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THE BIG BLUE
Review by Michael Jacobson
Stars: Jean-Marc Barr, Jean Reno, Rosanna Arquette
Director: Luc Besson
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround
Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic Transfer
Studio: Columbia Tri Star
Features: Trailers, Isolated Score, Talent
Files, Ad Campaign Gallery
Length: 168 Minutes
Release Date: August 15, 2000
Film ***1/2
At the heart of Luc Bessons The Big Blue is the story of a rather unusual
friendship between two men who are as different as prose and poetry, yet are bound by a
unique talent and rivalry that keeps them heading further and further into the depths of
the sea.
Both men are free divers, a sport considered one of the worlds
most dangerous. It involves plummeting to
depths of sometimes 300 feet or greater, with no scuba gear, and only one breath of air to
make the trip down and up. Enzo (Reno) is
the current world champion, and he loves the fame and glory and occasional chunk of money
the sport throws his way. He is an amusing
character all around, who enjoys his larger than life way of living
even going so far
as to monogram ENZO in big letters on his diving suit.
Jacques (Barr) is equally talented, but differently motivated. A sometimes shy and awkward man on land, the sea
seems to be his true home, where he swims and plays with dolphins, and even managed to
develop their unique physical trait of being able to keep the blood in his brain during
long, breathless swims. He is not a
competitor
until Enzo looks him up after 20 years and invites him to partake.
From the time they were kids, Jacques swam to be one with the water,
and Enzo did it for ego. Though already
champion, Enzo feels he must be able to beat Jacques to truly be the best. And the competition between the men grows,
becoming more and more dangerous with each dive.
Ive compared the men to prose and poetry, and Luc Besson seems
to comment on these traits cinematically. Each
mans first dive is presented to us in a different style. When Enzo dives, it looks straightforward and
realistic. It happens in real time, and we
hear nothing but the noise of the machine that takes them down and the surrounding waters. Later, when Jacques makes his dive, the action is
slowed down. The music slowly but surely
takes over. The dialogue disappears, leaving
the sounds of the songs of the underwater mammals in its place. The camera lingers peacefully over him as he
prepares to dive. When he reaches his mark,
hes more interested in the chirping of nearby dolphins than in the record hes
set.
We even see the contrast with the way the men move underwater. Enzo, though talented, is an outsider in the sea. He swims powerfully, but like a human, with arms
and legs driving his body through forcefully but unceremoniously. Jacques swims like a creature of the sea
his
body gracefully bending and moving as one muscle, with arms and legs joined to create a
single form rather than his limbs flailing.
The story is strong when it focuses on the bond between these two
friends. It weakens a bit under the strain of
an obligatory love angle, provided by an American woman, Johanna (Arquette). Johanna becomes attracted to Jacques strange
innocence, and his love for the sea that he cant explain nor can she hope to
understand. If anything, their romance serves
to further prove that Jacques really is a creature of the sea and not of the land.
This passion, or even obsession, if you will, keeps both Johanna and
Enzo at a slight distance. Enzo cannot see
the water as Jacques does
he only sees it as a source of competition. Even we, the viewers, cant quite comprehend
what makes Jacques the way he is
we just simply accept that its in his blood. Not even witnessing his fathers drowning
death during a diving accident in his childhood was able to drive that spirit out of him.
Without giving too much away, there is finally a moment of
breakthrough for the two divers and their friendship, which is beautifully written and
played, and powerfully emotional. Enzo is
finally able to see the underwater world through his friends eyes. It brings a change over him, and oddly affirms the
films romanticizing of the sea in a way that we can accept, even if we dont
fully understand.
Ive loved this film for a long time, and thanks to DVD, this
marks my first chance to see the film as it was intended:
with the 49 minutes cut for American release finally restored, in widescreen, and
with the original Eric Serra score, which had been replaced by a more conventional Bill
Conti one here in the States. Theres no
question this version is right: the pace,
though always relaxed, is never boring, the characters are explored more fully, and the
original score is an incredible piece of music that compliments the film perfectly.
But the films major attraction is the beautiful underwater
photography. Besson has captured the sea in a
unique, poetic way that gives it a different feeling and atmosphere than any National
Geographic type film could do. He
doesnt always strive for realism; instead, he naturally connects with the many
contrasts of the sea: how it is both peaceful
and frightening, both real and surreal, both beautiful and deadly. Shot after shot is expertly constructed, lit, and
photographed for maximum effect. Sunlit and
moonlit waters are captured equally well, each giving the waters its own sense of
personality. It is no secret that Besson
loves the waters, and this film is like his love letter to them.
There have been plenty of moviegoers, however, that have found the film lacking. It has been criticized for being too long and a bit melodramatic. Some have said the core story was too simple to support the epic approach to the film. I can understand the complaints this movie isnt for everybody. But ultimately, I find Bessons passion for his story, his characters, and his cinematic world to completely winning, and Im always ready to place my trust in his hands and follow him for the duration of his wondrous vision.
Video ***1/2
I had kept my fingers crossed that the image on this DVD would be
spectacular, and as usual, Columbia Tri Star didnt disappoint. This is a beautifully made anamorphic transfer
that serves the spectacular photography well. The
colors are gorgeous, well contained, and bright throughout, and images are always clear
and well defined, never becoming murky or hazy even in darker underwater shots. I only noticed a bit of grain and softness in one
or two nighttime shots on land, but never in the water, which is what I most hoped for,
and received. The ocean has rarely looked as
beautiful as it does on this disc
indeed, its bigger and bluer than ever! I would happily play any of the diving scenes to
demonstrate DVD quality video for my friends.
Audio ***
The best aspect of the soundtrack is the score by Eric Serra, which I
had not had the privilege of hearing before, but now applaud it as one of the best, most
beautiful, and most appropriate scores Ive heard for a film. The 5.1 mix is mostly used to serve that music,
which is plentiful throughout. The
orchestration gets a nice bit of opening up across all channels, front and rear, for a
pleasant, ambient listening experience. As
for the rest of the sound, rear channels are often only accessed for background sounds,
i.e., bird noises and water lapping, while most of the films dialogue and other
sources of sound are inherent in the front stage, but with a good, clean, and lively
spread. The .1 channel isnt used much
at all, but is not really missed in a film with no explosions or gunfire. As said, the music is the key, and this is one
pleasant listening experience.
Features **1/2
The disc contains three trailers, a track with the musical score
isolated, talent files, and a photo gallery for the international ad campaign, which
consists solely of 3 foreign movie posters.
Summary:
The Big Blue is one of my favorite friendship pictures, one that subtly and realistically explores the ties that bind and the differences that separate, against the background of a lovingly captured living sea. It creates characters that are not always easy to understand, but easy to accept and appreciate despite their complexities. I consider it Luc Bessons masterpiece, and if youre as big a fan of this film as I am, get ready to enjoy it at home better than ever before, in a restored directors cut on a top-quality DVD.