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Francis Lai

Francis Lai

Composer · Died November 7, 2018, aged 86 · Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Francis Albert Lai (26 April 1932 – 7 November 2018) was a French composer, noted for his film scores. He won the 1970 Oscar for Best Music, Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for the film Love Story. The soundtrack album went to No. 2 in the Billboard album charts and the film's theme, "Where Do I Begin", was a hit single for Andy Williams. Lai was born on 26 April 1932, in Nice, France, the son of market gardeners of Italian origin. From a very early age, Lai was fascinated by music and he played first in his local regional orchestras. In Marseilles he discovered jazz and met Claude Goaty, a singer of popular songs in the 50s. While in his twenties, Lai left home and followed Goaty to Paris, where he became part of the lively Montmartre music scene. The "Taverne d'Attilio" on the Place du Tertre in Montmartre, was a favorite place for the young talented Bernard Dimey with whom Lai composed his first song. Their song-writing partnership would extend to a hundred or so. After a short period with the orchestra of Michel Magne, Lai became an accompanist for Édith Piaf and composed for her. In 1965, he met filmmaker Claude Lelouch and was hired to help write the score for the film A Man and a Woman. Released in 1966, the film was an international success, earning a number of Academy Awards. The young Lai received a Golden Globe Award nomination for "Best Original Score". This initial success brought more opportunities to work for the film industry both in his native France, where he continued to work with Lelouch on scores to films such as Vivre pour vivre (1967), Un homme qui me plaît (1969), Le voyou (1970) and La bonne année (1973), as well as in Great Britain and the United States. He was known for his support of Mireille Mathieu in many compositions and recordings. In 1970 he wrote the score for director René Clément's film, Rider on the Rain ("Le passager de la pluie"). It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc in September 1971. In 1970, Lai won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for the film Love Story. In the United States, the soundtrack album reached No. 2 in the Billboard album charts and the film's theme, "Where Do I Begin", was a hit single with lyrics by Carl Sigman for singer Andy Williams. The song would also be recorded successfully by Lai himself, with a full orchestra, and by Henry Mancini and Shirley Bassey. Lai's "Love Story" theme was heard in the 1978 Love Story sequel titled Oliver's Story, although the main score was composed by Lee Holdridge. ... Source: Article "Francis Lai" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 26, 1932
Died
November 7, 2018 (aged 86)
From
Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Works as
Composer
Titles
45 on MovieCove · 115 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 24% in 30 days

What are Francis Lai's films like?

Across their 44 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Crime7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
38%
Morality
17%
Self
14%
Power
11%
Survival
7%
Society
7%
Ideas
6%
Romantic love14 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds12 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship7 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 44 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 25 · Serious 9 · Dark 10

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 21 · Stylized 20 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 15 · Charged 24 · Intense 5

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 28 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 5

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 22 · Some laughs 15 · Funny 7

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 27 · Even-paced 17 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 22 · Engaged 20 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 21 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 10

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 31 · Open-ended 12 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
20
Romantic
14
Tense
13
Melancholic
14
Joyful
8
Other
43

How their films linger

Bittersweet18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy17
  • Bittersweet20
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Francis Lai's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 45 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Francis Lai's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

115 credits, 45 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Cinema of Francis Lai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Composer

  • Stjepan Hauser plays Bach and Morricone @ Château de Neuschwanstein 2025 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Composer

  • Shoot to Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Composer · as Self

  • The Best Years of a Life(2019)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Everyone's Life(2017)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Un + Une(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Salaud, on t'aime.(2014)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • D'un film à l'autre(2011)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • What War May Bring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Composer

  • Amore e libertà - Masaniello (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Composer

  • The Courage to Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Composer

  • Plastic Tree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Composer

  • Panorama: The Wonderland Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Music Arranger

  • One 4 All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Composer

  • Chance or Coincidence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Composer

  • Panorama: Defend the Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Composer

  • Hommes, femmes, mode d'emploi(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Les Misérables(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Tout ça... pour ça!(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Gayniggers from Outer Space (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Composer

  • Le Voleur et la menteuse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Composer

  • Stranger in the House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Composer

  • The Beautiful Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Composer

  • Les Clés du Paradis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Composer

  • I'll Be Going Now (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Composer

  • Le Provincial (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Composer

  • The Passion of Bernadette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Composer

  • There Were Days... and Moons(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • My New Partner at the Races(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Les Rikikis au pays du Père Noël (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 24 episodes · Compositor

  • Too Beautiful for You(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Itinerary of a Spoiled Child(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Bernadette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Composer

  • Keys to Freedom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Composer

  • Bandits (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Composer

  • Dark Eyes(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later(1986)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • AIDS: Love in Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Composer

  • Marie(1985)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • No More God, No More Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Composer

  • Astrolab 22 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

  • I Believe in Santa Claus(1984)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • My New Partner(1984)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Dog Day(1984)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Wunderland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Composer

  • Salut la puce (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Composer

  • Edith and Marcel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Composer

  • Das Traumschiff (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 5 episodes · Composer

  • Madame Claude 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Composer

  • Bolero(1981)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Pig in the Middle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 20 episodes · Composer

  • Beyond the Reef (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Composer

  • Us Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Composer

  • International Velvet(1978)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Robert et Robert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Composer

  • Boarding School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Composer

  • The Small Timers(1978)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Widows' Nest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Composer

  • Another Man, Another Chance(1977)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Bilitis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Composer

  • Lost Soul (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Composer

  • Türkiye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Composer

  • Body of My Enemy(1976)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Good and the Bad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Composer

  • Second Chance(1976)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Striptease (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Composer

  • Emmanuelle: The Joys of a Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Composer

  • The Babysitter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Composer

  • Cat and Mouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Composer

  • Marriage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Composer

  • Child Under a Leaf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Composer

  • The Sex Symbol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Composer

  • And Now My Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Composer

  • Visit to a Chief's Son(1974)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • By the Blood of Others (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Composer

  • Un amour de pluie(1974)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Reigen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Composer

  • Happy New Year(1973)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Les hommes(1973)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Tom Thumb (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Composer

  • ...And Hope to Die(1972)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Dust in the Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Composer

  • Money Money Money(1972)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Spy Trap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 61 episodes · Composer

  • The Legend of Frenchie King(1971)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Smic, Smac, Smoc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Composer · as Blind Accordionist

  • La usurpadora (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 10 episodes · Composer

  • Dead Gods (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 306 episodes · Theme Song Performance

  • Iran (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Composer

  • Love Story(1970)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Love Mates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Compositor

  • The Crook(1970)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Berlin Affair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • The Games(1970)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Modification (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • Hello-Goodbye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • Eyes Full of Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • Rider on the Rain(1970)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Love Is a Funny Thing(1969)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • 3 Into 2 Won't Go (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Composer

  • Life Love Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Composer

  • Hannibal Brooks(1969)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Snows of Grenoble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Composer

  • Tender Moment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Composer

  • Mayerling(1968)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Challenge in the Snow(1968)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • House of Cards(1968)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Golden Claws of the Cat Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Composer

  • I'll Never Forget What's'isname(1967)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Live for Life(1967)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • My Love, My Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Composer

  • Action Man(1967)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Bobo(1967)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • A Man and a Woman(1966)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Fragilité, ton nom est femme (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Composer

Career shape

A full career of 113 titles from 1965 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Love Story (1970)

$107M worldwide

Highest rated

A Man and a Woman (1966)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

Love Story (1970)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 113: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleMusic109 of 113: 108 only music, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score55thOther crew4 of 113: 4 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1960s17 · crew1970s45 · 1 acting · 45 crew1980s22 · crew1990s16 · crew2000s4 · crew2010s6 · crew2020s3 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Francis Lai's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 54th percentile, the median of all 45; across their 44 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 44

Approval · how many liked their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 44

Reach · how many have seen their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 44

Midcredits score across 45 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th15
  • 25th to 49th16
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

20 of their 45 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser20
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed17

Most divisive · composer

I Believe in Santa Claus (1984)

82nd percentile spread · 66% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

A Man and a Woman (1966)

Midcredits 94th · 81% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 66/100 in their films, across 31 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 46. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Francis Lai's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 36 · moderateMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Francis Lai work with?

People who share at least 2 of Francis Lai's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Claude Lelouch shares the most, 21.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles