DVD Review: Maurice Jarre: A Tribute to David Lean

Throughout David Lean's impressive career as a filmmaker he often worked with the talented French composer Maurice Jarre. Jarre composed soundtracks for many of Lean's award winning productions including Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago, (1965), Ryan's Daughter (1970) and A Passage to India (1984). The new DVD release of Maurice Jarre: A Tribute to David Lean from Milan Records is a wonderful celebration of the films that Lean and Jarre worked on together.

This impressive two disc DVD set features Maurice Jarre's 1992 tribute concert, which was performed at the Barbican Center in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra after Lean's death in 1991. During the concert, clips from the films that Jarre and Lean collaborated on were shown on a large screen behind the orchestra. These clips also feature behind the scenes footage of David Lean directing the cast and crew while making his films, which adds a personal touch to the event.

Besides the concert performance, the DVD also includes an audio commentary by Maurice Jarre and a fascinating interview where he discusses the complexities of putting the tribute concert together, as well as details about composing the soundtracks he created for Lean's films. The second disc included with the DVD is a CD, which collects all the music featured in Maurice Jarre: A Tribute to David Lean. Both discs are attractively packaged and come with a nice six page booklet that contains informative essays written by Christian Lauliac and Christopher Palmer, as well as important background notes.

If you enjoy the films of David Lean and the music of Maurice Jarre you won't be disappointed with this worthwhile new DVD release from Milan Records. It offers viewers an interesting look at filmmaking from the composer's valuable perspective. Next year marks what would have been David Lean's 100th birthday and the release of Maurice Jarre: A Tribute to David Lean is undoubtedly one of the best commemorations of Lean's grand contributions to cinema.

Maurice Jarre: A Tribute to David Lean is currently available from Amazon and it can also be ordered directly from Milan Records.

- Kimberly Lindbergs