Big Blue, The: Director's Cut

Big Blue, The: Director's Cut (vhs, 2000, Director's Cut)

Jacques (Barr) and Enzo (Reno) are friends and rivals in the dangerous world of deep-sea diving. Jacques feels an unusual affinity for the sea and is able to slow his heartrate during dives and stay underwater for superhuman durations. When Jacques meets a ditzy American insurance adjuster (Arquette), a love triangle develops with Jacques torn between his two great loves: a woman, and the ocean. Breathtaking underwater photography and a meditative, fairy-tale story have made this film a cult classic. THE BIG BLUE was heavily cut for its American release, and this Director's Cut restores over forty minutes of footage as well as the original score by composer Eric Serra. The resulting footage has lifted the film's rating to an "R."

The Big Blue - Director's Cut [VHS]

In this, French director Luc Besson's (The Professional, The Fifth Element) first English-language film, a deep-sea diving competition in the Mediterranean is the setting for a story of childhood rivalry and new romance. Jean-Marc Barr plays a diver obsessed with the sea who falls in love with an investigator for an insurance firm (Rosanna Arquette) as he prepares for the challenge of his life. Matters are complicated further when his old friend and the current diving champion (Jean Reno) happens on the scene, and both become locked in a duel of sorts to see who can go deeper into the sea and transcend the gulf between man and the mysteries of the deep. Some of the metaphysical ramblings about the divers' abilities becomes a bit far-fetched, but stunning undersea photography combines with exotic locales and with Besson's attempt at a lyrical romance to create a visual feast with an engaging mood to match. --Robert Lane