Maurice Jarre
Born: 13 September 1924, Lyon, France.
Biography:
Maurice Jarre is one of the leading film music composers ever to emerge from France although, ironically, music was not his first career choice. Jarre initially began studying engineering at the Sorbonne in Paris, but changed his major when he was in his 20s, and decided to pursue a career in music instead. He left the Sorbonne, against his father's will, and enrolled at Conservatoire de Paris to study composition, harmony and chose percussion as his major instrument. Jarre’s first scores were written for La Théâtre National Populaire in Paris; he scored his first film, "Hôtel des Invalides", in 1952 and quickly became a popular and respected composer in his home country and throughout Europe. He gained truly international recognition a decade later when he was hired to score director David Lean's historical epic "Lawrence of Arabia", which subsequently became one of the best-loved movie themes of all time. His collaboration with Lean was near-legendary, and resulted in such classic works as "Doctor Zhivago" (1965), "Ryan's Daughter" (1970) and "A Passage to India" (1984). Other landmark works by Jarre include "The Longest Day" (1962), "The Professionals" (1966), "Grand Prix" (1966), "Topaz" (1969), "Red Sun" (1972), "The Man Who Would Be King" (1975), "The Message" (1976), "Jesus of Nazareth" (1977), "Witness" (1985), "Fatal Attraction" (1987), "Dead Poets Society" (1989), "Ghost" (1990) and "A Walk in the Clouds" (1995). During the 1980s, Jarre was also a pioneering user of electronic music. Now officially retired, Jarre's scored his last film in 2001, a TV movie about the Holocaust entitled "Uprising", but has left behind him a legacy that includes nine Academy Award nominations, and a legacy of some of the most enduring film music ever written. Jarre's eldest son, Jean-Michel, is also a popular recording artist, who specializes in progressive electronic music, while his youngest son Kevin is a screenwriter, having penned movies such as "Tombstone" and "Glory".
Reviews:
Dead Poets Society, Ghost, Sunshine, A Walk in the Clouds, The Year of Living Dangerously and Doctor Zhivago: The Essential Maurice Jarre Film Music Collection (compilation)
Filmography:
Uprising (2001), I Dreamed of Africa (2000), Sunshine (1999), La Jour et la Nuit (1997), Sunchaser (1996), A Walk in the Clouds (1995), Fearless (1993), Mr. Jones (1993), School Ties (1992), Shadow of the Wolf (1992), Fires Within (1991), Only the Lonely (1991), After Dark, My Sweet (1990), Almost an Angel (1990), Ghost (1990), Jacob's Ladder (1990), Solar Crisis (1990), Chances Are (1989), Dead Poets Society (1989), Enemies: A Love Story (1989), Prancer (1989), Distant Thunder (1988), Gorillas in the Mist (1988), Moon Over Parador (1988), The Murder of Mary Phagan (1988), Wildfire (1988), Fatal Attraction (1987), Gaby: A True Story (1987), Julia and Julia (1987), No Way Out (1987), Tokyo Blackout (1987), Apology (1986), The Mosquito Coast (1986), Solar Warriors (1986), Tai-Pan (1986), The Bride (1985), Enemy Mine (1985), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Witness (1985), Dreamscape (1984), A Passage to India (1984), Top Secret! (1984), Au Nom De Tous Les Miens (1983), The Year of Living Dangerously (1983), Firefox (1982), Young Doctors in Love (1982), Circle of Deceit (1981), Shogun (1981), Taps (1981), Robinson Crusoe and Man Friday (1981), The Black Marble (1980), The Last Flight of Noah's Ark (1980), Lion of the Desert (1980), Resurrection (1980), The Tin Drum (1979), The Magician of Lublin (1979), Winter Kills (1979), Crossed Swords (1978), Jesus of Nazareth (1977), March or Die (1977), The Last Tycoon (1976), The Message (1976), Shout at the Devil (1976), Great Expectations (1975), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Mandingo (1975), Posse (1975), The Island at the Top of the World (1974), Mr. Sycamore (1974), Ash Wednesday (1973), Grandeur Nature (1973), The Mackintosh Man (1973), The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), Pope Joan (1972), Plaza Suite (1971), Red Sun (1971), El Condor (1970), The Only Game in Town (1970), Ryan's Daughter (1970), A Season in Hell (1970), The Damned (1969), The Extraordinary Seaman (1969), Topaz (1969), 5 Card Stud (1968), The Fixer (1968), Isadora (1968), Villa Rides (1968), The Night of the Generals (1967), Gambit (1966), Grand Prix (1966), Paris brûle-t-il? (1966), The Professionals (1966), The Collector (1965), Doctor Zhivago (1965), The Train (1965), Behold a Pale Horse (1964), Week-end à Zuydcoote (1964), Judex (1963), Mourir à Madrid (1963), Sundays and Cybele (1962), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Longest Day (1962), Thérèse Desqueyroux (1962), The Big Gamble (1961), Pleins feux sur l'assassin (1961), Le Président (1961), Eyes Without a Face (1959), La Tête contre les murs (1958), Le Feu aux poudres (1957), Sur le pont d'Avignon (1956), La Théâtre National Populaire (1956), Hôtel des Invalides (1952)
Highest Grossing Films as at end of 2007 (adjusted for inflation):
Ghost ($321.6m), Fatal Attraction ($250.3m), Dead Poet’s Society ($150.9m), Ryan’s Daughter ($124.3m), Witness ($120.9m), Firefox ($99.3m), Taps ($80.6m), also Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, Grand Prix.
Awards:
1984 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Score - A Passage to India
1965 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Score - Doctor Zhivago
1962 Academy Awards - Winner, Best Original Score - Lawrence of Arabia
1990 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - Ghost
1988 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - Gorillas in the Mist
1985 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Score - Witness
1972 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Original Song - "Marmalade, Molasses and Honey" from The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
1962 Academy Awards - Nominee, Best Score Adaptation or Treatment - Sundays and Cybele
1995 Golden Globes - Winner, Best Original Score - A Walk in the Clouds
1989 Golden Globes - Winner, Best Original Score - Gorillas in the Mist
1984 Golden Globes - Winner, Best Original Score - A Passage to India
1965 Golden Globes - Winner, Best Original Score - Doctor Zhivago
2000 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score - Sunshine
1986 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Mosquito Coast
1975 Golden Globes - Nominee, Best Original Score - The Man Who Would Be King
1989 BAFTA Awards - Winner, Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music - Dead Poets Society
1985 BAFTA Awards - Winner, Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music - Witness
1985 BAFTA Awards - Nominee, Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music - A Passage to India
1988 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Fatal Attraction
1986 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – A Passage to India
1986 Grammy Awards – Nominee, Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television – Witness
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