The Big Blue Le Grand Bleu
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Luc Besson
Produced by	Patrice Ledoux
Written by	Luc Besson (also story) Robert Garland Marilyn Goldin Jacques Mayol
Starring	Rosanna Arquette Jean-Marc Barr Jean Reno
Music by	Eric Serra (Original) Bill Conti (US version)
Cinematography	Carlo Varini
Editing by	Olivier Mauffroy
Distributed by	Gaumont
Release date(s)	May 11, 1988 (France)
Running time	132 min 119 min (US edit) 168 min (director's cut)
Language	English, French, Italian
Budget	₣ 80,000,000
IMDb profile

1988's The Big Blue (French: Le Grand Bleu) is the first English-language film made by French director Luc Besson. The film stars Jean-Marc Barr, Rosanna Arquette, Jean Reno and depicts a fictionalized account of the sporting rivalry between two famed free divers. Amazon.com describes the film as having: "...endured as a minor cult classic for its gorgeous photography (both on land and underwater) and dreamy ambiance." Image File history File linksMetadata Big_Blue_poster_200px. ... Bridget Fonda and Luc Besson at Cannes, 2001. ... Patrice Ledoux is a French movie producer. ... Jacques Mayol (April 1, 1927 – December 22, 2001) was the holder of many world records in free diving. ... Arquette at Cannes in (2002) Rosanna Lauren Arquette (born August 10, 1959, in New York, NY) is an American actress, film director, and film producer. ... Jean-Marc Barr was born on September 27, 1960 in Bitburg, in Germany. ... Juliette Binoche and Jean Reno, co-stars of Jet Lag, at Cannes, 2002 Jean Reno (born Juan Moreno y Jederique Jiménez, July 30, 1948) is a French actor of Spanish descent. ... Eric Serra (born on September 9, 1959) is a French composer, often working with Luc Besson on his movies. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Gaumont Pictures were founded in 1895 by the engineer-turned-inventor, Léon Gaumont (1864-1946). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... // Michael Jacksons first film was Moonwalker Rain Man, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise Who Framed Roger Rabbit, starring Bob Hoskins Coming to America, starring Eddie Murphy Big, starring Tom Hanks Twins, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito Crocodile Dundee II Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis The Naked Gun... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Bridget Fonda and Luc Besson at Cannes, 2001. ... Jean-Marc Barr was born on September 27, 1960 in Bitburg, in Germany. ... Arquette at Cannes in (2002) Rosanna Lauren Arquette (born August 10, 1959, in New York, NY) is an American actress, film director, and film producer. ... Juliette Binoche and Jean Reno, co-stars of Jet Lag, at Cannes, 2002 Jean Reno (born Juan Moreno y Jederique Jiménez, July 30, 1948) is a French actor of Spanish descent. ... Free-diving refers to various aquatic activities that share the practice of breath-hold diving. ... Amazon. ...

Plot

The film charts the competition and friendship of real-life champions Jacques Mayol (played by former model Barr) and Enzo Maiorca (renamed in the film to "Enzo Molinari", and played by Reno). The action is divided into two timelines - the nascent rivalry between the two divers as children, and (as adults) their final competition at the world free-diving championships at the Sicilian town of Taormina. Mayol's search for love, family, "wholeness" and the meaning of life and death is a strong undercurrent of the latter timeline. Jacques Mayol (April 1, 1927 – December 22, 2001) was the holder of many world records in free diving. ... Supermodel Daniella Sarahyba. ... Enzo Maiorca (Majorca) (born June 21, 1931, Siracusa, Sicily) was a multiple record holder in the extreme sport of free-diving. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian, Σικελία in Greek) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 km² and 5 million inhabitants. ... Greek Theater in Taormina Taormina is a town on the island of Sicily in Italy, and in ancient times was a Greek colony (Tauromenium), dating from about 400 BC, which submitted to Roman authority in 212 BC during the Second Punic War. ...

Production

With its extensive underwater scenes and languid score (as with all of Luc Besson's films to date, the soundtrack was composed by Eric Serra), the film has been both praised as beautiful and serene, and in equal measure criticised as being dull and uneventful. While popular in Europe, the film was a commercial failure in North America in part due to the studio's recutting of the movie to include a simplified "happy" ending and the replacement of Serra's score with one composed by Bill Conti. The director later released a longer Director's Cut on DVD, featuring the original ending and an extended version of the Eric Serra score. The film was dedicated to his daughter Juliette Besson who required surgery, having become ill whilst he was working on the film. Soundtrack refers to the recorded sound accompanying a visual medium such as a motion picture, television show, or video game. ... Eric Serra (born on September 9, 1959) is a French composer, often working with Luc Besson on his movies. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the six inhabited continents of the Earth. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A Directors cut is a specially edited version of a movie that is supposed to represent the directors own approved edit of the movie. ... DVD (sometimes called Digital Versatile Disc, or Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ...

Filming locations

• NEW YORK CITY CITY CITY CITY CITY

Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

• Agia Anna, Amorgos, Cyclades, Greece
• Kalotaritissa bay, Amorgos, Cyclades, Greece
• Marineland, Antibes, Alpes-Maritimes, France
• Peru
• St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
• Taormina, Messina, Sicily, Italy

Amorgos (Greek: Αμοργος) is the easternmost island of the Greek Cyclades island group. ... The Cyclades, from the Greek Κυκλάδες, (circular, modern Greek Kykládes; see also List of traditional Greek place names) form an island group south-east of the mainland of Greece. ... Antibes (Provençal Occitan: Antíbol in classical norm or Antibo in Mistralian norm) is a resort town of southeastern France, on the Mediterranean Sea in the Côte dAzur, located between Cannes and Nice. ... Alpes_Maritimes is a département in the extreme southeast corner of France. ... A separate article treats the several rivers known as the St. ... Greek Theater in Taormina Taormina is a town on the island of Sicily in Italy, and in ancient times was a Greek colony (Tauromenium), dating from about 400 BC, which submitted to Roman authority in 212 BC during the Second Punic War. ... Location within Italy Messina with a population of about 260,000 is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, Italy and the capital of the province of Messina. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian, Σικελία in Greek) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 km² and 5 million inhabitants. ...

Awards

The Big Blue was nominated for several César Awards and won Best Music Written for a Film (Eric Serra) and Best Sound in 1989. The film also won France's National Academy of Cinema's Academy Award in 1989. The César Award is the national film award of France first given out in 1975. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Trivia

• The movie was banned in Italy for years because Enzo Maiorca felt that his portrayal in the movie was unfair and distorted. The script was co-authored by his rival Mayol, who sued later and reversed the banning.
• The most financially successful French film of the 1980s.
• The film was played for over a year in French theaters.
• Besson makes a cameo appearance as a diver.
• Jacques Mayol worked as a technical consultant for the film.

The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

See also

• Cinema of France
• List of French language films

France has been influential in the development of film as a mass medium and as an art form. ... There are two lists of French language films: Organized alphabetically by French title Organized alphabetically by title of English release // 2 ou 3 choses que je sais delle (Two or Three Things I Know About Her) 5x2 Ah! Si jétais riche (If I Were a Rich Man) Les...

External links

• IMDb page on Le Grand Bleu