THE
PROFESSIONALS
MAURICE JARRE
French composer Maurice-Alexis Jarre (1924—2009) is best
known for his film scores composed in collaboration with film
director David Lean. His other notable scores include, The
Train (1964), Mohammad, Messenger of God (1976), Lion of the
Desert (1981), Witness (1985), Fatal Attraction (1987), Ghost
(1990)—and of course, The Professionals (1966). Jarre was nominated for
nine Academy Awards, winning three in the Best Original Score category, all three for his work on David Lean films—Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago
(1965), and A Passage to India (1984).
With its Latin rhythms, The Professionals was a
departure from Jarre's previous sweeping epic scores, but perfectly
suited to the film it represents. Jarre’s Latin influenced main theme takes on
the beat of a train, which weaves through the film at various tempos as it cues the action before rising to an enthusiastic, rousing finale signaling mission
accomplished. In all, Jarre’s soundtrack for The Professionals, while not as
iconic as Elmer Bernstein’s theme for The Magnificent Seven, it none-the-less
should have a home on the turntables of all Western movie soundtrack enthusiasts...
