Eric Demarsan

One of France's foremost soundtrack composers and arrangers, Eric DeMarsan entered the field with the 1966 film Diapason. Subsequent work placed him alongside several of the country's most prominent directors. After delivering arrangements and orchestrations for Jean-Pierre Melville on Chevaliers du Ciel and Samouri, he received the assignment to score both L'Armee des Ombres and Le Cercle Rouge. Further assignments came from Jean Pourtale on 5% de Risques, Carlos Costa-Gravas on Section Speciale, Patrice Leconte on Les Specialistes, and Pierre Zucca on Roberte Ce Soir. For French television he composed the music for Sebastian Parmi les Hommes, La Derniere Fete, and Clarissa. His grandmother provided his initial piano lessons, and by age 18 he was performing regularly in Monmarte nightclubs. Late-night songwriting sessions with Bernard Dimey and Marian Kouzan preceded two years of study with Michel Magne, who instructed him in orchestration and the techniques of film composition. In 1985 DeMarsan was awarded the SACEM prize for Best Recorded Film Music. Although he prepared material for a planned album by French vocalist Michel Simon, the recording was never completed.