The Big Blue

Le Grand Bleu (1988)

Timing: 2:48 (168 min)

7.447/10
1553

7.792/10
42062

7.5/10
59000

All about film

Video 3

Photo 37

Actors and characters

Release date

1988-05-10

Country

France, Italy, United States

Production

Gaumont, Les Films du Loup

Genre

Drama, Romance, Adventure

Budget

$13 500 000

Revenue

$4 000 000

Website

https://www.gaumont.com/fr/film/le-grand-bleu

Director

Luc Besson

Actors

Jean-Marc Barr, Jean Reno, Rosanna Arquette, Paul Shenar, Sergio Castellitto, Jean Bouise, Marc Duret, Griffin Dunne, Valentina Vargas, Kimberly Beck
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Patrice Ledoux

Operator

Carlo Varini

Composer

Éric Serra

Artist

Audition

Nathalie Chéron, Lissa Pillu, Celestia Fox

Editing

Olivier Mauffroy
All team (25)

• "The Big Blue" became one of the most successful French films of the 80s. The film's theatrical run lasted a whole year, and during that time it was seen by 9.2 million French viewers.
• The film was based on the real rivalry and friendship between record-breaking divers, Frenchman Jacques Mayol (1927-2001) and Italian Enzo Maiorca (1931-2016). The latter received a slightly altered name, Enzo Molinari, in the film. Unlike the film, they were four years apart in age and never competed face to face.
• Jacques Mayol worked closely with the filmmakers, acting as a technical consultant.
• The majority of the film's shooting took place in the Cyclades archipelago in Greece (Amorgos Island).
• The underwater filming proved particularly grueling – fifteen dives each day. All scenes were filmed without the use of stunt doubles.
• Underwater filming with dolphins was done in the Virgin Islands. The dolphins themselves were flown in from a dolphinarium located on Grassi Key off the coast of Florida.
• Director Luc Besson appears in a cameo as one of the divers.
• The role in the film was the last for renowned American actor Paul Shenar. He died of AIDS at the age of 53 on October 11, 1989.
• Luc Besson struggled for a long time to find the ideal actor for the role of Jacques Mayol. His initial choice was Christopher Lambert, who preferred to star in Michael Cimino's crime drama “The Sicilian” (1987). Next on the list was Mickey Rourke, who declined the offer due to a fear of deep-sea diving. Gérard Lanvin and Mel Gibson also turned down the role. Ultimately, the key role went to Jean-Marc Barr, who was completely unknown at the time.
• For the American theatrical release, the film underwent significant re-editing. Its ending was completely changed, and Eric Serra’s critically acclaimed soundtrack was replaced with a version by Bill Conti specifically written for the American release.
• The original French version had a runtime of 132 minutes. The initial American version was 119 minutes long and received a “PG-13” rating. After re-editing, it was reduced to 118 minutes, achieving an even milder “PG” rating. The version shown in other European countries was also 118 minutes long. The longest director's cut ran 168 minutes and received a strict “R” rating in the United States.
• Luc Besson himself is one of the underwater cinematographers.
• Luc Besson wanted to show the beauty of freediving in his film. And the most spectacular element of freediving is the dive itself. He asked the great diver Enzo Maiorca, who was consulting on the film, which fins he considered the most beautiful, and Maiorca replied that the choice was actually limited. At that time, the most beautiful fins were also the best. These were the first detachable fins with a long, effective blade featuring longitudinal channels that kept the water flow on the blade during the stroke. To this day, these fins are the most recognizable in the world – the Elit model from Hugue Dessault.
• The film is dedicated to Luc Besson's daughter, who became seriously ill during his work on the film.
• The original French version had a runtime of 132 minutes. The initial American version was 119 minutes long and received a “PG-13” rating. After re-editing, it was reduced to 118 minutes, achieving an even milder “PG” rating. The version shown in other European countries was also 118 minutes long. The most complete director’s cut ran 168 minutes and received a strict “R” rating in the US.