Le Grand Bleu

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.

This is the movie of my life !

I never before saw a film that i could identify myself so much with. I´m lucky enough to live in a place near the sea very similar and as beautiful as those in the movie and the opening scenes always remind me of my teenage years and the waters i explored like young Jaqques Mayol does in the beginning of the movie. Things that i still do. So i immediatley related to the character and its love for the ocean.

I guess that´s the beauty of this movie. It makes us feel that we could be any of its characters, because they´re so real. We almost can´t believe that they don´t exist outside of the movie. This is an amazing ,beautifuly well written ,acted, photographed and directed movie ! It carries us into an extraordinary world, and it´s our world !! (mine at least to some point) Not some hollywood depiction of reality !

But what it´s about it ? This is the worst thing anyone can ask about this movie.

I would hate to be the guy who had to publicize this in USA. And i can see why it failed there.

But what can i say about it?... That it´s the story of two friends who compete to find out who´s best ?...It´s more than that ! That it´s a love story ? It goes beyond every love story ! That it´s an adventure ? You bet it is ! But it has no action, no chases,no dangerous cliffangers, no guns and no explosions. It doesn´t even has bad guys ! Or good guys in fact. That it´s a travel or a road movie ? Probably. This movie has better locations than any James Bond movie will ever get and they´re all real !

But they don´t matter much compared to the characters in the film. The characters then... There´s a hero right ?... Well there´s two of them. Two men. But they´re not heroes.

Probably the hero is a woman who sacrifices her happiness for love. So, there´s a woman and two men. There´s got to be a love triangle there to cause all those love story rivalary subplots, right ? Well, there´s a love triangle, but there aren´t subplots attached to it. In fact the love triangle has more than three people. All characters are a part of it realy. Including dolphins ! Even the ocean.

Aha ! So this is some sort of a kinky erotic and exotic movie thing ? Wrong ! There´s sex in it, but not in that way at all.

It´s a comedy then... You´ll laugh, but you´ll cry too. It´s a drama ... Not in the conventional cliché way. Not at all. A dramatic comedy... Nope !

It´s a sci-fi film !... Well there´s scientists in it, and deep underwater, and even under ice diving scenes, but it´s not a scifi film, although the American "version" Movie Trailler presented it like if it were some new esotheric adventure underwater sci-fi horror movie, when in fact it is not.

So what is this movie about ?!!

It´s about what you want it to be. About what you´re feeling. It´s that open. You just have to feel it.

As Luc Besson said in an interview, at some point in the movie he was stuck, because he didn´t know how to carry the audience inside.

Then the real Jaqques Mayol, who worked in the film as a diving and story consultant took Besson diving with him one day and made him experience the sea in his way. Then Besson understood that he didn´t had to explain anything to the audience. He just had to make people feel what it was like !

And boy, did he make it ! The atmosphere in this movie goes beyond words. It has to be felt ! Also the soundtrack is out of this world and trully magical.

To me this film is about love, but in a much deeper meaning than the usual. Beyond race, beyond gender, beyond sex, beyond nationality. Love as an emotion. And about freedom !

So get a wide screen TV and a full blast surround. This movie is the reason to buy one if you don´t have it! Believe me ! And watch it in the dark.

Try to get the european full version of the movie. The american is not that terrible, the feeling is there, but it´s diferent from the original.

This movie is a masterpiece ! ( in any version )

THE movie that made Besson go down in history. A key-movie that divided the French public between the ones who saw on it, only a tedious documentary about the ocean and the others who acclaimed this passionating movie. As far as I'm concerned, I rank in the second category. "Le grand bleu", it's simply a periphrase with a tinge of euphemism to design the ocean, a universe that always inspired to men fear but also fascination. The two main characters, Jacques Maillol and Enzo Molinari are fascinated by the sea but for different reasons. If Reno devotes all his energies to diving so as to access to success and glory, the sea is more than this for Jacques. He was born with it, he swears by it (so much that he neglects Johanna's love) and the sea will lead him to death. A place of athletic competition, an ideal place for rest and entertaining where dolphins are his real and sole friends, finally the eternal heaven, the ocean epitomizes all this to Jacques. "le grand bleu" also ranks among the movies that you must watch rather than telling it. Of course, there isn't almost any plot, dialogs are short and rare but pictures are gorgeous enough to create an entrancing climate supported by Eric Serra's mesmerizing music. The movie's technical qualities can only arouse admiration: a shiny photography that perfectly reflects the color of the sea, the blue and a fluid making sometimes clever: Jacques' childhood is made in black and white. Besides, the movie enabled to discover two outstanding actors: Jean-Marc Barr and Jean Reno but oddly if Reno became one of the most popular French actors, it wasn't the case with Barr. In spite of a promising debut, he has never be able to make a movie that could have got back him in the saddle. Maybe was he so elated at the bottom of the sea, in heaven where everything is fine...

This movie is the most fantastic contemplation of earth paradise in existence.

First it's imperative that we notice one major difference: the short version and the "version longue" are two completely different films. From tip to toe. I only knew this film previously in its short version. Yesterday I bought the "version longue" in my local FNAC store without subtitles (it's rare these days).

And.................... I fell in love with everything about it, stunned and mesmerized, being at the same time riddled by the way that the short version lost all sense, in comparison with the "longue" version. You can think of an integral version like a way to stuff a film with pictures, but in this movie we have the feeling that the movie was intended to have 164 minutes, and not nearly two.

And you can picture the transformation that occurred in my perception of this film, as I passed from that mutilated, full-screen, mono-sound version to a full, widescreen and hi-fi version. This is why "Le Grand Bleu" passed from just a movie by Luc Besson to the greatest movie of my greatest director.

My perception is that this is the great underwater epic he always wanted to make. And he achieves it in every way, specially letting the audience identify themselves with it.

Perhaps my favorite Besson movie was "The Fifth Element" (I like them all), but after having the privilege of experiencing this fantastic, beautiful, stunning, vivid and moving film, "The Big Blue" passed from one of the medium levels to definitely the top one. The characters all gained strength, the underwater scenes all made sense, the previous movie was completely backed up, and the feeling that this movie was a contemplative journey gained finally its place.

I gave it a 10 out of 10, not for the US version (how can they even think of erasing Eric Serra's score?!?!?) which, for its mutilations, deserved a 1, but for the version longue, which is the only way the movie shall be seen. What a masterpiece! After I saw this movie, I rewinded it thinking that my only wish is that one day I get to take part on such an experience, being there, dreaming and sharing my dream with everyone who would like to share it with me. Perhaps one day, a beautiful blue day...

For me the grand bleu is something unique...i have never seen a movie were everybody has the same love for the sea,and for their sport... Even if the movie is from 1988...it is still one of a kind!!! Go and see it yourself!! When i lived in France in 1989..everybody was talking about Le Grand Bleu...I still have the music.. And a poster on the toilet..

It remindes me of the good old time.. I have also the movie version long on DVD...it is so beautiful!! You will laugh and cry during Le Grand Bleu. Find out for yourself what your impression is, and you wont be disappointed!