Film composers seldom achieve household–name status, and French composer Maurice Jarre's name probably wasn't that familiar to many moviegoers.
But he will be remembered in the annals of filmmaking for composing Oscar–winning scores for three of Sir David Lean's classic films — "Lawrence of Arabia," "Doctor Zhivago" and "A Passage to India."
Jarre, who died Sunday at the age of 84, received eight Academy Award nominations. Other composers were nominated more frequently, but only half a dozen won the Oscar more often than he did.
The last time he was nominated for Best Original Score was for his work on the 1990 film "Ghost," but he lost to John Barry, who was responsible for the score for "Dances With Wolves."
Jarre's death is a reminder of the importance of a score to a well–done movie. And it is a loss to movie lovers everywhere.
