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The film composer Michel Legrand grew up in a musical family, therefore
it is no surprise that he has also chosen this way. He attended the conservatory
in Paris and went to every offered instrument class. Finally he mastered
over a dozen instruments.
Like many other famous composers his study led him to the famous music
teacher Nadia Boulanger where he learned in the early 50's.
After the study he first worked as an accompanist for French pop singer.
One of the highlights of his career was in 1955 when he was engaged as
the musical leader by Maurice Chevalier. He accompanied him on a tour through
the USA.
Michel Legrand made his first steps as a filmcomposer in the 50's for
movies like „Le Triporteur“ (57) and „L‘amérique insolite“ (58),
it followed „Chien de pique“ (60), „Lola“ (61), „Une femme est une femme“
(61), „Le cave se rebiffe“ (61), „La baie des anges“ (63), „Eva“ (63) and
„L‘empire de la nuit“ (63).
The public first became aware of this filmcomposer with the movie „Les
parapluies de Cherbourg - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg“ (64). For this movie
score alone he was nominated for three Oscars - in the fields best music,
best arranged music and best song.
Michel Legrand composed other scores for French productions in the next
years like „Corrida pour un espion - Der Spion, der in die Hölle ging“
(65), „Qui êtes-vous, Polly Magoo?“ (66) and „Les demoiselles de
Rochefort“ (67) before his constant success led him to the USA. There he
became acquainted with the song writers Alan & Marilyn Bergman via
his old friend Quincy Jones. He was immediately successful and his compositions
between 1969 and 1972 were always nominated for an Oscar. He was awarded
the first of a total of three Oscars for his dreamlike song „The Windmills
of Your Mind“ for the movie „The Thomas Crown Affair“ (69).
In the 70's followed countless filmcompositions for movies like "Wuthering
Heights" (71), "La vieille fille" (72), "Lady Sings the Blues" (72), "The
Three Musketeers - Die drei Musketiere" (73), "Le sauvage" (75), "Gulliver's
Travels" (77) and "Les fabuleuses aventures du legendaire Baron de Munchhausen"
(79),
Michel Legrand's compositions also influenced the world of cinema and
TV in the 80's. His popular movies of that decade include "Eine Liebe in
Deutschland" (80), "Atlantic City" (80), "Les uns et les autres" (81),
"Never Say Never Again" (83), "Yentl" (83), "Micki + Maude" (84), "Casanova"
(87) and "Eternity" (89).
To his latest cinematical works belong "Ransom" (90), "Les demoiselles
ont eu 25 ans" (93), "Prêt-à-Porter" (94), "Les Misérables"
(95), "The Ring" (96), "La bûche" (99) and "And Now...Ladies and
Gentlemen" (02).
With his scores he conquered an important place in the brigade of film
composers, in the course of his career was nominated for twelve Oscars
in all. His career is also decorated with three nominations for the César
and twelve nominations for the Golden Globe (which he got once) as well
as countless other awards.
Other movies from Michel Legrand:
Rafles sur la ville (58) L'américain se détend
(58) Terrain vague (60) Les portes claquent (60) Me faire ça à
moi (60) Le coeur battant (60) Cause toujours, mon lapin (61) Cléo
de 5 à 7 (61) Une grosse tête (61) Serie "Les sept péchés
capitaux" (62) Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (62) Un coeur gros
comme ça (62) Le gentleman d'Epsom (62) Loves Is a Ball (63) Maigret
voit rouge (63) Le joli mai (63) Une ravissante idiote (64) Bande à
part (64) Les plus belles escroqueries du monde: Le grand escroc (64) Les
amoureux du France (64) Quand passent les faisans (65) The Plastic Dome
of Norma Jean (65) La vie de château (66) Monnaie de singe (66) Tendre
voyou (66) L'homme à la Buick (66) Et la femme créa l'amour
(66) Le plus vieux métier du monde - Das älteste Gewerbe der
Welt (67) La chinoise (67) Pretty Polly (67) How to Save a Marriage (And
Ruin Your Life) (68) Sweet November (68) Ice Station Zebra (68) Play Dirty
(68) La piscine (69) Castle Keep (69) A World in Music (69) The Happy Ending
(69) The Picasso Summer (69) Appelez-moi Mathilde (69) The Magic Garden
of Stanley Sweetheart (70) Pieces of Dreams (70) The Lady in the Car with
Glasses and a Gun (70) To Catch a Pebble (70) Peau d'âne (70) The
Go-Between (70) Summer of '42 (71) Le Mans (71) La poudre d'escampette
(71) Serie "Rupan sansei" (71) Un peu de soleil dans l'eau froide (71)
Brian's Song (71) La vie sentimentale de Georges Le Tueur (71) A Time for
Loving (71) Les mariés de l'an II (71) Portnoy's Complaint (72)
One Is a Lonely Number (72) Un homme est mort (72) Les feux de la chandeleur
(72) The Adventures of Don Quixote (73) La ville-bidon (73) Le gang des
otages (73) Serie "Le temps de vivre, le temps d'aimer" (73) Story of a
Love Story (73) 40 Carats (73) Cops and Robbers (73) A Doll's House (73)
A Bequest to the Nation (73) Breezy (73) L'événement le plus
important depuis que l'homme a marché sur la lune (73) It's Good
to Be Alive (74) Our Time (74) Section spéciale (75) Sheila Levine
Is Dead and Living in New York (75) Vérités et mensonges
(76) Ode to Billy Joe (76) Gable and Lombard (76) The Other Side of Midnight
(77) La belle emmerdeuse (78) Ca fait tilt (78) Les routes du sud (78)
Hi no tori (78) Mon premier amour (78) Je vous ferai aimer la vie (79)
Lady Oscar (80) The Mountain Men (80) The Hunter (80) Falling in Love Again
(80) Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid (81) Serie "Il était une fois...l'espace"
(82) Le cadeau (82) A Woman Called Golda (82) Qu'est-ce qui fait courir
David? (82) Best Friends (82) Slapstick (Of Another Kind) (82) Friends
of the Family (82) La revanche des humanoides (83) Serie "Le suns et les
autres" (83) The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (83) Secret Places (84) The
Jesse Owens Story (84) Paroles et musique (84) Train d'enfer (84) Partir,
revenir (85) Parking (85) Promises to Keep (85) Palace - Die Dame vom Palast
Hotel (85) Serie "Crossings" (86) As Summers Die (86) Serie "Il était
une fois...la vie" (86) Spirale (87) La baleine blanche (87) Club de rencontres
(87) Switching Channels (88) Un coupable (88) Trois places pour le 26 (88)
La bottega dell'orefice (88) Cinq jours en juin (89) Not a Penny More,
Not a Penny Less (90) Gaspard et Robinson (90) Tropical Gamble (90) Sunday
Pursuit (90) Le retour (90) Puerto Verde (90) Pas de deux (90) Mirage (90)
Inspiration (90) A Ilha (90) Fate (90) Encontro em Lisboa (90) Carnaval
(90) Arrivederci Roma (90) Mountain of Diamonds (91) Dingo (91) The Pickle
(93) Serie "Il était une fois...les découvreurs" (94) Les
enfants du Lumière (95) Die Schleme von Schelm (95) L'âge
des possbiles (95) Serie "Il était une fois...les explorateurs"
(97) Madeline (98) Doggy Bag (99) Serie "La bicyclette bleue" (00) Confession
d'un dragueur (01) The In-Laws (03) Yantarnye krylya (03) Léeaud
de Hurle-dents (03) |
