I was listening to John Williams’ score to SUPERMAN this evening, something I haven’t done in quite awhile. Wow, what a wonderfully exciting score! The music is so rich and diverse, capturing the humor, majesty, beauty and wonder of this classic film. The themes are so wonderful and memorable; so much so that John Ottman decided to use them in his score of SUPERMAN RETURNS.
Williams’ wrote this score a year after STAR WARS, and it is so completely different yet just as great. SUPERMAN is much more lyrical throughout, including in the incidental music. In general, the score has a very “American” sound; tapping into the aural world of Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber. The score has a much ‘warmer’ feel to it than does STAR WARS, which was much more militaristic. Williams is often accused of ’sounding the same,’ (an argument usually from the bitter and jealous musicians), but an intelligent listen to SUPERMAN will show how different it is than what the American Film Institute called the greatest score of all time.
Because of it’s greatness it was awarded the Academy Award for Best Score in 1978…o wait, no it wasn’t. The Oscar went to Giorgio Moroder for his score to MIDNIGHT EXPRESS. Anyone ever remember this score?
