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From Amazon.co.uk
A hit in Europe but a flop in the US--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, Amazon.com
Product Description
United Kingdom released, Blu-Ray/Region B DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Dolby DTS-HD Master Audio ), French ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), French ( Dolby Linear PCM ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Making Of, Scene Access, Trailer(s), Uncut, SYNOPSIS: Enzo and Jacques have known each other for a long time. Their friendship started in their childhood days in the Mediterranean. They were not real friends in these days, but there was something they both loved and used to do the whole day long: diving. One day Jacques' father, who was a diver too, died in the Mediterranean sea. After that incident Enzo and Jacques lost contact. After several years, Enzo and Jacques had grown up, Johanna, a young clerk in a security office, has to go to Peru. There she meets Jacques who works for a group of scientists. He dives for some minutes into ice-cold water and the scientists monitor his physical state that is more like a dolphin's than a human's. Johanna can not believe what she sees and gets very interested in Jacques but she's unable to get acquainted with him. Some weeks later, back in her office, she notices a championship for divers that is supposed to take place in Taormina, Italy. In order to see Jacques again she makes up a story so the firm sends her to Italy for business purposes. In Taormina there is also Enzo, the reigning diving world champion. He knows that only Jacques can challenge and probably beat him. This time Johanna and Jacques get closer, but Jacques, being more a dolphin than a man, can not really commit and his rivalry with Enzo pushes both men into dangerous territory... ...The Big Blue (1988) ( Le grand bleu ) (Blu-Ray)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
58 of 58 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
When Optimum released Besson's films on BD a couple of months ago, they made a huge mistake with The Big Blue, releasing a film that was originally filmed in English with only a dubbed French soundtrack. Many people, myself included, sent their copies back in disgust, and I am delighted to say that "people power" has worked for once, as Optimum have seen sense and re-released the film with the original English soundtrack.
The disc includes both the original and director's cut versions of the film, with a choice of English (LPCM) and French (DTS 2.0) soundtracks for both. The uncompressed English track, while stereo only rather than surround, sounds superb - switching between it and the French track shows a noticeable improvement in quality on the PCM over the DTS version. The picture quality is excellent - The Big Blue finally gets the presentation it deserves, and the transfer to BD is pin-sharp and gorgeous to look at. On a quick flick through, the lipsync errors that plague the DVD versions of this film seem to have been fixed, which is excellent news. The only remaining niggle is that the picture is still from the French print - the captions for place names etc are still the French versions (Sicile as opposed to Sicily, for example) - but that hardly detracts from what has been turned from a disaster into a compulsory purchase for Besson fans.
Well done to Optimum for doing the decent thing - I never believed it would happen!
The disc includes both the original and director's cut versions of the film, with a choice of English (LPCM) and French (DTS 2.0) soundtracks for both. The uncompressed English track, while stereo only rather than surround, sounds superb - switching between it and the French track shows a noticeable improvement in quality on the PCM over the DTS version. The picture quality is excellent - The Big Blue finally gets the presentation it deserves, and the transfer to BD is pin-sharp and gorgeous to look at. On a quick flick through, the lipsync errors that plague the DVD versions of this film seem to have been fixed, which is excellent news. The only remaining niggle is that the picture is still from the French print - the captions for place names etc are still the French versions (Sicile as opposed to Sicily, for example) - but that hardly detracts from what has been turned from a disaster into a compulsory purchase for Besson fans.
Well done to Optimum for doing the decent thing - I never believed it would happen!
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I've just finished watching this film for the first time. I loved it! As a diver and sailor, I really enjoyed Besson's portrayal of a man caught between the two worlds of land and sea, and the filmwork is superb. The original ending seems infinitely superior to the tacky US 'happy' version.
The story becomes even more tragic when you know that the real life Jacques Mayol committed suicide recently, at the age of 74, after suffering from depression. He was a great diver, and a real inspiration to many who free dive today. If you haven't seen the film, and have a passion for the water, watch it as soon as you can!
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By o86p
Format:DVD
If you want 2 1/2 hours or so of pure escapism then this is the film for you. Besson's epic film will take you to beautiful lands (Peru, Greece, Sicily) and also to the bottom of the sea. Brilliant performances from the cruelly underatted Jean Marc Barr, Rosana Arquette who starts out as the ditzy blond but becomes much more emotional and Jean Reno who stills every scene he's in and also provides much of the humour.
The film won several awards for the underwater photography which is absolutely breathtaking and also for Eric Serra's dreamy music which gives the movie a whole new feel and puts your right in the action.
The film won several awards for the underwater photography which is absolutely breathtaking and also for Eric Serra's dreamy music which gives the movie a whole new feel and puts your right in the action.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
BEWARE THIS IS IN FRENCH!!!!!!
This version is in French with English subtitles and no English track included. Complete waste of money and no idea who thought that this was a good idea. Read more
Published 13 hours ago by Simon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful film with fantastic music
I sow this film in France in the cinema many years ago ,is base in a true story,it was at the time a huge succes and worth it,if you like the sea and dolphins is the film for you... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Caroline pereira
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant work
Luc Besson's parents were diving instructors and no doubt influenced some of the detail and location shots used in the film. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Zakman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Artistic and poetic
Artistic and poetic are two words linked with this movie for me. I like the relationship with the ocean the two male leads have, and also arch-rival-friendship between the two of... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Patricia Burton
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Big Blue
I've always loved this film and admit I don't fully understand the end but have enjoyed watching this again after so long
Published 4 months ago by Jonathan Bullock
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant
A beautiful film, beautiful people, beautiful places. What more can you ask for?
Love all the films that Jean Reno has been in.
Love all the films that Jean Reno has been in.
Published 4 months ago by Jules Rollason
1.0 out of 5 stars
I got the bends
When I saw the high percentage of one star reviews for The Big Blue on this site I was pleasantly surprised--until I read them. Read more
Published 4 months ago by KINSAYDER
2.0 out of 5 stars
The Big Blue
I thought this disk is about the dolphins in the sea, but the movie in stead is much to long and boring. Read more
Published 4 months ago by D. C. van Vuuren
3.0 out of 5 stars
Eye candy galore in this cinema du Luc
Luc Besson's The Big Blue is perhaps the best example of the French 'Cinema du Look' genre. This is defined as style over substance or spectacle over narrative. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Cartimand
4.0 out of 5 stars
Would recommend 'The Big Blue [Blu-ray]'
The Big Blue [Blu-ray]
Product as described.Would highly recommend..Excellent movie for adults and older teens.. Read more
Product as described.Would highly recommend..Excellent movie for adults and older teens.. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Wander'n
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