Maurice Jarré

Born on September 13, 1924 in Lyon (France), Maurice-Alexis Jarre did not start studying music during his childhood, as is usual among those who want to dedicate themselves to composing or playing an instrument. His vocation came quite late, during his adolescence, when against the will of his father he decided to enroll in the Paris Conservatoire to study percussion, composition and harmony. After finishing his studies, he dedicated himself professionally to percussion, until the actor and theater director Jean Vilar recruited him to compose scores for his theatrical productions. The association lasted for more than a decade.

Maurice Jarre had turned 37 when he made his film debut, at the hands of filmmaker George Franju, who recruited him to write the soundtrack for his documentary Hôtel des Invalides . Franju was so pleased that he commissioned his next films: La tête contre les murs and Les yeux sans visage . But Jarre’s career took a radical turn when producer Sam Spiegel called him to write the music forLawrence of Arabia , in 1961. Spiegel wanted three different musicians to write the score for the blockbuster, directed by David Lean , but Jarre was ultimately responsible for all of the music. The Academy recognized with an Oscar what is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant soundtracks in the history of cinema. David Lean also commissioned him to writeDoctor Zhivago , work for which Jarre not only obtained a second Oscar, but also some recognition from the public, since the album broke sales records in the field of film music. Lean continued to count on him toRyan’s daughter andA Passage to India , which marked the third and last Oscar for Jarre. He was also about to compose ‘Nostromo’, the filmmaker’s last project, but he died before shooting began, and the film was never made.

Although his best work was under Lean, Jarre also worked for other greats, such as John Huston (The Hanging Judge ,Mackintosh’s Man , Winter Deaths andThe Man Who Would Be King ), William Wyler (The Collector ), Alfred Hitchcock (Topaz ) and Peter Weir (The year we live dangerouslyThe dead poets clubsole witness ,The Mosquito Coast ,Without fear of life ). In total, he provided music for a hundred and a half films, some very well known, such asThe longest dayIs Paris burning? ,The night of the generals , Jesus of Nazareth ,The tin drum ,fatal attraction andGhost . In 2003 he had announced his retirement from music. Married four times, Jarre has three children who have dedicated themselves to the cinema. Stéfanie Jarre is a production designer, Kevin Jarre is a screenwriter and occasionally a producer and actor and, above all, he is the father of the well-known musician Jean-Michel Jarre , who has not only composed film soundtracks, but is considered one of the greats of electronic music.