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The Big Blue
Le Grand Bleu
1988 168 min France PG-13 18+
★7.0
Romance, Adventure, Drama
Director: Luc Besson
Trailers
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EN
EN
Description
Childhood friends Jacques and Enzo share a passion for the danger of free diving. Jacques, following in the footsteps of his father, who died at sea when Jacques was a boy, harbors a remarkable ability to adjust his heart rate and breathing patterns in the water, with his vital signs more closely resembling those of dolphins than men.
Budget:
$13.5M
US Gross:
$3.58M
Worldwide:
$4M
Starring
Jean-Marc Barr
Actor
Jean Reno
Actor
Rosanna Arquette
Actor
Awards
César Awards 1989
— Best Original Score
César Awards 1989
— Best Sound
César Awards 1989
— Best Actor
César Awards 1989
— Best Picture
César Awards 1989
— Best Sound
César Awards 1989
— Best Poster
César Awards 1989
— Best Director
César Awards 1989
— Best Cinematography
Key opinion
Le Grand Bleu is widely celebrated as a visually stunning and atmospheric meditation on obsession and the ocean. While some critics find the plot thin or the pacing uneven, the consensus points to a uniquely immersive experience bolstered by powerful lead performances and an iconic musical score.
| Acting | Jean Reno delivers a charismatic and vivid performance that many consider to be his finest work. | |
| Score | Eric Serra’s score creates a haunting, ethereal soundscape that is essential to the film's immersive quality. | |
| Cinematography | The cinematography masterfully captures the vast, mysterious beauty of the Mediterranean and underwater sequences with a visceral, dreamlike quality. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is viewed by some as an evocative exploration of longing and rivalry, while others argue the romantic subplot is underwritten and the character motivations are thin. | |
| Pacing | The extended runtime and deliberate, meditative pacing are praised as essential to the film's hypnotic atmosphere by fans, but dismissed as tedious or cloying by detractors. |