The Big Blue (1988)

best movie i've ever seen.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Two childhood friends who are free divers, one of whom has the almost supernatural ability to adjust his heart rate so that his vital signs are closer to a dolphins than a human, meet up after many years and take part in a contest to see who can dive the deepest without scuba gear. Love and friendship vie with the competitive spirit and the allure of the ocean to complicate matters.The Big Blue is another product of the 80's French film movement, the cinéma du look. These films were typified by their adherence to cinematic style over dramatic substance. Director Luc Besson was one of the leading film-makers in this category and The Big Blue is perhaps his most personal film. It is slightly unusual for a Besson movie in that it isn't action-oriented in the traditional sense. The sport angle does of course have an element of drama but it's never really the focus at all and there isn't truthfully much tension in these scenes really. The story essentially focuses on a man who makes a choice between the friendship of a peer, the love of a woman or the elemental draw of the sea. The latter choice wins out quite clearly with the central character having an almost spiritual infinity with the ocean. Some of the underwater sequences here are beautifully presented and the cinematography in general is nice. It's a good looking film, yet despite being about deep water divers it does have a certain lack of depth dramatically. This isn't necessarily an issue for me but it does mean that it's two-an-a-half hour runtime does seem definitely excessive. This is not a story that required the epic treatment to be honest. Acting performances are generally good enough to engage though. Rosanna Arquette appears in a fairly under-written role but I thought she was still quite adorable and only went to serve further the oddness of the central character's decision in rejecting her for a life with the dolphins. On this note, we have an interesting and somewhat depressing ending which veers into dream-like fantasy territory - it's a bit of a downer of a denouncement, yet it is true to the material so I shouldn't complain too much over this. Ultimately, this is definitely an uneven and overlong movie but, like most of the others in the cinéma du look sub-genre, it improves with a re-watch and is certainly somewhat distinctive.

Movie Review: "Le grand bleu" (1988)Being the opening film of the Cannes Film Festival on May 11th 1988 in its 41st edition, young, talented and promising director Luc Besson, not yet 30 years of age, already coming to full flourishment in proper exercised cinematic language in color, camera motion and acting beats with fellow casting members Jean-Marc Barr, Jean Reno and Rosanna Arquette struggling within the element of water to find purpose in life, concerning deeper and deeper pushed limits in open water free diving challenges, when suspense works to hyper-realistic conclusions beyond the usual love theme under an hypnotic soundtrack by exceptional composer Eric Serra alongside Besson's directions of utmost passion for his source material felt in every scene of the motion picture.Copyright 2018 Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC

I had always winced at the idea of watching The Big Blue - the title, on release, put me off. Anyway, for my 48th birthday I puckered up and watched it; and what a relief I have. It's a great film...very mildly directed, but actually puts a bit of magic back into film (are you listening, Hollywood?) The acting is first-rate; and there is a great number of stars, which is good for people of a certain age (yes, I do mean me).Technically and Production Value-wise it is a peerless. Luc Besson sure knows how to place the camera for the maximum reward; and the music is faint, yet pleasing, courtesy of Eric Serra.Lovely to watch, it has put a spring in my step all day.

One of the best movies ever made. The original soundtrack is outstanding and I wish it was more readily available. Only the Americanized soundtrack is obtainable in USA. Luc is a master at capturing the magical cinematography of the ocean. A tale of the classic doomed love story that more accurately emulates real life unlike the typical Hollywood version.The typical Hollywood love story has nothing to do with reality. Luc captures what's real in his tale of the star crossed lovers unable to actually have a Hollywood happy ending. Rarely does a movie capture the pursuit of a persons passion like this movie manages to do, you have no question about the love of the ocean for the characters he creates.