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How did Moroder win for 'Midnight Express'???


Goldsmithfan
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I just saw that film last night and one of the first things that struck me was how awkward the music was. It didn't do much for the scenes besides detract . . . a lot.

The chase music that everyone on Amazon goes nuts over seemed to be nothing more than monotonous, pop-based garbage that went nowhere. The other music in the movie wasn't much better. It just seemed to be a mismash of electronics and piano thrown in every once in a while for 'good'measure.

So what was this score up against? Maybe in 1978 the only other scores that were nominated were those to pornos? I mean, come ON! There were no other Oscar worthy scores in '78! Gimme a break! Does Superman: The Movie ring a bell! How about Capricorn One?

It's obvious that the Oscar board was asleep (or on crack) at the wheel on this one.

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Top Posters In This Topic

Boys from Brazil, Jerry Goldsmith

Heavan Can Wait, Dave Grusin

Days of Heaven, Ennio Morricone

Midnight Express, Georgio Moroder

Superman, the Movie, John Williams

Superman was clearly the best, and of this list Boys from Brazil was the 2nd best, though I personally find Capricorn One a more listenable experience, the major theme from Boys from Brazil is still very haunting, and I love the circus style music in it(don't know else how to discribe it)

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Superman, The Boys from Brazil, The Fury, Damien - The Omen II, Capricorn One, Magic, The Swarm or Jaws 2 would have all been worthy winners that year, IMO.

But then again it's not as bad as Raiders losing out to Chariots of Fire, or Memoirs of a Geisha to Brokeback Mountain.

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LOL  

I dunno it's just another one of those confusing moments by the Academy.

And there have been many to speak of. Aside from Raiders losing to Chariots of Fire (I like some of Vangelis' work, but not quite that much) and Memoirs of a Geisha losing to

Brokeback Mountain, Aladdin beat Basic Instinct and Star Trek IV was nominated period.

What can I say?

Morons.

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Star Trek IV deserved to be nominated, its a very good score.

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"Midnight Express" is perhaps a somewhat over-rated film, and Moroder's score is just ugly. Vulgar, infantile and very aesthetically displeasing...

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Look at it this way.

John Williams had won the previous year for "Star Wars," with music that sounded a lot like the music for "Superman."

"I'm not going to give him another award for writing more hero music," most voters probably said. "Oooh, here's that 'Midnight Express' score with all those electronics amid the dank Turkish prison. Now that's as different from 'Superman' as you can get. I'll vote for it!"

I love "Superman." LOVE IT! But I also like "The Chase" in "Midnight Express" and that main theme is quite good. Listen to it as Billy "reads" his letter to Susan. Nice rendition. And then the weird music as Billy attacks the guard and then gets taken upstairs to get raped by the realy bad guard. There are some really good moments in this score. You're just letting your unabashed love of "Superman" get in the way of appreciating it. This is definitely not one of the biggest Oscar travesties.

Jeff -- who would have voted for "Chariots of Fire" but definitely not "Fame"

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You're just letting your unabashed love of "Superman" get in the way of appreciating it. This is definitely not one of the biggest Oscar travesties.

This has nothing to do with Superman. It's got everything to do with the fact that I saw the movie and was completely taken out of it by the score. It didn't fit and it was just plain horrible. After I saw the film I looked it up and found out it was from '78. The first thing I thought of was The Swarm to be perfectly honest. It's a coherant score.

In any case, it's not a comparison with Superman or The Swarm that makes this a terrible score, it's the quality (or lack of quality) that makes this a huge travesty.

I have no doubt that the voters were thinking along the lines you stated, but I really think they should go by quality. If they did, the awards would actually be able to do what they're meant to do.

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it is one of the big travesties, because Superman is clearly the best score from that period, but Midnight Express isn't the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th best.

Other scores that year were more deserving.

I won't bash Midnight Express the movie, because its a harrowing experience, the score has its moments, but there are many scores with moments, and they are no more deserving of an Oscar.

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WHAT?! A thread about the insanity of the Academy, and no one has even mentioned Star Trek The Motion Picture losing to A Little Romance?

And how Superman didn't win and Midnight Express did, will always be beyond me.

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