The Big Blue (Director's Cut): Amazon.ca: Luc Besson: DVD

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A hit in Europe but a flop in the U.S.--where it was trimmed, rescored, and given a new ending--Luc Besson's The Big Blue has endured as a minor cult classic for its gorgeous photography (both on land and underwater) and dreamy ambiance. Jean-Marc Barr is a sweet and sensitive but passive presence as Jacques, a diver with a unique connection to the sea. He has the astounding ability to slow his heartbeat and his circulation on deep dives, "a phenomenon that's only been observed in whales and dolphins… until now," remarks one scientist. Kooky New York insurance adjuster Joanna (Rosanna Arquette at her most delightfully flustered and endearingly sexy best) melts after falling into his innocent baby blues, and she follows him to Italy, where he's continuing a lifelong competition with boyhood rival Enzo (Jean Reno in a performance both comic and touching).

Besson's first English-language production looks more European than Hollywood, and it suffers from a tin ear for the language. At times it feels more like an IMAX undersea documentary than a drama about free divers, but the lush and lovely images create a fairy tale dimension to Jacques's story, a veritable Little Merman. More dolphin than man, he's so torn between earthly love and aquatic paradise that even his dreams call him to the sea (in a sequence more eloquent than any speech).

Besson has expanded the film by 50 minutes for his director's cut, which adds little story but slows the contemplative pace until it practically floats in time, and has restored Eric Serra's synthesizer-heavy score, a slice of 1980s pop that at times borders on disco kitsch. Most importantly, he has restored his original ending, which echoes the fairy tale he tells Joanna earlier in the film and leaves the story floating in the inky blackness of ambiguity. --Sean Axmaker

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103 Reviews

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4.2 out of 5 stars (103 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Le Grand Film, Jan 7 2002

By

Luis Reyes - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Big Blue (Director's Cut) (DVD)

I first read about Le Grand Bleu in one of my textbooks when I started lessons at the Alliance Francais. There it was described along the lines of a massive cult movie that had charmed (and completely depressed) a whole generation of french teenagers. Being fifteen at the time, I got hold of a very beat up copy and it has since remained my favorite film of all times.
Jacques, the main character, is a solitary free diver who longs for nothing else than to be at home with his family (i.e. swimming in the sea with dolphnins). That is, until he meets Johanna (Arquette), and soon the story develops and reaches its climax as Jacques is torn between the woman he loves and his quest for the eternal and watery bliss he finds in the depths. The photography is simply perfect, and the transfer to digital media has only enhanced the fact, so definitely get the DVD. Reno is at his finest (and funniest) and Barr stands out as the perfect homo delphinus.
I have seen the US version, which is a moldy disgrace. The omission of Eric Serra's music is utter blasphemy, since the soundtrack is a jewel on its own. The change in ending is also nonsense, so if you have only seen that piece of editing, know that the Director's Cut is entirely different.
Oh, and don't forget. Dolphins, dolphins and more dolphins! What could beat that? I cry every time I see this film. Perhaps this is only because of my weird self, but, what do you think really happens to Jacques in the end?

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An enchanting movie about the world of deep-sea diving, Nov 7 2003

By

R. van Tonder "kiroyale" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Big Blue (Director's Cut) (DVD)

After watching the movie, I looked at the clock and was surprised that I'd spent 3 hours of my life watching one movie comprised mainly of underwater scenes and European coastlines, and it was all so pretty. Its a pity I've only heard of this movie recently and can only watch it on DVD... I wish now that I had been able to watch it on the big screen because I think it would've been a breathtaking experience to watch this in a good cinema with good sound system.

One can't help but notice the stark contrast between the lives of Jacques and Johanna. Jacques is the deep-sea diver who grew up on Mediterranean shores living a slow-paced lifestyle. He is not tied down by material possessions, places (he travels around a lot) and women(well, perhaps it was just Rosanna he didn't want to be tied down to). The only thing that really matters to him in life is the sea and diving. Johanna is a New Yorker and works for the insurance company. Her character is somewhat shallow, constantly whining, shrieking, crying, whimsical, unstable (emotionally and mentally)...etc.

And this is one of the main problems I have with this movie - the obvious incompatibility of the 2 lovebirds, who make up the other main focus of this movie. Jacques somehow knew all along in his heart that their relationship was going to be nothing more than a short-term fling... but Johanna with her child-like shrieking and demanding ways... I don't know... just felt like the movie could have done much better to use a female lead character with more depth and maturity. Rosanna Arquette is a good actress, she has her funny moments and can be really endearing in the right movie, but certainly not in this one.

Another problem I had with this movie is the musical score. The worst thing about it wasn't so much that it sounded 80s and very outdated, but that it often sounded laughingly like some background music from a soft porn scene in some lousy old C-grade movie. It ruins the viewing experience, especially during some of the beautiful underwater scenes - complete silence would still be better than having this music playing in the background.

Still, this is a memorable movie. The storyline is very simple, and some parts of it remind me of Free Willy. The backdrop/scenery on which this drama is played out offers us a beautiful perspective of life along the coasts of the Mediterranean. This is a unique movie that shows us not only the beauty and tranquility of the sea through the eyes of the divers, but also tells us that we don't need to chase the dollar and have lots of material possessions to be happy.

The length of the movie is irrelevant. If you love the sea, dolphins and/or enjoy diving, then this is definitely the movie for you.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Universal Truth: Review from Power vs. Force by D.R. Hawkins, April 26 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Big Blue (Director's Cut) (DVD)

[Refers to original theatrical release.] "We've made [kinesiological] calibrations of various kinds of records of athletic achievement, including movies. Of all the movies about sports studied, the French film 'The Big Blue' produced the highest calibration. This is the story of Jacques Mayol, the Frenchman who held the world record for deep-sea diving for many years (until very recently). The movie calibrates at the extraordinary level of 700 (universal truth), and has the capacity to put viewers in a high state of consciousness -- the manager of one movie theater that showed it described audiences wandering out lost in silence or crying with joy they couldn't describe." David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D, from "Power vs. Force", page 173

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Most recent customer reviews

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