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Information about The Big Blue

“Le Grand Bleu” redirects here. For the yacht, see Le Grand Bleu (yacht).
The Big Blue
Le Grand Bleu

Theatrical poster
Directed byLuc Besson
Produced byPatrice Ledoux
Written byLuc Besson (also story)
Robert Garland
Marilyn Goldin
Jacques Mayol
StarringRosanna Arquette
Jean-Marc Barr
Jean Reno
Music byÉric Serra (Original)
Bill Conti (US version)
CinematographyCarlo Varini
Editing byOlivier Mauffroy
Distributed byGaumont
Release date(s) May 11, 1988 (France)
Running time132 Min
119 Min (US edit)
168 Min
Director's Cut
LanguageEnglish, 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."

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.

Production

With its extensive underwater scenes and languid score (as with all of Luc Besson's films to date, the soundtrack was composed by Éric 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 Éric Serra score. The film was dedicated to his daughter Juliette Besson who required surgery, having become ill whilst he was working on the film.

Filming locations

Awards

The Big Blue was nominated for several César Awards and won Best Music Written for a Film (Éric Serra) and Best Sound in 1989. The film also won France's National Academy of Cinema's Academy Award in 1989.

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.

See also

External links

 •  • [ e]
Films directed by Luc Besson
The Last Battle Subway The Big Blue Nikita Atlantis Lon The Fifth Element Angel-A Arthur and the Minimoys (Invisibles)
Le Grand Bleu is one of the largest private yachts in the world at 370 feet (114 metres) in length. She was built at the Vulkan yard in Germany and was launched in 2000. Design and Construction by Kusch Yachts [1].
..... Click the link for more information.
Luc Besson

Born March 18 1959 (1959--) (age 48)
Paris, France

Spouse(s) Anne Parillaud
Milla Jovovich (1997-1999)
Virginie Silla (2004-)


..... Click the link for more information.
Patrice Ledoux is a French movie producer.

Filmography

  • 1988 : The Big Blue
  • 1990 : Nikita
  • 1991 : Atlantis
  • 1994 : Léon

..... Click the link for more information.
Jacques Mayol (April 1, 1927 – December 22, 2001) was the holder of many world records in free diving.

Jacques Mayol was a French national born in Shanghai, China.
..... Click the link for more information.
Rosanna Arquette

Arquette at Cannes in (2002)
Birth name Rosanna Lauren Arquette
Born July 10 1959 (1959--) (age 48)
New York City, New York


..... Click the link for more information.
Jean-Marc Barr (born on September 27, 1960 in Bitburg, Germany) is a French-American film actor and director. His mother is French. His American father was in the US Air Force and served in the Second World War.
..... Click the link for more information.
Jean Reno

Jean Reno in 2002
Birth name Juan Moreno y Herrera Jiménez
Born July 30 1948 (1948--) (age 59)
Casablanca, Morocco
Died


..... Click the link for more information.
Éric Serra (born on September 9, 1959) is a French composer. He has often worked on the movies of Luc Besson.

Biography

Éric Serra's father Claude was a famous French songwriter in the 1950s and '60s, and, as such, Éric was exposed to music and its production at a young
..... Click the link for more information.
This article or section may contain a proseline.
Please help [ convert this timeline] into prose or, if necessary, a . ()


Bill Conti (born April 13, 1942 in Providence, Rhode Island) is a film musical director.
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Gaumont

Independent and partnership with Sony Pictures for worldwide film production and distribution.
Founded 1895
Headquarters Paris, France

Key people Léon Gaumont
Industry Motion pictures
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May 11 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 330 - Byzantium is renamed Nova Roma

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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1950s  1960s  1970s  - 1980s -  1990s  2000s  2010s
1985 1986 1987 - 1988 - 1989 1990 1991

Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII
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Motto
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
Anthem
"La Marseillaise"


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For The Fantômas album, see .
A director's cut is a specially edited version of a film, and less often TV series, music video, commercials or video games, that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit.
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-1988- 1989 1990 1991  1992 .  1993 .  1994 .  1995  . 1996  . 1997  . 1998 
In home video: 1985 1986 1987 -1988- 1989 1990 1991     
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French (français, pronounced [fʁɑ̃ˈsɛ]) is a Romance language originally spoken in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, and today by about 300 million people around the world as either
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English}}} 
Writing system: Latin (English variant) 
Official status
Official language of: 53 countries
Regulated by: no official regulation
Language codes
ISO 639-1: en
ISO 639-2: eng
ISO 639-3: eng  
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Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects.
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This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details.
This article has been tagged since September 2007.

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film director is a person who directs the making of a film.[1] A film director visualizes the script, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision.
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Luc Besson

Born March 18 1959 (1959--) (age 48)
Paris, France

Spouse(s) Anne Parillaud
Milla Jovovich (1997-1999)
Virginie Silla (2004-)


..... Click the link for more information.
Jean-Marc Barr (born on September 27, 1960 in Bitburg, Germany) is a French-American film actor and director. His mother is French. His American father was in the US Air Force and served in the Second World War.
..... Click the link for more information.
Rosanna Arquette

Arquette at Cannes in (2002)
Birth name Rosanna Lauren Arquette
Born July 10 1959 (1959--) (age 48)
New York City, New York


..... Click the link for more information.
Jean Reno

Jean Reno in 2002
Birth name Juan Moreno y Herrera Jiménez
Born July 30 1948 (1948--) (age 59)
Casablanca, Morocco
Died


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Free-diving is any of various aquatic activities that share the practice of breath-hold underwater diving. Examples include breathhold spearfishing, freedive photography, apnea competitions and, to a degree, snorkeling.
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Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:  AMZN ) is an American e-commerce company based in Seattle, Washington. It was one of the first major companies to sell goods over the Internet and was one of the iconic stocks of the late 1990s dot-com bubble.
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Jacques Mayol (April 1, 1927 – December 22, 2001) was the holder of many world records in free diving.

Jacques Mayol was a French national born in Shanghai, China.
..... Click the link for more information.
A model is a person who poses or displays for purposes of art, fashion, or other products and advertising.

Modeling is distinguished from other types of public performance, such as an acting, dancing or mime artistry, although the boundary is not well defined.
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Enzo Maiorca (also spelled Majorca; born June 21, 1931) is an Italian multiple record holder in the extreme sport of free-diving.

The native of Syracuse, Italy, he was a pioneer developer of free-diving in the 1960s and 1970s.
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Regione Autonoma Siciliana


Map highlighting the location of Sicilia in Italy

Capital Palermo
President Salvatore Cuffaro
(UDC-CdL)
Provinces Agrigento
Caltanissetta
Catania
Enna
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