Episode 56 - E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

01/01/20 • 64 min

The Baton: A John Williams Musical Journey

Year Two of "The Baton" is here! And there is no better way to kick off the second half of this journey through John Williams' film career than with a discussion of "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial." Host Jeff Commings counts this score as his second-favorite, and believes the final 15 minutes of music is the most perfect composition ever created. David Kay joins this episode to break down the multiple themes composed for the film, and the melodic interval they all have in common. And, did you know that John Williams was sued for copyright infringement over the flying theme? We'll tell you all about it on this episode.

Previous Episode

Episode 55 - Heartbeeps

We're closing out the first year of "The Baton" with another of John Williams' lesser-known works. "Heartbeeps" was a massive flop at the box office, but has some charms that were greatly helped by John Williams' music. The Maestro experimented with heavy use of synthesizers and keyboards, and also used a much smaller orchestra compared to his previous two films. The result is a love theme that has some tenderness when played on strings, or on keyboards. There's also a theme for the "villain," a robot named Crimebuster which is the big downfall of the film. Williams does write an interesting theme for Crimebuster, and host Jeff Commings wonders if this is what Williams might have written for Darth Vader if the Star Wars series was a comedy.

Next Episode

Episode 57 - Monsignor

The 1982 film "Monsignor" is the first straight drama containing a John Williams score in eight years. Besides what host Jeff Commings calls "the most depressing love theme John Williams has ever written," the Maestro wrote a bold piece for organ and choir to accompany the film's major climactic scene. The film features just 30 minutes of music, probably due to the limited time Williams had to compose the score outside of his work on "ET," his summer conducting the Boston Pops and the beginning of his work on "Return of the Jedi." The score is notable for being nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award that picks the worst in film. And, we also discuss the song Williams wrote for Luciano Pavarotti for the film "Yes, Giorgio" that earned him another Original Song Oscar nomination the same year he won for scoring "ET."