Sony renames music building after John Williams, Hollywood pays tribute – The Hollywood Reporter

John Williams

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On Thursday afternoon, the history-filled Sony Collection in Culver City — which was owned by MGM during the Golden Age of Hollywood, home to “more stars than there are in the sky” — welcomed the movie auteur. John Williamsafter which the studio’s music building was renamed.

Williams, 91, is best known for his results star Wars And 29 Steven Spielberg Films—20 of which were recorded in the building that would henceforth be known as the John Williams Music Building—were on hand, as were several of his collaborators (Spielberg, JJ Abrams And Spielberg’s producers Frank Marshall And Christy Macosko Krieger) and colleagues (including a fellow film author Thomas Newman).

Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment Tony Vinciquera He began the festivities by noting how much “magic was made here in this building.” Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group Tom Rothman He then argued that the greatest of all time is debatable in many areas, citing examples Michael Jordan against. LeBron James, Jack Nicklaus against. Tiger wood, Claude Monet against. Vincent Van Gogh And Stanley Kubrick versus Spielberg — but when it comes to scoring the film, “There’s no debate: John Williams is the GOAT,” adding, “I’m pretty sure that 100 years from now, the name that this building will be called today will still be the same.” Be the greatest name of all time.

Abrams then spoke, addressing Williams, “Johnny, you have filled our lives with some of the greatest works of art humanity has ever produced,” and telling other attendees, “How lucky are we to be alive at the same time as John Williams?”

Then it was Spielberg’s turn. “Johnny, I grew up with you,” the director said, recalling how amazed he was when he listened to an album of Williams’ music for the 1969 film. Rivers“, vowing: “If I ever get the chance to make a movie, I want the guy who wrote this.” The two met before Spielberg’s directorial debut in 1974 Sugarland ExpressThey have rarely worked apart since.

“It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” Spielberg said, before turning to Williams: “What she did for me was something I could never imagine any single creative collaborator could do for me or the stories I write.” That was telling, that’s when I thought I knew a film so well, that by the time I turned my films over to you, I knew what my films were, I knew what they meant to me. Then you would do the final draft of my films musically, the final rewrite, and you would elevate every film I made to a level that I didn’t recognize as me, I recognized it as we. Films are suddenly influenced by where they get their inspiration… Without you, films walk around without clothes; With you, they’re completely done. I have often said that if my films can bring tears to your eyes, then your music makes that tear fall down your face. This happened in movie after movie after movie. This alley is where all my stress dissipates, when I finally reach this stage of production and know that I am in your capable hands.

Spielberg then invited the previous speakers and Williams onto the stage, took the conductor’s baton and pointed toward a sheeted portion of the building, and at his gesture the sheet rose and the building’s new name appeared.

Williams then took to the podium and said: “This is the alley where Stephen gets nervous. This is the alley where I stress!” He then said that his history in the building that now bears his name goes back long before his career: “The first time I came to this The studio was in 1940 when my father brought me here to show me the theater. I was nine or 10 years old, and I thought (jokingly): “One day, this will all be mine!” It’s finally happening – it only took me 92 years to get here! (His 92nd birthday is February 8.)” “This place, I respect it,” he added with a laugh. I love him. Is it perfect? “No, Tom, we could use two more bathrooms for the orchestra.”

Williams concluded his speech by emphasizing, “My hope and even my prayer for this hall and for the future people who will come into it is both a hope and a challenge: that they will do as well for the next hundred years as the people who have been here since the last time.” 100 years. They need to get to work and make some good music. This presents a challenge because they stand on very large shoulders.

As guests snapped photos and headed to the lunch buffet, Rothman took me and a fellow journalist to the John Williams Music Building, where another great, Oscar-winning composer is housed. Dario MarianelliHe was recording, with a full orchestra, the next one Ghostbusters: The Frozen Empireas a director Kenan generation looked on. During their session, Rothman informed them that the name of their building had changed.