this discreet man, who was erased from public life, we will remember the melodies that he has signed. For the cinema, of course, but also for many singers. Francis Lai is dead at the age of 86 years. It is Christian Estrosi, the mayor of his hometown, Nice, who has announced, adding : «I will propose soon to his family to give its name to an emblematic place of our city».
It is with Claude Lelouch that this son of a horticulturist, had approached the music of film, as early as 1965. The two men had met through Pierre Barouh, himself a musician. With the latter, Lai had composed a few songs, including The love is so much stronger than us . A theme that Lelouch had enjoyed it so much that he had asked to be able to use it for his next film. This film, this will be A man and a woman. The film that gave a large place to the music, was to reveal the three men. For Francis Lai, this was the beginning of a dazzling career. Four years after the release of Chabadabada, the Nice was going to win the holy Grail: an Oscar. Awarded in Hollywood for his work on the film Love Story, in 1970. Subsequently, he returned to compose for his directorial fetish, signing no less than 33 scores for the cinema of Claude Lelouch. «He tells me the story with so many details that I can see the images. In the end, this leaves a lot more freedom,» he explained.
One of the most beautiful alliances between filmmaker and composer
like the duos Nino Rota-Federico Fellini, Ennio Morricone-Sergio Leone or Michel Legrand-Jacques Demy, it is from the director of Itinerary of a spoiled child, that he formed one of the most beautiful alliances between filmmaker and composer. «It is with him that I have had the most complicity,» he said gladly. He found, despite all the time working with many other filmmakers. Claude Zidi, Henri Verneuil, René Clément, Dino Risi, Philippe de Broca and Georges Lautner made use of his services.
Francis Lai loved the format song and was disappointed not to be more devoted. His greatest success in the field remains bicycle , which had been the joy of Yves Montand, based on the words of the friend unfailing Pierre Barouh. He composed for many singers. It is remembered of Nicole Croisille’, his interpreter fetish. But it was also sung by Edith Piaf, Mireille Mathieu, Isabelle Aubret, Petula Clark or Jacqueline Dulac. He worked often with the performers in quebec Fabienne Thibeault, Ginette Reno, Nicole Martin and Martine Chevrier. Moreover, he had composed the rig musical the tv channel FR3 for its launch in 1974. It had formed for him the opportunity to look at the electronic instruments: the ondes Martenot, analogue synthesizers, accordions, electronic.
In April 2016, the fiftieth anniversary of the recording of a man and A woman had been celebrated by the release of an anthology of his works in 7 CD. An inestimable legacy for a musician who until the end remained a lover of melodies.
» SEE ALSO – The 6 songs of Francis Lai, who have become cults
The 6 songs of Francis Lai, who have become cult – Watching on Figaro Live