The composition of Maurice jarre, soundtrack of the film "Doctor Zhivago" and named after its protagonist, Lara, went far beyond its purpose. The addition of a text made the theme an unforgettable song, capable of evoking the emotions and atmospheres of the famous novel by Boris pasternak brought to the big screen by David Lean.
The literary event of the century
Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago, in addition to winning the Nobel Prize and inspire an award-winning film, was, in the midst of the Cold War, an intriguing international literary case whose protagonist was the Italian publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli.
The novel was written by Pasternak between 1946 and 1955, during a period in which the writer had been excluded from the official Soviet literary circles. The publication of the work was characterized by tumultuous editorial events that remind me of “Torn Curtain” by Alfred Hitchcock.
In 1956, journalist Sergio D'Angelo traveled to the Soviet Union on behalf of Feltrinelli to find works of interest to Western audiences.
Having learned of the completion of Pasternak's novel, D'Angelo went to the author's house and proposed publishing it in Italy. In the meantime, the Soviet authorities had denied the publication of the novel in their homeland and the publisher Novyj Mir had returned the manuscript with a rejection letter. Convinced of the importance of publishing the work abroad, Pasternak then signed a contract with Feltrinelli. In June 1956, the manuscript was delivered to Pietro Zveteremich, who prepared an enthusiastic review. At this point Giangiacomo Feltrinelli was convinced to proceed with the publication despite the pressure from the Soviet government.
Doctor Zhivago was finally published in Italy on November 15, 1957, with an initial print run of 3.000 copies. The Italian edition was officially presented the following November 22 in Milan. The following year, Boris Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, but was forced to renounce it under pressure from the Soviet authorities. The novel remained banned in the USSR until 1988, when the liberalization policy promoted by Mikhail Gorbachev, the glasnost, finally allowed its release in Russia.
Pasternak's novel created an unprecedented international sensation, attracting the attention of producers and directors.
The film
David Lean, already known for masterpieces such as 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'The Bridge on the River Kwai', won the film adaptation, fascinated by the story of Zhivago and his ability to capture the soul of Russia. In 1965, "Doctor Zhivago" came to the big screen with a stellar cast: Omar Sharif as Yuri Zhivago, Julie Christie as Lara and Geraldine Chaplin, daughter of Charlie Chaplin, as Tonya. Rod Steiger played the cynical Komarovsky, Alec Guinness as Yuri's brother, a Red Army general, and Klaus Kinski as the revolutionary Kostoyed Amoursky.
The 3-hour, 19-minute film was a huge box office success, becoming the most viewed film of the year in many countries. In current value, it is estimated to have grossed over a billion dollars in the United States. The film won five Oscars, including Best Original Score, which we will discuss shortly.
The Birth of Lara's Theme
The film was scored by French composer Maurice Jarre (father of Jean-Michel), already known for the soundtrack of “Lawrence of Arabia”. For the Lara's Theme He aimed for a melody with a strong Russian influence, without however wanting to draw directly from folklore, which he knew well thanks to his studies of Russian music at the Paris Conservatory.
Initially, Lean was not entirely satisfied with Jarre's proposals, but inspiration came unexpectedly to the composer during a mountain retreat in California. The resulting theme, with its orchestral crescendo and accompaniment of twenty-two balalaikas, managed to evoke enough emotion that Lean was convinced to use it extensively in key scenes of the film. The popularity of "Lara's Theme" was immediate and overwhelming: the website Second Hand Songs lists over 450 covers, most of which are orchestral reworkings.
Pop versions of Lara's Theme
Particularly interesting are the various pop versions of “Somewhere my love, there will be songs to sing”, a text by the American lyricist Paul Francis Webster to the tune of Lara. In 1967 “Somewhere My Love” was interpreted in a particularly saccharine way by Ray Conniff and The Singers, with an arrangement full of trills and melodious choruses that made it an excessively sentimental interpretation, far from the melancholic atmosphere of “Doctor Zhivago”.
In the same year, Connie Francis offers a sung version closer to the spirit of the film. Her song, in fact, seems to capture the dual perspective of the film, emphasizing not only Juri's love for Lara, but also the female point of view of the story. The interpretation of Andy Williams, faithful to Jarre's theme, opens with a sound that evokes that of a balalaika. Her soft, deep voice gives the piece a romantic atmosphere but, with the entrance of the choir, the piece becomes excessively saccharine.
Two instrumental versions, Charlie Byrd’s 1968 and Hank Marvin’s 1969, offer alternative interpretations. Byrd offers a melancholic arrangement, while Marvin opts for a more exotic sound. In 1972, Red Steagall offers a country-western reinterpretation of “Somewhere My Love,” characterized by a melancholic fiddle and a distinctive banjo sound. Kenny Rogers, on the other hand, opts for a more sentimental approach, with a warm voice and a poignant orchestral introduction.
La Van McCoy's 1977 version differs significantly from Jarre's original. This recording presents clear similarities with the famous "Theme from Shaft", thus distancing itself from the intimate and melancholic atmosphere of the film. In the following years, the covers become less frequent: the interpretations of "Somewhere My Love" have mainly a sentimental connotation, sometimes excessive, which favors the melodramatic atmosphere of the film. Among these also the unmistakable interpretation of Frank Sinatra.
Where I don't know
Even Italian pop music has welcomed the melody of “Lara's Theme” with lyrics written by Giorgio Calabrese. “Dove non so” has become a classic, thanks to the intense interpretation of Rita Pavone.
In 2000 Orietta Berti presented her own version, very melodic and accompanied mainly by piano and timpani.
The lyrics of “Dove non so” are inspired by the painful moment when Juri and Lara are forced to separate, due to the turbulence of the Russian Revolution. Despite the painful separation, the lyrics are permeated by a poignant hope of a future reunion that will never happen. Andrea Bocelli he recorded a French Chanson de Lara who also performed in duo with Arisa. Finally Patti Pravo has suggestively revisited the theme of Lara in a piece written by Vasco Rossi. It is E dimmi che non vuoi morire, Cover of Lara. Beautiful song. Next year, on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of Lean's masterpiece, we can expect a reawakened interest in the film and its memorable soundtrack.
Source: Paul David Gould, Lara's Theme – melody from Dr Zhivago traveled far and wide, The Financial Times, 29 September 2024
. . .
The words to the melody of Lara's Theme
(by Paul Francis Webster)
Somewhere, my love there will be songs to sing
Although the snow covers the hope of spring
Somewhere a hill blossoms in green and gold
And there are dreams all that your heart can hold
Someday we'll meet my love again
Someday whenever the spring breaks through
You'll come to me out of the long ago
Warm as the wind, soft as the kiss of snow
Lara my own, think of me now and then
God speed my love until you are mine again
You'll come to me out of the long ago
Warm as the wind soft as the kiss of snow
Till then my sweet think of me now and then
God speed my love 'til you are mine again
. . .
(by Hubert Charles Victor Chambet)
One day Lara
When the wind blows
One day Lara
Your love has stopped
Your eyes Lara
They always return to this train
This last train
Off to the Chagrin
The sky is covered in darkness
Au loin déjà l'horizon brûlait
This song
What the soldiers were singing
It was so good
Lock between your arms
On the edge of the pleurs
You smiled Lara
Ominous at the hour
War, fear, cold
The sky is covered in darkness
Au loin déjà le canon tonnait
One day Lara
When the winds blow
One day Lara
It will be like before
Alors cet air like a manège
For you it will be your song
Lara
. . .
(by Giorgio Calabrese)
Where I don't know
But one day I'll see you
And I will stop
The weather on us
Where I don't know
But there will be a place
Where we from
We will never return
Perhaps
Will it be tomorrow or not?
Perhaps
Far from here or not
I will come with you
Wherever you want
Where we from
We will never return
Where I don't know
But I will find you again
And I will stop
The weather on us
