Howard and Spielberg led the Oscar-winners gracing the red carpet at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood for the world premiere of a documentary about Williams which opened the American Film Institute (AFI) film festival. The documentary, titled Music By John Williams, is billed as an “insightful look at the prolific life and career” of the five-time Academy Award-winning US musician. Howard, whose company co-produced the film alongside Spielberg, told the PA news agency on the red carpet that the project was “an honour, frankly, to be involved with”.
“I’ve worked with John a couple of times – he’s a gentleman, he’s a genius, and yet people don’t know very much about him so we knew that it was a really great creative opportunity,” he said. Howard, whose actress daughter Dallas Bryce Howard also appeared at the premiere, directed the 1992 western Far And Away starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise – while Williams wrote the score. When asked if he thinks 92-year-old Williams can be tempted out of so-called retirement, Howard said: “I think Steve (Spielberg) will, he’ll get him back.
” “John’s a true musical genius,” he told PA. “He was a great musician before he even began composing. So he also knows how to bring the music to life, and he cares about stories and audiences.
“All he wants to do is find a way for the music to add that extra dimension to the story, to communicate those things that aren’t said in words. “He’s done it ove.
