The Deep (1977 film)
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film industry |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Founder | Peter Yates (director), Peter Benchley (author) |
| Products | Adventure film |
| Parent | Columbia Pictures, EMI Films, Casablanca FilmWorks |
The Deep is a 1977 adventure film adapted from Peter Benchley's 1976 novel of the same name. Directed by Peter Yates, the movie features performances by Robert Shaw, Jacqueline Bisset, and Nick Nolte.
Plot
During a scuba-diving excursion near shipwrecks off the coast of Bermuda, tourists David Sanders and Gail Berke discover various relics, including a glass vial containing an amber liquid and a gold medallion engraved with a woman’s image alongside the inscription "S.C.O.P.N." (Santa Clara, ora pro nobis) dated 1714. Gail’s wooden baton is attacked and partially destroyed by an unidentified sea creature. Seeking expertise, they consult Romer Treece, a historian and treasure hunter, who recognizes the medallion as Spanish and shows keen interest in the vial.
Complications arise when the dive shop clerk is linked to local drug lord Henri "Cloche" Bondurant, who attempts to purchase the vial. The vial holds morphine from the WWII shipwreck Goliath, which lies off-limits due to live munitions onboard. Treece concludes a recent storm has uncovered this morphine stash and exposed an even older Spanish treasure ship beneath the Goliath.
Treece negotiates with Cloche to retrieve the ampoules for $1 million, while Cloche intends to sell them illegally for over $3 million. Over three days, Sanders, Berke, and Treece make multiple dives, recovering thousands of ampoules from the Goliath and artifacts from the underlying Spanish wreck. They encounter a giant moray eel residing in the wreck—the same creature that previously attacked Berke. Adam Coffin, the sole survivor of the Goliath, joins their team but later shifts allegiance after feeling betrayed by Treece. When Cloche’s men use sharks as bait, Coffin warns Treece of impending danger.
In Treece’s library, historical research uncovers details about the lost treasure ship and an inventory of valuables, including a gold pinecone filled with pearls inscribed "EF" for Elisabeth Farnese, commissioned by King Philip V of Spain. Sanders aims to locate one of these items to verify provenance and thereby increase the treasure’s worth. Treece plans to destroy the Goliath wreck to prevent Cloche from seizing the morphine.
Cloche attempts to sabotage their mission; his henchman murders Kevin, a friend of Treece. Adam betrays Treece but dies triggering a booby trap while attempting to steal morphine hidden inside a lighthouse tower. In the climactic dive, Cloche is killed by the eel, and his divers perish when Treece detonates explosives on the Goliath. Treece recovers a gold dragon necklace that serves as critical proof of provenance for the treasure.
Cast
Two actors from Peter Benchley’s Jaws films appear here: Robert Shaw, known for his role as Quint in Jaws (1975), and Louis Gossett Jr., who featured in Jaws 3-D (1983). The character Romer Treece was inspired by Bermudian explorer Teddy Tucker, who also makes a cameo as Harbor Master. Tucker’s dive vessel, The Brigadier, doubled as Treece’s boat Corsair, notable as one of the places where Benchley partially wrote Jaws.
Production
The narrative draws inspiration from the 1942 Bermuda shipwreck of the Constellation, which sank carrying morphine ampoules and other wartime cargo—possibly after colliding with the wreck of Civil War blockade runner Montana.
Following Jaws’’ success, Columbia Pictures secured rights to Benchley’s subsequent novel before its 1976 publication and enlisted him to adapt it for film. After Peter Guber departed Columbia to establish Casablanca FilmWorks, he took on The Deep as his inaugural project under a Columbia distribution agreement. Benchley’s original screenplay was rewritten by Tracy Keenan Wynn and Tom Mankiewicz; both Robert Shaw and Nick Nolte also contributed substantial dialogue revisions. The production received partial funding from Britain's EMI Films.
Principal photography commenced in July 1976 with underwater scenes filmed near Salt Island in the British Virgin Islands close to RMS Rhone’’’s actual wreck site. By August, land-based filming took place in Bermuda alongside additional underwater sequences at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Robert Shaw earned $650,000 plus profit participation; Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte each received $200,000. Shaw advocated for filming underwater scenes on location to enhance authenticity, prompting cast and crew members to learn scuba diving. While some ocean shots were captured at depths reaching 80 feet, many scenes utilized underwater sets to avoid decompression complications. An alternate opening depicting the 1943 sinking of the Goliath, featuring Benchley himself, was ultimately removed.
The film introduced technical advancements including Al Giddings’ Petermar camera system and custom-built 5000-watt "Senior" underwater lighting fixtures. The largest underwater set was erected atop Ireland Island South’s historic hill in Bermuda.
Columbia invested heavily in promotional efforts: $1.3 million was spent on television advertising and $1.5 million on print campaigns. Marketing included placements in magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse featuring images of Bisset in a wet T-shirt; plans for a poster were abandoned following legal threats. A CBS special titled The Making of The Deep was produced following ABC's successful Star Wars documentary format. Market research indicated that average viewers had seen approximately 15 minutes of footage through these extensive promotional activities before the film’s release.
Music
The soundtrack for the movie was both composed and conducted by John Barry, well-known for his contributions to the James Bond franchise, with performances by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. Barry teamed up with American vocalist Donna Summer, who was signed to the production company Casablanca Record & FilmWorks at the time, to create the theme track "Down Deep Inside (Theme From The Deep)". This song received a Golden Globe Award nomination and enjoyed commercial acclaim, entering the U.S. Dance Chart, reaching the UK top five, and placing within the top forty in the Netherlands.
Charts
| Chart (1977) | Highest position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 63 |
Reception
The Deep debuted on June 17, 1977, distinguished by its authentic underwater cinematography captured using Panavision technology. The promotional campaign was reportedly backed by an $8.5 million budget, with marketing strategies projecting that over 200 million viewers would encounter the film multiple times prior to its release. A pivotal marketing image featured Jacqueline Bisset submerged underwater wearing a sheer white T-shirt paired with black bikini bottoms; producer Peter Guber attributed much of the movie’s box office triumph to this visual, famously remarking, "That T-shirt made me a rich man!"
Opening across 800 theaters, The Deep earned $8.1 million during its initial weekend, setting a new record for opening weekend gross that surpassed Jaws, although it was shown on nearly twice as many screens. It ranked as the eighth top-grossing film in 1977 across the U.S. and Canada with $47.3 million and became Columbia Pictures' most lucrative international release that year, accumulating over $100 million worldwide. Nonetheless, in 1978 Guber revealed he had not yet received any profit share from the film.
Critical reviews were varied: Vincent Canby of The New York Times criticized the storyline and direction but praised the underwater visuals. Roger Ebert complimented the film’s cinematography and its distinctive romantic backdrop. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Deep holds a 40% approval rating based on 25 critiques, described as "Narratively shallow, The Deep is a satisfyingly disposable thriller with commendable underwater photography."
Awards and nominations
The movie garnered significant industry accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award in Best Sound and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Academy Awards | Best Sound | Walter Goss, Tom Beckert, Robin Gregory, Dick Alexander | Nominated |
| 1977 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Original Song | John Barry, Donna Summer | Nominated |
| 1977 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Cinematography | Christopher Challis | Nominated |
| 1977 | Photoplay Awards | Gold Medal for Favorite Movie | Jacqueline Bisset, Nick Nolte | Nominated |
Comic book adaptation
- Marvel Comics: The Deep (November 1977)
External links
- Articles with short description
- 1977 films
- American adventure movies
- 1970s English-language cinema
- 1970s adventure genre films
- 1970s American cinema
- Films adapted from American thriller novels
- Films directed by Peter Yates
- Movies set in Bermuda
- Films centered on treasure hunting
- Underwater action genre films
- Scores composed by John Barry (composer)
- Columbia Pictures productions
- Films depicting vacation themes
- Comic adaptations of films
- Produced by Peter Guber
- Works based on Peter Benchley's writings
- EMI Films productions
- Filmed in the Caribbean region
- Filmed on location in Bermuda
- Shot in Queensland, Australia
- English-language adventure movies
- EMI Films films