Responding to a message posted over two years ago(!)...
I think it was controversial because of the John Williams factor. But, for my own two cents, Chariots of Fire was controversial because - as a score - it's dreadful. It doesn't fit the movie one bit. Yes, the main theme is awesome (still after all these years). The rest of it certainly isn't, and even if it were doesn't hang together with the pictures on the screen.
But, I think, his Oscar win was deserved on a more "abstract" level simply for showing that film scores could be done in a different way, thus paving the way for people like Zimmer.
> "with a controversial Academy Award under his belt "
> What's the problem with Chariots of Fire? Isn't CoF the ultimate olympics
> theme? Whenever I see a documtairy about the olympics on TV I'll hear the
> CoF theme, making CoF a serious landmark imo.
Isn't this just the
> opinion from a JW fan who can't live with the fact that the award didn't
> go to JW's raiders of the lost ark ?
There's nothing wrong with using
> synths rather than orchestras.. if it works, it works.