Maurice Jarre Dead at 84

I don't know the names of film composers as well as I do directors, cinematographers, or actors, but there are some composers whose names and work are so ubiquitous in the history of classic cinema that one never forgets them. Max Steiner. Bernard Herrmann. Elmer Bernstein. Nino Rota. Ennio Morricone. Michel Legrand. Georges Delerue. Maurice Jarre.

In addition to about 155 other movies, Maurice Jarre composed the score for Georges Franju's "Eyes Without A Face" (1960), David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962), "Doctor Zhivago" (1965), "Ryan's Daughter" (1970) and "A Passage To India" (1984), Luchino Visconti's "The Damned" (1969), Volker Schlondorff's "The Tin Drum" (1979), and Peter Weir's "Year of Living Dangerously" (1982) and "Fearless" (1993). And in case you're not impressed by those credits, he also composed the score for "Mad Max III: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)."

From The Washington Post:

'Dr. Zhivago' composer Maurice Jarre dies at 84

By RACHID AOULI
The Associated Press
Monday, March 30, 2009; 6:50 PM

PARIS -- Oscar-winning composer Maurice Jarre, who captured the majesty of the desert in his music for "Lawrence of Arabia" and wrote the haunting "Lara's Theme" in his score for "Doctor Zhivago," has died. He was 84.

Jarre died in his villa in California, where he had lived for decades, Bernard Miyet, a friend of the composer and leader of the French musicians' guild SACEM, said Monday. No cause of death was given.

"The world of film music is mourning one of its last great figures," Miyet said. "As well as his talent, Maurice Jarre cultivated an eternal good nature, a way of living and a simplicity that became legendary."

From The Guardian U.K.:

"One of Jarre's final public appearances was at the Berlin film festival on 12 February, where he was feted with a lifetime achievement award. Festival director Dieter Kosslick said at the time: 'Film composers often are in the shadows of great directors and acting stars. It's different with Maurice Jarre – the music of Doctor Zhivago, like much of his work, is world-famous and remains unforgettable in cinema history.'"