Eric Serra VS. Bill Conti

Rating: 10/10 (2 April 2005)

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 much 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 wonderful fantasy style track with a beautiful hook in it that linked Jacques,the dolphins, and the viewers together. This track quickly prompted me to go out and buy the soundtrack, but To my disappointment, that particular track was missing! This was the joyous music used when Jacques swam and connected with the dolphins.
Back in the early 90's, and as a former DJ who still makes mixed CD's,...I loved the track so much I wanted to include it in one of my mixes. I did actually,...but ended up having to cue the track up LIVE from a VHS tape while my audio cassette master was rolling. It was difficult with the timing issue, and I remember my VHS deck only put out mono...so the mix ultimately suffered! ...It was much later that I realized the whole soundtrack was entirely different all together. OK! The name of the CD matches the movie, but we have a different composer, - Eric Serra. This was confusing!
As a film & video director now myself, I could not understand why they would have switched composers. For awhile I thought there might have been a breach of contract or some kind of falling out or something. Still...this puzzles me today!
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. Most version's the public is used to seeing, we hear the line... "I want more lifeFU**ER."... But 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! More than likely it was Luc Besson's choice after allbut either way, I would like to know. 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! ...Alot of times, directors will re-release their ultimate version once their film reaches a demand and/or a cult type following. By this time they probably have the chip's to finance it themselves. I realized since then, the existence of two films and finally after seeing the original, (or longer) version on DVD and reading the submissions here in IMDb, ...the knowledge of a US version verses a European version...must be the link, and subsequently it was "Serra" who had originally scored Luc's picture and it was the studio that pushed to have Eric's work replaced, as they believed the American audiences simply did not "GET" Eric Serra's original score. Still, this does not add up to a meager replacement. Bill Conti's score is still a wonderful collection of work to many "Big Blue" fans who were fortunate to have seen it; replacement or not!!
As far as the longer original version everybody is talking about?...Who's to say what is the original version?...Directors are notorious for tinkering with their projects. Were never satisfied!!!...I really dug it though...The more of those characters on the screen, the better! The ending makes more sense and works with me, leaving room for your own imagination. But I am still stuck on that idea of why replace Bill'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?...yes it does!
I was, but am no longer on that quest for that wonderful Conti score. I finally acquired this CD from a new friend in England, thanks to this forum. If anybody wants a copy...email me and I will set you up personally the way my friend helped me end this long awaited Conti soundtrack.
Again, Eric's music is great, but I disagree with what some have said about Conti's score. Some people act as if the music was night and day!, which Isn't true. I found them both to be great, and Bill did an excellent job as far as I'm concerned! ... I favor his personally, and I'm still obsessed over that one particular track, which I now know to be simply called "Main Theme"...or "Finale".
The rest of the score is wonderful as well!