The Ben Shapiro Show: "Where Your Favorite Movie Music Comes From"

Date: January 3, 2026
Host: Ben Shapiro

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ben Shapiro explores the classical roots of some of Hollywood's most iconic film scores, focusing on the works of John Williams. He discusses how Williams openly draws inspiration from the classical canon for themes in films like Star Wars, Jaws, Harry Potter, and Indiana Jones. Shapiro brings an educational yet passionate perspective, highlighting the intersection of film music and high art, and offering accessible insights into how these symphonic masterpieces came to be.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. John Williams' Influences and Transparency (00:45)

Williams' Classical Literacy:
Shapiro emphasizes that John Williams is "unbelievably literate when it comes to the classical repertoire" and is open about his inspirations for various film scores.

2. Star Wars and Gustav Holst's The Planets (01:05)

Williams' "Empire Theme" is directly inspired by Holst's Mars, Bringer of War:
- Quote:
  
  "What you will hear is that they're using the exact same rhythm, right? Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun."
  — Ben Shapiro [01:35]
Holst's "Neptune, the Mystic" also influences Tatooine's music cues.

3. Eric Korngold and 1930s-40s Film Scores (02:05)

Korngold, a major composer from Hollywood’s golden age, directly inspired Williams, especially in Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Notable scores mentioned: The Adventures of Robin Hood and King's Row.

4. Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance” and Star Wars’ Throne Room (03:05)

Williams' "throne room" music at the end of A New Hope mirrors the regal pageantry of Elgar.

5. Superman and Ottorino Respighi’s Pines of Rome (03:30)

The Krypton theme draws from the ending fanfare of Respighi’s work.
- Quote:
  
  "If you want the Krypton theme for Superman, all you have to do is go check out the Pines of Rome by Otto Respighi and move to the last few minutes."
  — Ben Shapiro [03:30]

6. Jaws and Antonín Dvořák’s New World Symphony (06:05)

The iconic two-note Jaws motif has roots in Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9:
- Quote:
  
  "The very last movement of the New World Symphony, you're going to hear the very beginning of Jaws, right? So, yes. I mean, very, very similar, obviously. Same motif."
  — Ben Shapiro [06:50]

7. Harry Potter, Stravinsky's Firebird Suite & Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker (07:30)

Orchestration in Harry Potter’s music mirrors techniques from Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky.
The celeste in “Hedwig’s Theme” echoes Nutcracker:
- Quote:
  
  "The celeste, which is kind of a rare instrument, is used in Hedwig's Theme and is supposed to mirror Tchaikovsky. Probably."
  — Ben Shapiro [07:50]

8. Indiana Jones and Rossini’s William Tell Overture (08:10)

Indiana Jones theme echoes the famous overture, best known for its use in cartoons.
- Quote:
  
  "You can make the case. I think that's actually a fairly solid case that Indiana Jones is supposed to be mirroring the William Tell Overture by Rossini."
  — Ben Shapiro [08:10]

9. Williams’ Craft vs. Talent and Dedication to Learning (08:40)

Williams is not just talented but a craftsman, openly borrowing and building on traditions:
- Quote:
  
  "And it just demonstrates there's a difference between craft and talent—that you actually have to develop a craft. John Williams spent years developing an actual craft. He knows all the background influences. That's why his music is spectacular."
  — Ben Shapiro [08:45]

10. Comparing John Williams and Hans Zimmer (09:20)

Shapiro prefers Williams’ approach for its classical depth:
- Quote:
  
  "People ask me, do you like better Hans Zimmer or John Williams? I'll take a Williams score any day over Zimmer. And I kind of like Zimmer."
  — Ben Shapiro [09:25]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"Williams steals from the best, or at least he's imitating the best. And he will openly tell you that it's why he is great at his job."
— Ben Shapiro [08:35]
“It's why people ask me, do you like better Hans Zimmer or John Williams? I'll take a Williams score any day over Zimmer.”
— Ben Shapiro [09:25]

Important Segment Timestamps

[00:45] - Introduction to John Williams and his influences
[01:05] - Star Wars and Holst’s The Planets
[02:05] - Eric Korngold’s Hollywood legacy
[03:05] - Elgar and Star Wars’ ceremonial scenes
[03:30] - Superman and Respighi
[06:05] - Jaws and Dvořák
[07:30] - Harry Potter, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky
[08:10] - Indiana Jones and the William Tell Overture
[08:40] - Williams’ craft, influence, and why it matters
[09:20] - Williams vs. Zimmer

Summary & Tone

Ben Shapiro delivers an accessible and enthusiastic masterclass on the classical origins of iconic movie themes. He balances rapid-fire insights with a genuine appreciation for both film and concert music, encouraging listeners to dig into the sources behind Hollywood’s greatest scores and recognize the deliberate craftsmanship that elevates composers like John Williams above the rest.

For those interested in film music or classical roots, this episode serves as both a guide and celebration of musical tradition living on through cinema.

Transcript

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All right, so today we're going to do one of my favorite topics, where do movie composers get their music from? And today we're going to do John Williams. So John Williams is pretty open about this. John Williams, of course, unbelievably literate when it comes to the classical repertoire. And I'm gonna play for you some of the music that John Williams clearly took his inspiration from when he wrote things like Star wars or Jaws or Harry Potter. We begin with the most obvious where he got the music for Star Wars. So there is no question that he used as his inspiration Gustav Holst's the Planets for Star wars, which makes sense. I mean, it was kind of space music that was written in the early 20th century when people were very fascinated by the planets. Hulst wrote this suite called the Planets. And Mars, bringer of war, is clearly the inspiration for the Empire theme from Star Wars. So here is John Williams's Empire theme from Star Wars. And then here is some of Mars, bringer of war. And as you can hear, they're using the exact same rhythm, right? Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun. I sense something, a presence I've not felt since. That's not the only use of Holt's the Planet in Star Wars. If you listen to some of the music from Neptune the Mystic, what you will hear is the way that he scores, for example, the Dune Sea on Tatooine. That malfunctioning little twerp. This is all his fault. He tricked me. A lot of people think that John Williams also got his inspiration for some of the Star wars music, or for Indiana Jones, for that matter, from Eric Korngold. Eric Korngold was a movie scorer in the 30s and 40s. He wrote a bunch of great scores. His best score is the Adventures of Robin Hood, one of the great scores of all time. One of my favorite scores. Also spectacular movie with Errol Flynn. You can definitely show your kids that movie. My kids love that movie. It is phenomenal. But the score for King's Row, which was a movie starring Ronald Reagan, actually, it's a good movie. The score for King's Row sounds very similar to some of the score for Star War. What's funny? And I've been saying I'd take you around and show you the ropes. You can also make the case that Edward Elgar's pomp and circumstance is mirrored in the kind of metal scene, the throne room scene, at the very end of episode four. Hey, how about Superman? If you want the Krypton theme for Superman, all you have to do is go check out the Pines of Rome by Otto Raspighi and move to the last few minutes. Because at the end of the Pines of Rome, there is this big fanfare that sounds exactly like the music for Krypton. Here they are. Juxtap. Getting a big variety of whole food ingredients into my diet. It's it's really key, especially with the constant work of travel. Our sponsor, Balance of Nature's Whole Health System, makes it simple. 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It's a simple way to give your body the nutrition it needs every single day. I take Balance of Nature with me on the road. It makes nutrition really easy for me. New and existing customers can get 50% off the whole health system for life with this limited time offer. Go to balanceofnature.com to claim the offer. Like the minute I say that, you know we're talking about Jaws, right? Well, here's the thing. Probably Williams's most prominent early score is the score to Jaws, of course, which is truly iconic and is based on two notes. A lot of people have said that the inspiration for the first two notes of Jaws actually comes from Antonin DVORAK Antonin Dvorak was a Czech composer. His. His Symphony Number nine, the New World Symphony, which is a phenomenal piece of music. It's just. It's super fun. It's great. He wrote it while he was traveling in America. He tried to integrate kind of folk tunes and Old west tunes and Native American tunes into his music. In the New World Symphony, which is a wonderful piece. The very last movement of the New World Symphony, you're going to hear the very beginning of Jaws, right? So, yes. I mean, very, very similar, obviously. Same motif. You made me do it. How about Harry Potter? If you want some Harry Potter, then you should check out the Firebird by Stravinsky. The Firebird Suite, again, one of the wonderful pieces of music. But some of the orchestration in the Firebird is clearly mirrored in things like Harry Potter. Amazing. This is just like magic. Tremendous piece of music. Check out Fantasia 2000, which actually has a wonderful kind of shortened rendition of the Firebird Suite. You can hear the use of the strings in the upper register. You can hear the triangle in the background. That's phenomenal music. I love that Disney made a couple of movies that were just based on. Can we get kids to like classical music? It's awesome. So my kids are fully aware of Mussorski and Night on Bell Mountain and Stravinsky's the Firebird, which is awesome. In Harry Potter, the Nutcracker is used. So the Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker is used. The celeste, which is kind of a rare instrument, is used in Hedwig's Theme and is supposed to mirror Tchaikovsky. Probably.