Im Rausch Der Tiefe

I thought the friendship was genuine and interesting and so was the romance. The movie wasn't about diving or competition.

Many critics get the 2 main male characters wrong. Interpreting them as unlikable. Reno's character is arrogant and conceited. Barr's character is withdrawn, aloof, and madly unresponsive to Arquette's obvious affection.

The magic of the movie is all about the characters imperfections and their respective bonds. It's about imperfect people and their perfect bond with each other.

I find all 3 characters genuine and likable. Their flaws are what make them genuine and interesting. The arrogant conceited Reno is pationate and deeply involved in his family and close relationships. Barr is an introverted self-contained personality, perhaps further withdrawn into himself by tragedy that leaves him without family other than dolphins and the sea. The unbreakable bond between Barr and Reno started with the tragic accident to Barr's father and witnessed by Reno.

I got this movie when it was released on VHS and watched it 20 times. I always liked the movie, but haven't seen it in around 30 years. My VHS is long gone, but I want to see this movie again. There are not many movies I watched 30 years ago and want to see again.

The critics run wild over this movie. They certainly did when it was released. I don't mind liking a movie more than the critics do, especially after reading their reviews. Diving is boring, they don't get it.

I was prompted to write this review after reading a review saying the movie was about undiagnosed mental illness. Well, only if everyone has an undiagnosed mental illness. Actually, maybe, everyone is a little mentally ill. Nobody is perfect and imperfect characters are the most interesting.

I have to watch this movie once a year just to calm my nerves. One of the few films to which I have also purchased the soundtrack. This film, like the sea which is its subject, hypnotizes you, seduces you, rocks you into a state of oneness with the lush scenery. Rosanna Arquette is beautiful and sexy in an uncharacteristically understated way. Barr makes the perfect beau and embodies the spirit of the film and the ocean. I fell in love with Jean Reno in this film. Unforgettable imagery, interesting premise, good chemistry between Arquette and Barr, and Reno is a joy to watch.

Masterfully directed by Luc Besson and a film to treasure.

This was my 3rd stop (2nd real stop, I have decided not to count Fifth Element)into the world of Luc Besson, and i have to say I was mightily impressed, Leon is still topping my list, I was absolutely blown away by that, but it is almost impossible to compare the two as they are completely different in mood and genre. For anyone wanting to watch a fantastic dream of a film, with absorbing characters, true love in all its forms and some awesome underwater photography then this is for you! The characters are all formed perfectly, almost exaggerated but not, Jean Reno is his usual astounding self, and Jean-Marc Barr really out does himself, with Rosanna Arquette in a superb supporting roll. the story ambles along at its own pace but never stops or gets dull keeping you interested along the way, I don't want to go too much into it as it was kind of spoiled for my by reading too much of these boards, needless to say I was crying at one point, and that doesn't happen often. The score compliments the film perfectly, Eric Serra has done a wonderfully emotive score that almost interacts with the scenes along the way.

Overall I'd give this film a 9/10, yet again awesome direction, acting and soundtrack, and definitely in my top films! just a shame i've borrowed it off a mate and have to give it back tomorrow, it's definitely something i could watch again and again!

47. THE BIG BLUE (adv.-romance, 1988) Mayol (Jean-Marc Barr) is determined to dethrone current world-free diving champion Enzo (Jean Reno). Childhood friends, they share a fierce rivalry that, nonetheless, has kept their friendship alive. Both of them share an almost spiritual affinity with the sea, especially Mayol who lost his father. His love for his sport, however, is put on hold when he meets Joanna (Rosanna Arquette). But as Mayol and Enzo's competition become more fierce, Joanna slowly feels herself drifting away from Mayol, as his fascination with the sea takes on an obsessive turn.

Critique: Marvelouslly filmed underwater adventure from master-Frenchman Luc Besson, who has specialized on action films. This is his most personal work to date, thus taking on a uniquely surreal quality. The exquisite camera-work is very special, at times almost documentary in quality.

This mix of 'art' cinematography and romance made it a big money earner all over Europe but, not surprisingly, only gained critical acclaim elsewhere. Adding to its failure is a somewhat downbeat ending that, I think, complements the film's mythic storyline.

Besson's 'epic masterpiece' has yet to reach many viewers who would embrace his visionary talents.

The Big Blue is a story mainly centred around Jacques Mayol (Jean-Marc Barr), a free diver. Free diving is a sport where people dive as deep as they can with a single breath, and no equipment other than a rope and a weighted mechanism to take them to the required depth. Although to say the story of Big Blue is just about free diving does not do it any justice. The story starts in Greece with Jacques as a child, then moves forward to "present day". In the story we also have Enzo (Jean Reno), Jacque's lifelong friend and nemesis who motivates him to free dive in competition (so he has some competition) and also gets him work in other areas of diving. During this work Jacques meets an insurance investigator Johana (Rosanna Arquette), and a romance starts (albeit mostly from her). The story continues as Jacques struggles with problems in his past, present and future.

The Big Blue is an unusual movie. There is some silly (but arguably funny) humour. Also there are some serious levels including romance, and how we deal with problems from our past, our existence, and our future. The film is also quite long (in the aptly named "version longue") at about 2 hours and 40 minutes. Fans of Jean Reno would certainly love this movie.

I really enjoyed this film. The main story is very light and thinly stretched, so to really enjoy it I feel you have to look deeper at the characters and read between the lines. I also really enjoyed the humour, which was silly but fun and was a good counterpoint to the serious scenes. Jean-Marc Barr was absolutely stunning as Jacques, bearing in mind the number of underwater sequences that were required as well. It's a real shame that we don't see Jean-Marc in more leading roles. Jean Reno was also extremely good, and although for me an irritating character Rosanna Arquette put in a reasonable performance. The cinematography is another lush element of the film, with the beautiful locations and underwater sequences (especially those with the dolphins). Eric Serra's soundtrack is pretty good also, although sounds a little dated. As mentioned, this review is based on the "version longue". 5/5