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The Big Blue

From Alfawiki
The Big Blue
Company typeFilm
IndustryMotion picture
Founded1988
FounderLuc Besson
ProductsDramatic film

The Big Blue (original French title Le Grand Bleu) is a 1988 dramatic film helmed by director Luc Besson. The story highlights the intense rivalry and camaraderie between two leading free divers of the 20th century, Jacques Mayol (portrayed by Jean-Marc Barr) and Enzo Maiorca (renamed "Enzo Molinari," played by Jean Reno), alongside a fictional romantic subplot involving Mayol and Johana Baker (played by Rosanna Arquette).

From a commercial perspective, The Big Blue ranked among France’s highest-grossing movies, although its American release did not achieve financial success. French president Jacques Chirac later referenced the film when honoring Mayol as an iconic figure representative of the "Big Blue" generation.

Though grounded in actual events, the film incorporates considerable artistic license. Both Mayol (1927–2001) and Maiorca retired from competitive diving during the 1980s; each set no-limits freediving records beyond 100 meters but never attained the extreme depths portrayed in the movie. They were not direct rivals in reality. Mayol participated as a screenwriter, with the narrative delving into his quests for love, family, and purpose alongside his diving passion.

Plot

In the 1960s on the Greek island of Amorgos, young Jacques Mayol and Enzo Molinari grow up together. Enzo dares Jacques to retrieve a coin from the seabed, but Jacques declines. Their father, who harvests shellfish using a helmet and air hose system, tragically drowns when his breathing apparatus is compromised underwater.

By the 1980s, both men have gained fame as freediving champions. In Sicily, Enzo saves a fellow diver trapped underwater and, as a reigning world champion, seeks out Jacques to challenge him in no-limits freediving. Meanwhile, Jacques serves as a human test subject studying dolphin physiology in the Peruvian Andes, where his reactions to cold water are monitored. Johana Baker, an insurance broker visiting the research station, meets Jacques and concocts an insurance problem to accompany him to the World Diving Championships in Taormina, Sicily. They start a relationship, unaware of Jacques’ profound bond with the ocean. Jacques narrowly surpasses Enzo’s record; Enzo presents him with a crystal dolphin and tape measure symbolizing their competitive yet close relationship. Johana returns to New York but loses her job after her ruse is uncovered and moves in with Jacques, hearing tales of mermaids guiding true sea lovers to mystical realms.

At the following World Diving Championships, Enzo regains the record as competitors push into perilous depths. Despite cautions from the dive physician, the contest proceeds. Jacques visits a dolphinarium where newly arrived dolphins have ceased performing; suspecting they miss their natural habitat, he and Johana release one back into the ocean. Back at the competition, divers fail to beat Enzo’s record until Jacques reaches . Enzo attempts to surpass this mark but becomes trapped underwater. Jacques rescues him; Enzo confesses he prefers being at such depths and asks for help returning there. Heartbroken, Jacques refuses; Enzo dies in his arms. To fulfill his friend’s wish, Jacques sinks Enzo’s body to a depth where it will remain undisturbed. After suffering cardiac arrest himself, Jacques is revived by scuba divers and placed under medical supervision.

Jacques seems to recover but experiences vivid dreams of ocean depths and dolphins. Johana discovers she is pregnant and later finds Jacques unresponsive with bleeding from his ears and nose. He awakens and prepares for one final dive despite her protests. She reveals her pregnancy again but ultimately allows him to go, pulling the ballast release cord that sends him descending. As Jacques sinks into darkness, a dolphin appears; he releases his harness and swims away into the depths of the sea.

Original and alternate (US) conclusions

The initial ending, which shows Jacques diving into the ocean alongside a dolphin, was deliberately left open to interpretation; considering the depth, surviving the ascent appears improbable. In contrast, the American version included an additional sequence depicting Jacques being brought back to the surface after swimming away with the dolphin.

Cast

Comparison with reality

The storyline is largely fictionalized. Although Jacques Mayol and Enzo Maiorca were contemporaries and champions in freediving, they never directly competed against each other, nor did they reach depths of 400 feet or suffer fatal diving accidents. Mayol made significant contributions to scientific studies on human aquatic capabilities and achieved numerous world records, including dives exceeding 100 metres. He passed away by suicide in 2001, well after the film’s debut.

Maiorca—renamed "Enzo Molinari" for the movie—established several depth records between 1960 and 1988 but was suspended from competition for more than ten years following a television controversy. He subsequently served as an Italian senator. Initially critical of the film’s depiction of him and opposing its release in Italy, Maiorca changed his stance after Mayol’s death in 2001.

Production

Before selecting Jean-Marc Barr for the role of Mayol, Besson considered Christopher Lambert, Mickey Rourke, and himself. Besson also makes a brief appearance as a diver. The Big Blue became France’s highest-grossing film during the 1980s, attracting over nine million viewers domestically and maintaining a year-long theatrical run.

Renowned for its extensive underwater cinematography and Éric Serra’s atmospheric score, the movie received mixed critiques—celebrated for its visual beauty and tranquility yet criticized for its slow pace and introspective tone. While it enjoyed commercial success across Europe, it underperformed in North America. The American release featured a re-edited “happy” ending and substituted Serra’s music with a score composed by Bill Conti; this version was distributed solely on VHS and LaserDisc formats and is no longer available. A longer director’s cut preserving the original conclusion and Serra’s soundtrack was subsequently issued on DVD.

Principal photography mostly took place on Greece’s island of Amorgos, showcasing sites such as Agia Anna and the Panagia Hozoviotissa monastery. The film is dedicated to Besson’s daughter Juliette, who underwent surgery during filming.

Filming locations

Reception

In Europe, the film was celebrated as "one of the most important cult classics of the 1980s," recognized for its distinct and evocative visual allure. For the American audience, the movie underwent slight modifications, featuring a revised uplifting conclusion and a new musical score.

The reception in the United States was varied; it currently holds a 62% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 21 critics, with some reviewers criticizing its overly sentimental pacing despite commendable cinematography. The Los Angeles Times praised the film’s striking visuals but remarked on its narrative weaknesses.

From a commercial standpoint, the film opened modestly in Paris with 97,817 tickets sold initially but ultimately achieved significant success in France, drawing a total of 9.2 million admissions and ranking among the country’s top-grossing releases.

Accolades

The Big Blue garnered several César Awards nominations, securing wins for Best Music (Éric Serra) and Best Sound in 1989. Additionally, it was honored with France’s National Academy of Cinema Award that same year.

The movie was presented out of competition at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.

Andrzej Malinowski’s poster artwork for the film earned a César nomination from the French Academy of Arts and Film Techniques in 1989.

Home media

The DVD edition of the film was made available on 21 July 2009.

A Blu-ray release featuring both the extended and theatrical versions came out on September 14, 2009, in the United Kingdom, initially including only French audio tracks. This release was subsequently updated to incorporate an LPCM 2.0 English soundtrack alongside the DTS 2.0 French dub. The French Blu-ray edition provides the Director's Cut with a French DTS-MA 5.1 audio track and includes Luc Besson’s documentary Atlantis as bonus content.

In popular culture

A poster from this film is visible in the 1992 South Korean movie The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream.

In 1993, Israeli vocalist Sharon Lifshitz released "Ha'ish Me'hayam" (האיש מהים - The Man From The Sea), a song inspired by this film and penned by Tzruya Lahav.

The 2009 Japanese anime series Eden of the East features an episode titled "On the Night of the Late Show," which includes a scene where the character Akira screens this film for a fan.

See also

External links

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