I loved both versions of this movie, including the Eric Serra sondtrack. However, does anyone remember that great piece of music Bill Conti did for the American one? I cannot find it to save my life, does anyone know where or how to obtain it?
shareHey man..I'm with ya! Here's my first posting ever on this:
I appreciate all of the reviews and comments on "The Big Blue", but after reading all the feedback on how great the movie and soundtrack has meant to everyone...I failed to here just ONE comment on the signature theme, or opening/ending music track, used in the US release with Bill Conti's music score!
You see…the first time I watched this great film, there was this fantasy style track with a beautiful hook in it that links Jacques,the dolphins…and the viewers together!….This track quickly prompted me to go out and buy the soundtrack. To my disappointment, that particular track with the wonderful hook was missing! This was the joyous music used when Jacques played with the dolphins. I realized later that the whole soundtrack was entirely different all together. OK! The name of the CD matches my movie, but we have a different composer, - Eric Serra. This was confusing,…but also interesting! I could not understand why they would have switched composers. As a film & video director myself, I thought there might have been a breach of contract or some kind of falling out or something,….this really puzzled me!
I let it go for a number of years until one summer on a job filming in France, I decided to hunt down the CD soundtrack once again… thinking, if any luck, this would be the place to find it. Well I did (I thought), but again the track I was initially looking for was missing! Why would the credit on the film have Bill Conti, and the CD soundtrack have Eric Serra's?...and for the longest time, I didn't here anything about the original "Le Grand bleu" version on VHS!
I realized since then, the existence of two films. Having finally seen the original version on DVD and reading the submissions here in IMDb, the knowledge of a US version verses a European version...must be the link. This reminds me of a version of Blade Runner (my all time Favorite!) I saw in Los Angeles which had one word switched. Roy Batty walks into Tyrell's place looking for answers. The version's most people have seen...hear the line... "I want more life…FU**ER." But at a special viewing at the Santa Monica Numark theatre, I saw a version where Roy Batty walks into focus and say's "I want more life...FATHER" …It blew me away! It made sense! I can only imagine some studio exec in need of some ego deflation stepped in with "The Big decision" on that one. Well I want answers to this Big Blue composer thing dammit! Maybe it was Luc Besson's choice after all…but either way, I would like to know.
As far as the longer original version everybody is talking about?...Who's to say what the original version was!...I did enjoy it immensely though! ...the ending makes more sense and works with me on an obvious level, but I am still stuck on that idea of why replace Eric's work?… And that ONE TRACK that I still can't get off my mind of Bill Conti's…why release a version for the states with Eric's original tracks replaced by Conti's? I found them both to be very appropriate for the film, but what was the problem here?...and Does Bill Conti's soundtrack version of "The Big Blue" soundtrack even exist?...someone help!
Back in the early 90's, and as a former DJ who still makes mixed CD's, ...I would have loved to included that Conti /US signature track among my mixes. I did actually, but ended up having to cue up the track from a US VHS tape...LIVE...while my audio cassette master was rolling. It wasn't easy, and I remember my VHS deck only put out mono and my mix ultimately suffered!
So after reading everybody's feedback…THANKS!, but I'm still on that quest for that track, as well as the Conti score. Eric's music is great, but I disagree about what some have said about Conti's score. Some people act as if the music was night and day!, which I think isn't true. There both great, Bill did an excellent job as far as I'm concerned or I know I wouldn't be so obsessed over this one particular track.
So if anybody understands the signature song, (The theme thread) I'm talking about at the beginning, as well as the rest of it.. "The Big Blue"....Bill Conti's soundtrack (American version!)… …..Reach out!
This is my first...and new attempt at getting answers on this matter!
This is my first...and new attempt at getting answers on this matter!
What made Le Grand Bleu so popular in France was as much its original score than the movie itself. For years Luc Besson worked with Eric Serra on all his movies, but it's with the theme of Le Grand Bleu that Eric Serra became really famous... I remember everybodyt listening to this music everywhere, I've never seen that again, everybody owning the cd of a movie ... So I was a little puzzled when I moved to the U.S and watched a version of "The Big Blue" with a totally different music in it... To me it was a total disapointment and the movie didn't look the same anymore... I guess it didn't match what the american public expectation, but then I don't understand why they kept the original scores for Nikita and Leon ( the Professional), both from Luc Besson longtime acomplice Eric Serra...
I hope it helped, I think they just redo the score for the american release, much to my disbelief..
I agree with those that love the Bill Conti soundtrack for "The Big Blue", it is exceptionally beautiful and very haunting. This is my favorite movie and I love BOTH versions of the soundtrack and the film, but just like some others out there I have had a love affair with the Conti theme for years.
I was lucky enough to find it on two different CDs. (Hooray for eBay!) The first is a CD called
"Screen Themes 2" released by Velvet Satin Disques. VSD-5209 I should warn you though... it may be VERY hard to locate. It was printed as a limited edition of only 300 copies. (My copy is labeled as NO. 012 of 300.) It has various themes from different films with track #4 being "The Big Blue" by Bill Conti (6:29) The cover art for the CD is the main picture for the movie poster for "Joe Versus the Volcano" and the back cover has a close up face shot of our hero, Jacques, from our favorite movie.
The second CD I found it on is MUCH better! This is the one to have. It is called
"The Big Blue ~ The Film Music of Bill Conti" PR-CD 2301 (It even has the artwork from the movie/poster on both covers front/back with movie stills in the insert.) I will try to list all the information it has on it to help you locate it. It was released on Paradise Records/Seven Seas Inc. 62 Wingewarra Street Dubbo NSW 2830 Australia. This one has track #13 as "The Big Blue Suite" (18:49) Much longer than the version on the other CD I mentioned.
I hope this helps everyone who adores this movie and it's music as much as I do, to find a copy of this beloved music. Let me know if you find it.
~~~Kelly
I saw this movie years ago. And thought the haunting music was one of the many important things that made it great. I would say it's in my top 15 favorite movies.
A while back, i rented the directors cut DVD from blockbuster so that i could show the movie to someone since I was RAVING about it so much.
After all, an extended version DVD of a movie I loved has got to be even better than the older VHS version I have.
Wrong.
Big problem was, the beautiful hauting music was gone from the DVD version.
It's the "Bill Conti" version ...or nothing ...for me, baby.
:)
I was looking up a reference for my wife, and the movie she wanted had Rosanna Arquette, which reminded me of The Big Blue. I realized i'd not looked at imdb's reviews of it. I was thrilled to see that others had expressed the same feeling I had.
My original draw to the movie was an infatuation with dolphins, but the Conti Score became very important to me too. I went out and bought the CD, unknowing that it was Serra's, too, haa haa.
I noticed the first time I watched the Conti version that there were 2 distinct themes, the intro goes along with Jaques' love for the ocean and dolphins, and another, the Andean flute theme goes along with his connection to Johanna.
The part that tears me is that the extended version's story is more complete, Jaques' motivations less veiled, for me an all around better experience, even if the missing themes I love so much are missing.
Thanks to all for the help in finding the music!! And to the original poster of this topic, thanks for bringing it up!!!
Have a nice day:)
Have you found anything yet? I've been searching for what seems like forever and it's almost like it doesn't exist :(
shareYou can listen to Conti here
http://raresoundtracksclips.ifrance.com/
His is about the third name down. Found this while searching for Remo's theme.
I'm not sure if anybody still cares. It seems to have been over 3 years since the initial post and 2 years since the latest reply, but I've just stumbled upon this board for the first time.
Elsewhere, there was a rare songs thread and it reminded me that I had the song so I happened over here and noticed that some people were still looking for it.
Well, here it is.
Enjoy
http://rapidshare.de/files/25702368/Bill_Conti_-_Big_Blue_Theme.mp3.html
FYI,
The US release is showing now at a HD Voom channel called "World Cinema". This is the version with the Conti score. It is in HD and widescreen. The next showing is Friday 9:25AM July 21, 2006 (tomorrow). My Dish network setup allows me to obtain this channel.