The Big Blue

1988's The Big Blue (French: Le Grand Bleu) was the first film made in English by French director Luc Besson (there was also a French dub recorded by the same actors in the film). Starring Jean-Marc Barr, Rosanna Arquette, and Besson favourite Jean Reno, the film is a fictionalised account of the sporting rivalry between two famed free divers.

Related Topics:
1988 - French - Film - English - French - Luc Besson - Jean-Marc Barr - Rosanna Arquette - Jean Reno - Free divers

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It charts the competition and friendship of real-life champions Jacques Mayol (played by former model Barr) and Enzo Maiorca (renamed in the film as "Enzo Molinari", and played by Reno). 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.

Related Topics:
Jacques Mayol - Model - Enzo Maiorca - Sicilian - Taormina

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With its extensive underwater scenes and languid score, 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. The director later released a longer Director's Cut on DVD, featuring a different ending and a new score.

Related Topics:
Europe - North America - Director's Cut - DVD

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As with many of Luc Besson's films, the soundtrack was written by Eric Serra.

Related Topics:
Soundtrack - Eric Serra

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