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Maurice Jarre (born in Lyon, France, September 13, 1924) is a French composer of film scores noted for the scores of many motion pictures, in particular 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 and are widely considered to be among Jarre's best work.

Other notable movies scored by Jarre include Luchino Visconti's The Damned (1969), John Huston'sThe Man Who Would Be King (1975), and great music for Mohamed: The Messenger of God 1976 by Mustafa Al AkkadTop Secret (1984), Dead Poets Society (1989) and Jacob's Ladder (1990). His best television work is probably the score for the miniseries Jesus of Nazareth (1977), directed by Franco Zeffirelli . Jarre's television work also includes Shogun (1980), and the theme for PBS's Great Performances. Now officially retired, Jarre scored his last film in 2001, a TV movie about the Holocaust entitled Uprising.

Jarre wrote mainly for orchestras, but began to favor to synthesized music in the 1980s, mostly for practical rather than aesthetic motivations, many critics feel. Jarre denies this and has pointed-out that his electronic score for Witness was actually more laborious, time-consuming and expensive to produce than an orchestral score. Jarre's electronic scores from the 80s also include Fatal Attraction, The Year of Living Dangerously and No Way Out. A number of his scores from that era also feature electronic/acoustic blends, such as Gorillas in the Mist, Dead Poets Society and Jacob's Ladder.

The broad, exotic theme for Lawrence of Arabia and the Russian-flavoured "Lara's Theme" from Doctor Zhivago are arguably his most famous creations, but much of his lesser known work is equally impressive, among it the barn-rasing music for Witness, his passionate love theme from Fatal Attraction, and the moody electronic soundscapes of After Dark My Sweet. His score for David Lean's Ryan's Daughter (1970), although set in Ireland, completely eschews Irish music styles, owing to Lean's preferences. In the 80s, Jarre turned his hand to science fiction, with scores for Enemy Mine (1985) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). The latter is arguably his most imaginitive score, written for full orchestra, augmented by a chorus, four grand pianos, a pipe organ, digeridoo, fujara, a battery of exotic percussion and three Ondes Martenot. The Ondes Martenot features in several of Jarre's scores, including Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth and The Bride. In 1990 Jarre scored the hugely popular supernatural love story / thriller Ghost. His music for the final scene of the film is based on "Unchained Melody" composed by fellow film composer Alex North.

Maurice is the father of Jean Michel Jarre. His youngest son Kevin is a screenwriter, with credits on such movies as Tombstone and Glory.

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

He has been nominated for nine Academy Awards, and has won three:

• Nominated for Best Music, Original Score for: Ghost
• Nominated for Best Music, Original Score for: Gorillas in the Mist
• Nominated for Best Music, Original Score for: Witness
• Won the 1984 Academy Award for Original Music Score for the film A Passage to India
• Nominated for Best Music, Original Score for: The Message
• Nominated for Best Music, Song for: The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean for the song "Marmalade, Molasses & Honey"
• Won the 1965 Academy Award for Best Music, Score - Substantially Original for: Doctor Zhivago
• Nominated for Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment for: Les Dimanches de ville d'Avray
• Won the 1962 Academy Award for Best Music, Score - Substantially Original for: Lawrence of Arabia

Grammy Award

Jarre won the 1967 Grammy Award for Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special for Doctor Zhivago.

Other awards

• British Academy Awards, 1989, Best Original Music Score for Dead Poets Society
• Golden Globe, 1995, Best Original Score for "A Walk in the Clouds"

External links

• NYTimes filmography
• Filmography, soundtrack reviews, capsule biography
• IMDB Filmography

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