Maurice Jarre

March 30, 2009 5:32 AM

Maurice Jarre (September 13, 1924 – March 29, 2009) was a French composer and conductor. Although he composed several concert works, he is best known for his film scores for motion pictures, particularly those of David Lean: Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984). All three of these scores won Academy Awards. - Wikipedia
posted by Joe Beese (21 comments total)

AllMusic biography here. Discography here.
posted by Joe Beese at 5:37 AM on March 30

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posted by pianoboy at 5:39 AM on March 30

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posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:40 AM on March 30 [2 favorites]

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posted by condour75 at 5:48 AM on March 30

He is survived by his son Jean Michel Jarre.
posted by twoleftfeet at 5:55 AM on March 30

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such unforgettable music.
posted by wundermint at 6:34 AM on March 30

The Doctor Zhivago theme made it on to so many Hammard and KTel records. It was one of those anthems of the 70s.
posted by mattoxic at 6:42 AM on March 30

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posted by grimmelm at 6:48 AM on March 30

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posted by paddbear at 6:50 AM on March 30

I think it was Doctor Zhivago that made me realize the connection between a film and the soundtrack was so important. The grandeur of that movie would have been much less without the music.
posted by HuronBob at 7:08 AM on March 30

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posted by idiomatika at 7:45 AM on March 30

Very difficult to imagine "Lawrence of Arabia" without that score.

He also did the scores for "Fatal Attraction," "Ghost," "A Passage to India," "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome," "Plaza Suite," "The Longest Day," and "Eyes without a Face."
posted by blucevalo at 7:55 AM on March 30

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posted by musicinmybrain at 8:04 AM on March 30

Jarre did a great job on The Year of Living Dangerously too -- now I'm going to be humming the main theme all dang day!
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:35 AM on March 30 [1 favorite]

I collect a lot of soundtracks. I always liked his soundtrack to Dreamscape, which was experimental, even for that time. Many film composers just seem to churn out the same kind of thing over and over again, to the point where it becomes easy to win Guess That Composer before the credits have hardly begun, but he took some chances. Dreamscape was just out there: a little frenetic, mildly alienating, anxious and memorable. It really helped make the movie.
posted by adipocere at 8:53 AM on March 30

FelliniBlank: "Jarre did a great job on The Year of Living Dangerously too -- now I'm going to be humming the main theme all dang day!"

When I bought the soundtrack, I was disappointed not to find it on there. Turns out that it's a Vangelis composition named "L'Enfant" which appears on his Themes album.

Still, the Jarre soundtrack is a great listen in its own right. Terrific use of the gamelan.
posted by Joe Beese at 8:55 AM on March 30

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posted by cazoo at 9:23 AM on March 30

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posted by bru at 10:38 AM on March 30

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I love his music AND his son's. Force is strong in that family.
posted by jake at 12:35 PM on March 30

And Top Secret!, oddly enough.
posted by pmurray63 at 9:00 PM on March 30

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posted by crossoverman at 10:54 PM on March 30