classicsoncall
I wasn't aware of a sporting competition known as free diving until I saw this movie. I'm still a bit perplexed, because 'free diving' looked like anything but. The men who entered the ocean were transported into the depths via a device which I couldn't tell whether it was operated mechanically or by gravity. And then, it seemed like an awful lot of time was wasted by the divers at the varying checkpoints. Granted, the 'lot of time' may have only been seconds, but when you're holding your breath and not making distance, those moments would potentially translate into additional footage. So I didn't get that at all. I also didn't get the competition between the principals once it reached the stage of becoming life threatening. Jacques Mayol (Jean-Marc Barr) appeared to be the better adjusted of the two; his long time friend Enzo Molinari (Jean Reno) at a certain point appeared to exhibit a degree of mental instability with his need to be the best. I even hesitate to call the men friends, as it seemed to me that Enzo's only interest in the Frenchman was in beating him at the diving game. That early scene when they were kids suggested Enzo to be a bully for forcing Jacques to step aside for the coin. I did like the way the Padre rewarded Jacques with his own coin after all the onlookers left, that was a virtuous gesture.The relationship between Johana (Rosanna Arquette) and Jacques was another head scratcher for me. While Johana was head over heels, it seemed like Jacques couldn't care less most of the time. In the variously configured love scenes between them, check them out, they seem to be occupying positions at odds with genuine love-making. And then, for Jacques to turn his attention to a dolphin for the rest of the night, well, one might get the wrong idea.I don't know, the enthusiasm for this film from the true believers is to be admired but the picture just didn't do it for me. I really didn't get a sense of romance with the sea that Enzo and Jacques experienced, particularly when both their fates were decided by a relationship with the water. In Enzo's case, he pushed himself beyond human endurance, but with Jacques' final descent, there was an element of finality that the average person would consider irrational. And so, I did.
ElMaruecan82
In 1956, Louis Malle's documentary "The World of Silence" made an extraordinary sensation. Captain Cousteau showed to the world the unsuspected wonders underneath the blue surface we laconically call 'ocean' or 'sea'. Oceans, like the divine soup where the recipe of life was concocted, revealed the womb of Mother Nature: a fauna and flora that had nothing to envy on the world above the ground, and was for the first time caught by the camera's eye. The film won the Golden Palm and the Oscar for Best Documentary but the world had to wait for three decades so another French director would write a similar love to the greatest part of our world, in every sense of the world.From the very title, you know that Luc Besson deeply loved the ocean, this is no marketing titling, "The Big Blue" is his 'world of silence', as unlimited as its invitation for dreams and contemplation, one that could evoke Simon and Garfunkel's melody, starting with "Hello, Blueness my old friend…", blueness as the color of the sky, dreams, life, purity, simply said, the most relaxing and eye-comforting color. Luc Besson is comfortably tucking us up and take us in a universe whose mystical nature is magnificently conveyed by Eric Serra's score. This is one of the most instantly recognizable French scores of history, and in pop-culture, has become synonym of a long and slow descent. The recurring theme sounds like some whale sounds, one that seems ominous, another more reassuring, disturbing yet weirdly absorbing. You don't get in the water, you become part of it.Indeed, contrarily to "The World of Silence", men don't use respiratory devices or wear equipment, and those who do, meet a fate that seems like punishment for 'cheaters'. You don't cheat the ocean, it is like wilderness you try to tame, and you don't do it without being part of the wilderness yourself, the film isn't about typical divers, these are apneists. Loosely based on the sporting rivalry between two legends Jacques Maiol and Enzo Molinari, the film centers not just on their relationship but also their relationship with the sea and the rest of the world. And what makes the story so appealing is the triangle of characters made of Jean-Marc Barr, Jean Reno and Rosanna Arquette, each one incarnates one side of this triangle of feelings and misunderstandings.Jacques sees the sea as his world, his respiratory performances are exploited for the purpose of science but it's only with the dolphins that his humanity resurfaces. And Jean-Marc Barr plays him like an eternal mystery drown under the blueness of his eyes, an alien who can only feel if this feeling has any connection with the sea. Johana, the American who falls in love with him, represents the world, she's lovely, smiling, funny, loving but so desperately banal from Jacques' standpoint, yet they fall in love, and it's very fitting that the moment that 'breaks the ice' is set in the water. Finally, Enzo is the character who sticks in our mind, the bridge between the two worlds. He understands both Johana and Jacques, and his flamboyant and charismatic personality can only come from a man who has one foot in the water and one in the real world, the one that can admire him.Enzo is all hubris, he's the one who brings Jacques to the competition in Sicily, to set a record that's been pending ever since their childhood in Greece. Enzo is not the most competitive of the two, he's the only one, Jacques concedes "you're the best", to which Enzo replies "we'll see". Enzo is a man of honor and can only taste his victory is it's real, his pride is his biggest weakness, so his sad fate doesn't come as a surprise. Because if there are three characters in the film, there is a fourth one too, and I'm not talking of the Dolphins. The ocean or water is omnipresent in the film but not just as a setting but a protagonist too, as if Besson cared less for what happened in the ocean than the aftermath.When drunken Jacques and Enzo fool around inside a pool, their hangover is one of a kind, when both treat water with respect and dedication, they are victorious, when Enzo pushes his luck too far, he only realizes he's a man when it's too late. The wit's soul is to know one's place, and the essence of the film is that indecisiveness in Jacques, to which world he belongs… or maybe he made up his mind already, and that's his misfortune or Johana's tragedy, she who has Jacques' baby playing apnea in her belly, doesn't look at the Ocean as a mistress, but as the one that made Jacques such a wild animal she foolishly wanted to tame, but couldn't because she wasn't part of the wilderness. The ending is sad, but in such a poetical way it feels like the only satisfying one. Besson couldn't paint the ocean is such a cinematic majesty and not let the most humble of his character surrender to it."The Big Blue" was the most successful movie of 1988, it became an instant classic thanks to its beautiful cinematography, its iconic score and the scene-stealing performance of 40-year old Jean Reno. Luc Besson wasn't a late bloomer and became the French 'it' director, the one who invented a style that could speak to the audience, mostly the youth (we even saw the film and studied it in 4th Grade). Sometimes, he seems to be much aware of his directing talent and overdoes it a little, too hip and stylish for its own good, even Reno's acting leans toward the comedic, and some unrealistic situations belong to another film as if Besson was also playing with camera like Enzo with water, when you look at the magnificent spectacle the camera achieves, you're ready to forgive all these little flaws..
sue4232956
At first, the reason why I chose to watch this film was the beautiful movie poster that was portrayed like a commercial advertisement about the sea made by a travel agency. No wonder the poster was nominated as a Best Poster Award at the Cesar Awards France in 1989.Luc Besson is a great director. In this film he didn't disappoint me at all. He became a household name in the same year. This story is based on his childhood dream. Due to his parents who worked as diving instructors, he dreamed of being a dolphin trainer. He grew up near the shore of the Mediterranean. This experience affected the movie a lot and made the unbelievable atmosphere. In the last scene with a dolphin, he put an extraordinary visual element into the movie. And also the soundtrack is one of the wonderful aspects in this movie.The music deserved to get a Cesar Award as a best sound in 1989.Johana (Rosanna Arquette), Jacques (Jean-Mark Barr), Enjo (Jean Reno) are the 3 main characters who conflict emotions with each other and lead the story to the end. The dolphins and the ocean are also the main elements to understand Jacques who is going through mental problem caused by his father's death. He looks lonesome but composed. He needs friends to share his dreams and worries with, but once somebody gets close to him, he runs away from them and goes to the water and dolphins. He doesn't seem to know how to get along with people. On the contrast dolphins look like his sole friends. Jacques and Enjo are childhood friends but also rivals in many ways. If Enjo devotes all his energies to diving so as to access to success and glory, the sea is more than this for Jacques. He was born with it, and the sea will lead him to death. When his rival Enjo dies at the competition, he is in agony and sends him to the sea where he loves. The ocean means all this to Jacques. I'm scared to be in the dark like in the deep dark ocean, but Jacques looks very comfortable and happy with dolphins under the deep dark ocean. The calm and peaceful music makes the scenes under the water astonishing. Music and his move with dolphins make a good combination. Johana is quite logical and sensible as a magazine reporter but she is getting emotional and feels sorry for Jacques. That makes her hard to concentrate on her job about the divers. But she can't help it but falls in love with him.If you're a big fan of Hollywood theatrical releases, you might not love it with no action, no chases, no dangerous cliffhangers, no guns and no explosions. It doesn't even has bad guys. It's more than a love story, or a friendship. You'll be happy when Jacques and Johanna finally love each other, you feel how the ocean is beautiful and peaceful when Jacques dives with the dolphins and you'll cry with Johanna when he doesn't come back. And yes, for him, it's the best of endings, because he doesn't belong here, he really belongs more to the sea than to us.This film is quite different from Hollywood movies, but there are some aspects to attract us to watch more than once. You can think about your life, love and family. It'll help you understand other European movies also.
