John Williams: His 10 Greatest Film Scores

By Kyle Hytonen /

9. Home Alone (1990)

John Williams plays off on his more curious side with the primarily comedic score for Home Alone, his first collaboration with Chris Columbus. His score lends itself to a sense of childlike wonder, as the main protagonist in the film is a 10 year old boy. Williams peppers jingle bells strategically throughout the score, adding a sense of wonder surrounding the Christmas themed film. One cannot but get warm feelings around the Holidays when they re-watch the film's opening credit sequence with Williams' bouncy score setting the mood. Williams' Oscar nominated score accompanies the film's slapstick humor throughout, with a very nuanced and perfectly timed repertoire of Chaplin-eqsue musical stings to hit the jokes home, which made Home Alone one of the biggest hits of all-time. At the end of the film Williams, who's music has a genuine way of pulling at the heartstrings, allows his theme to swell into a beautiful orchestral crescendo as we see family ties reunited on Christmas Day, giving the film a sweet and highly memorable finish.