The Big Blue
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Luc Besson
Jean-marc Barr
Rosanna Arquette
Jean Reno
Paul Shenar
Sergio Castellitto
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
A visionary epic of obsession and beauty about Jacques Mayol, the handsome diver who is so at home in the water that he seems only half-human. Jacques' best friends are a family of playful porpoises and Enzo Molinari, his swaggering Italian diving rival. Jacques and Enzo grew up together in the Mediterranean, and remain lifelong friends despite a fierce battle for the top prize in the world free diving championships, where divers compete to see who can descend to the furthest depths of the sea with no equipment other than their own courage and determination. But when the dreamer Jacques falls in love with the beautiful Johanna, he finds himself torn between the damsel and the deep blue sea.
Director
Luc Besson
Cast
Jean-marc Barr
Rosanna Arquette
Jean Reno
Paul Shenar
Sergio Castellitto
Jean Bouise
Marc Duret
Griffin Dunne
Andreas Voutsinas
Valentina Vargas
Kimberly Beck
Patrick Fontana
Alessandra Vazzoler
Bruce Guerre-berthelot
Gregory Forstner
Geoffrey Carey
Claude Besson
Marika Gevaudan
Jan Rouiller
Peter Semler
Jacques Levy
Eric Do
Andre Germe
Ronald Teuhi
Rosario Campese
Franco Diogene
Tredessa Dalton
Constantin Alexandrov
Pierre-alain Degarrigues
Claude Robin
Paul Herman
Nicolas Maltos
Marco Planceon
Crew
Abdul Abbott
Cyd Adams
Tom Allen
Francesco Angulo
Franco Ballati
Jacques Barbazange
Nicolette Barr
Patrick Barthelemy
Pierre Befve
Javier Bello
Alain Bernard
Luc Besson
Luc Besson
Luc Besson
Luc Besson
Luc Besson
Sophie Bester
Marcus Biehler
Dominik Borde
Dominik Borde
Fred Bouchaour
Jean-marc Bour
Blandine Boyer
Stephane Breton
Judith Lyn Brown
Fanchon Brule
Pierre Calamel
Patrick Camboulive
Blanche Cardinale
Jerome Chalou
Irene Champendal
Nathalie Chéron
Elisabeth Chochoy
Myra-lee Cohen
Michel Conche
Michele Constantinides
Bill Conti
Elisabeth Couque
Catherine Crassac
Stefan Czapsky
Alain Henri Darthou
Jean-louis Darthou
Marylene Dastugue
Jonathan Decamp
Michel Dechaud
Victor Denicola
Victor Denicola
Monty Diamond
Mario Dorio
Thierry Dormoy
Jean-francois Drigeard
Christophe Dural
Celmar Engel
Pierre Excoffier
Pascale Fernandez
Flaviana Ferri
Bertrand Fevre
Jean-pierre Fevrier
Genevieve Feyralade
William Flageollet
Gilles Floquet
David Craig Forrest
Barthelemy Fougea
Celestia Fox
Robert Garland
Christian Gazio
Stephane Gedigier
Francois Gentit
Avra Georgiou
Jacques-thomas Gerard
Nicos Giannopoulos
Jerome Giroux
Susan Goulder
Bernard Grenet
Xavier Grenet
Patrice Grisolet
François Groult
Guy Guermouth
Marie Guesnier
Magali Guidasci
Anne Guillard
Alain Guille
Richard Guille
Thierry Guilmard
Quincy Gunderson
Dennis Hahn
Patrick Halpine
Elisabeth Hickox
Didier Hoarau
Michael Jackman
Mike Jackman
Vincent Jeannot
Dale Pierce Johnson
Michel Jullien
Lynn Kamerin
Mary Kelly
Malika Khelfa
Gerard Lamps
Daniel Lamy
Georges Latouche
Isabelle Laurenchet
Francois Laurent
Jean-yves Laurent
Jean-louis Lebras
Patrice Ledoux
Jean-michel Legarrec
Denis Leger
Mimi Lempicka
John Leonidas
Arnaud Lepetit
Alain Levy
Jerome Levy
Thomas Levy-loeb
Monique Lormoy
Georges Louisos
Alba Luzi
Jessica Madueno
Gabrielle Mairesse
Benedicte Mallet
Annie Marciniak
Gary Marcus
Ann F Markel
Isabelle Martin
Jean-pierre Mas
Olivier Mauffroy
Marc Maurette
Jacques Mayol
Silvia Merino
Claude Meyer
Yann Michel
Patrick Millet
Franck Miniconi
Marc Mitrofanoff
Jacques Moisant
Marion Monestier
Pascal Moreau
Carol Nast
Brigitte Nierhaus
Pat Orseth
Roland Ory
Jenny Panoutsopoulou
Michael Papadopoulos
Monique Pautas
Cyrille Perron
Christian Petron
Patricia Pierangeli
Lissa Pillu
Jacqueline Porel
Eliberto Prado
Eugenio Prado
Giuseppe Punturo
Dennis Radesky
Gina Randazzo
Martine Rapin
Brenda Ray
Jean-claude Reux
Mandy Rodriguez
Pascal Rose
Bob Rosenthal
Herve Rotblatt
Marcel Rousseau
Coralie Roy
Patricia Saalburg
Gilles Samanos
Felix Sauter
K C Schulbert
Cathy Scott
+ric Serra
+ric Serra
+ric Serra
Julie Sfez
Valerie Simonin
Catherine Sine
Nicos Skouras
Larry Steinberg
Roberto Tello
Chronis Theocharis
J Miller Tobin
Roberto Todeschi
Abel Toledo
Michael Trim
Bryan Unger
G Bryan Unger
Dora Valsmaki
Carlo Varini
Carlo Varini
Giovanni Varini
Antoine Vaton
Eric Vidart-loeb
Stephane Vinciguerra
Dan Weil
Victor Zolfo
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Summer August 19, 1988
Re-released in United States July 14, 2000
Re-released in United States July 28, 2000
Released in United States on Video February 23, 1989
Re-released in United States on Video November 1, 1994
Re-released in United States on Video August 15, 2000
Released in United States November 1988
Shown at FestRio in Brazil November 17-26, 1988.
The film, based on the deep-sea diving rivalry between Jacques Mayol and Enzo Majorca, was originally blocked from release in Italy pending the outcome of a lawsuit brought by Majorca. He claimed the film cast his character in a bad light.
For the first US release of the film, distributor Weintraub Entertainment changed the original soundtrack, inserting a music score by Bill Conti, and altered the film's ending against director Luc Besson's wishes.
Film ran in Paris for 171 weeks.
CinemaScope
Re-released (long version) in France 1990.
Re-released (long version) in Stockholm February 1, 1991.
Released in United States Summer August 19, 1988
Re-released in United States July 28, 2000 (director's cut; Los Angeles)
Released in United States on Video February 23, 1989
Re-released in United States on Video November 1, 1994
Re-released in United States on Video August 15, 2000
Released in United States November 1988 (Shown at FestRio in Brazil November 17-26, 1988.)
Re-released in United States July 14, 2000 (director's cut; New York City)
