one that was contingent on the director putting away childish things and making a serious movie for grown-ups (which he'd already done three times before with "The Sugarland Express," "The Color Purple," and "Empire of the Sun," but whatever). Spielberg was obviously deserving, but these should've been Oscars number five and six after "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (all-timers that lost to, respectively, the "Chariots of Fire" and "Reds" one-two in 1981 and Richard Attenborough's epic biopic "Gandhi" in 1982).
Though the Academy never showed Spielberg the love for his escapist classics, John Williams certainly made out well. He won Best Original Score for "Jaws" and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" before taking home his fifth overall Oscar for "Schindler's List" — which was as daunting of a challenge for Williams as it was for Spielberg (who credits the film with restoring his faith in filmmaking). Williams's music had always been an integral component of Spielberg's movies, but he'd never composed anything this somber for the director. In fact, when Spielberg showed him an early cut of "Schindler's List," Williams wasn't sure he could pull it off.
Of course, Williams, to the surprise of no one, delivered a masterpiece of film scoring. He captured not just the grief and despair of the Holocaust, but, when appropriate, the stunning resilience of the Jewish people in the face of unthinkable atrocities. Note for note, it is absolute perfection. But getting there stirred up a bit of creative conflict between Spielberg and Williams.
Spielberg went with the more spiritual composition
Discussing his brilliant career (and 54 Academy Award nominations) with Variety, Williams revealed that settling on the main theme for "Schindler's List" proved difficult. The composer gave Spielberg two options and was surprised by his preference. Per Williams:
"I wrote two, principally — the one that we know and another one which is called 'Remembrances' — and we recorded both of them with Itzhak Perlman. 'Remembrances' was my preference, but I played both for Steven and he said, 'No, no, no, it should be this one.' I said, 'Really? I like the other one better.' He said, 'No, there's a spiritual aspect to this one.'"
It was Spielberg's film, so he got the theme he wanted, but did he make the correct choice? You can decide for yourself because "Remembrances" is available on YouTube. Personally, I think he made the right call; though you're not necessarily looking for a hummable melody when scoring a Holocaust film, that mournful theme quickly etched itself in the collective cinematic consciousness. That said, "Remembrances" is by far the more impressive (and expressive) composition. Both are terribly sad works, yet there's also a complexity to the feeling of "Remembrances." As a fan of Williams' work, it's the one I return to more often.
While I think "Schindler's List" would've been every bit as effective if built around either theme, this is just another reminder of Spielberg's spot-on filmmaking instincts.