Maurice Jarre: Dr Zhivago - Lara's Theme

Omar Sharif's bedside manner with Julie Christie made this film a classic as did Maurice Jarre’s Oscar-winning score.

The Film: David Lean's screen version of Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago was a sumptuous, sprawling, epic about the life of a Russian doctor-poet who, although married, falls for a political activist's wife and struggles against all the odds to survive the battles of war. It won numerous Academy Awards for its breathtaking Cinematography and Design, but it was the on screen chemistry between the two leading actors Omar Sharif and Julie Christie that made this film a classic.

Composer: Maurice Jarre's moving and sweeping score largely lets the movie speak for itself but the memorable love theme, Lara's Theme, is a constant reference point throughout and netted its composer an Academy Award.