The Big Blue
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| The Big Blue Le Grand Bleu |
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 Theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Luc Besson |
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| Produced by | Patrice Ledoux |
| Written by | Luc Besson (also story) Robert Garland Marilyn Goldin Jacques Mayol |
| Starring | Rosanna Arquette Jean-Marc Barr Jean Reno |
| Music by | Éric Serra (Original) Bill Conti (US version) |
| Cinematography | Carlo Varini |
| Editing by | Olivier Mauffroy |
| Distributed by | Gaumont |
| Release date(s) | May 11, 1988 (France) |
| Running time | 132 Min 119 Min (US edit) 168 Min Director's Cut |
| Country | France United States Italy |
| Language | English, French Italian |
| Budget | ₣ 80,000,000 |
The Big Blue (French: Le Grand Bleu), released in 1988, is the first English-language film made by French director Luc Besson. The film stars Jean-Marc Barr, Rosanna Arquette, Jean Reno and depicts a fictionalized account of the sporting rivalry between two famed free divers.
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[edit] Background
Le Grand Bleu was released in France on May 11 1988 and in the United States August 22 1988. It was released in the United States under the name The Big Blue. Luc Besson was initially unsure of who to cast in the main role of Jacques Mayol. He initially offered the role to Christopher Lambert and Mickey Rourke and even considered himself for the role until someone suggested Jean-Marc Barr. Besson has a cameo appearance as one of the divers in the film. Le Grand Bleu was the most financially successful French film of the 1980's and played in French theaters for a year.
[edit] Plot
The film charts the competition and friendship of real-life champions Jacques Mayol (played by former model Barr) and Enzo Maiorca (renamed in the film to "Enzo Molinari", and played by Reno). However the divers were not close in age in real life and did not compete. The action is divided into two timelines - the nascent rivalry between the two divers as children, and (as adults) their final competition at the world free-diving championships at the Sicilian town of Taormina. Mayol's search for love, family, "wholeness" and the meaning of life and death is a strong undercurrent of the latter timeline.
[edit] Production
With its extensive underwater scenes and languid score (as with nearly all of Luc Besson's films the soundtrack was composed by Éric Serra), the film has been both praised as beautiful and serene, and in equal measure criticised as being dull and uneventful. While popular in Europe, the film was a commercial failure in North America in part due to the studio's[clarification needed] recutting of the movie to include a simplified "happy" ending and the replacement of Serra's score with one composed by Bill Conti. The director later released a longer Director's Cut on DVD, featuring the original ending and an extended version of the Éric Serra score. The film was dedicated to his daughter Juliette Besson who required surgery, having become ill whilst he was working on the film.
[edit] Filming locations
- Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
- Maganari, Ios, Cyclades, Greece
- Agia Anna, Amorgos, Cyclades, Greece
- Kalotaritissa bay, Amorgos, Cyclades, Greece
- Marineland (Antibes), Antibes, Alpes-Maritimes, France
- Peru
- St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
- Taormina, Messina, Sicily, Italy.
[edit] Awards
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The Big Blue was nominated for several César Awards and won Best Music Written for a Film (Éric Serra) and Best Sound in 1989. The film also won France's National Academy of Cinema's Academy Award in 1989.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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