The Big Blue - What really happened?
Charles Crosby
'The Big Blue'? The Guiness Book of Records ascribes the last breath-
held deep diving world record to Jacques Mayol, the main character in
the movie, so he obviously wasn't a totally fictitious character. Any
idea of what happened in real life?
Charles Crosby e-mail : cro...@fanella.ee.up.ac.za
Dep of Mech and Aero Eng meg...@upvm2.up.ac.za
University of Pretoria Phone : (012)-4202861 (w) (012)-3451586 (h)
South Africa Fax : (012)-436540 (w) (012)-3451586 (h)
Igor Tesija
>Does anyone know the true story that (presumably) inspired the movie
>'The Big Blue'? The Guiness Book of Records ascribes the last breath-
>held deep diving world record to Jacques Mayol, the main character in
>the movie, so he obviously wasn't a totally fictitious character.
Enzo Mallinari...
I have an article about dolphins in one italian weekly magazine
(L'Europeo 27.09.1993.). There is also a short text about what
Jacques Mayol thinks about them with a good(a new one) photo of him.
I have a Sountrack of the film too, and his name is mentioned in
"Special Thanks"...
>Any idea of what happened in real life?
fantasy, and partly true since L'Europeo says that he(I'm not sure
whether HE or his life) inspired the film...
If anybody knows more or have proofs that I'm wrong I'd like to hear from
him/her. Bye
IT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Igor....@etf.hr or ite...@zems.etf.hr (.hr = croatia)
Marius Willms
The Big Blue some days ago. I got some facts from a friend of mine.
Both Enzo Mollinati (spelling?) and Jacques Mayol are real
characters. They are both dead, and they have both had several
world records. Enzo was the one who had the last record before
they both passed away. The move is inspired by a true story, but
neither Enzo nor Jacques died they way they died in the movie.
Luc Besson met Mayol long before he made Subway and I belive that
The Big Blue was his big dream for ten years before he made the
film.
The current record was set recently by a guy who's name I can't
remember. But I'm pretty sure that the record was 125 metres.
Does anybody know which language this movie was recorded in? I
have both the American and French versions, but the voices seem
to be out of sync on both versions.
And does anobody know why this brilliant movie was cut about
45 minutes? I haven't seen the short version so I don't know what
was cut, but I can't figure out more that a few minutes that
couldd have been removed without ruining the whole movie.
------------------------------------------------------------------
|Marius Willms - Don't take life TOO seriously, you'll die anyway|
| |
|Email should be sent to mar...@oslonett.no in one of the |
|following languages: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, French, English|
|But don't expect to get an answer in any other languages than |
|Norwegian or English. |
------------------------------------------------------------------
Alan Topelson
Marius Willms <mar...@oslonett.no> wrote:
>Some one posted a request for some info about the fabulous movie
Agreed! truly an impressive flick.
>The Big Blue some days ago. I got some facts from a friend of mine.
>Both Enzo Mollinati (spelling?) and Jacques Mayol are real
>characters. They are both dead, and they have both had several
>world records. Enzo was the one who had the last record before
>they both passed away. The move is inspired by a true story, but
>neither Enzo nor Jacques died they way they died in the movie.
>Luc Besson met Mayol long before he made Subway and I belive that
>The Big Blue was his big dream for ten years before he made the
>film.
I hear that about Besson as well. that this was a dream of his. It was also
why he later made Atlantis (which I have not seen since I don't think it has
been or will be released in the states).
>
>The current record was set recently by a guy who's name I can't
>remember. But I'm pretty sure that the record was 125 metres.
>
>
>Does anybody know which language this movie was recorded in? I
>have both the American and French versions, but the voices seem
>to be out of sync on both versions.
I think they filmed mainly in English, but it seems as if some of the French
actors had to redub their lines later. I remember reading somewhere BEsson
saying that he filmed it in English to reach a wider audience. And besides,
since it was a major release (ie. not arthouse) in the U.S. it must have
been filmed in english since movie diustributors here in the states do not
distribute non-english films (even if dubbed) saince they are not in demand.
>
>And does anobody know why this brilliant movie was cut about
>45 minutes? I haven't seen the short version so I don't know what
>was cut, but I can't figure out more that a few minutes that
>couldd have been removed without ruining the whole movie.
As far as I was told when I saw the "version integrale" in France a year
after I saw the shorter U.S. version was that the short version was released
initially, but when it proved to be such a succes, Beson went back to the
editing room and added the 45 minutes back onto the film.
I don't remember specifics since I cannot for my life find a copy of the
long version here in teh states that will run on U.S. VCRs. All I have found
is the short version with the horrid Bill Conti soundtrack instead of the
Eric Serra version.
I do remmer the ending of the long version being much darker than the
happier U.S. ending.
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------
>|Marius Willms - Don't take life TOO seriously, you'll die anyway|
>| |
>|Email should be sent to mar...@oslonett.no in one of the |
>|following languages: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, French, English|
>|But don't expect to get an answer in any other languages than |
>|Norwegian or English. |
>------------------------------------------------------------------
>
Sorry, don't know any Norwegian ;)
TOPE
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\_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ "It's great to be a Sig Ep!" / //\,
\_ \_ \_ \_\_\_ \_\_ _____________________________________\>>_|___
\_ \_\_\_ \_ \_\_\_ tope...@nwu.edu to...@delphi.com \\, 4/7
Jean-Yves Simon
|>In article <2tqpma$b...@hasle.oslonett.no>,
|>Marius Willms <mar...@oslonett.no> wrote:
|>>Some one posted a request for some info about the fabulous movie
|>
|>Agreed! truly an impressive flick.
|>
|>>The Big Blue some days ago. I got some facts from a friend of mine.
|>>Both Enzo Mollinati (spelling?) and Jacques Mayol are real
|>>characters. They are both dead, and they have both had several
|>>world records. Enzo was the one who had the last record before
|>>they both passed away. The move is inspired by a true story, but
|>>neither Enzo nor Jacques died they way they died in the movie.
|>>Luc Besson met Mayol long before he made Subway and I belive that
|>>The Big Blue was his big dream for ten years before he made the
|>>film.
|>
I don't know for Enzo Molinari, but I doubt that Jacques Mayol is dead.
He had for a long the world record for being the first one to dive below
100 meters holding his breath.
|>>And does anobody know why this brilliant movie was cut about
|>>45 minutes? I haven't seen the short version so I don't know what
|>>was cut, but I can't figure out more that a few minutes that
|>>couldd have been removed without ruining the whole movie.
|>
|>As far as I was told when I saw the "version integrale" in France a year
|>after I saw the shorter U.S. version was that the short version was released
|>initially, but when it proved to be such a succes, Beson went back to the
|>editing room and added the 45 minutes back onto the film.
|>
|>I don't remember specifics since I cannot for my life find a copy of the
|>long version here in teh states that will run on U.S. VCRs. All I have found
|>is the short version with the horrid Bill Conti soundtrack instead of the
|>Eric Serra version.
The short version in France had the Eric Sierra's soundtrack. I think it was
just for the US that the soundtrack was changed.
|>
|>I do remmer the ending of the long version being much darker than the
|>happier U.S. ending.
|>
The long and short version in France had the same ending which was different
and much more happier in US.
---
Jean-Yves SIMON si...@wotangate.micro.ti.com Houston,Tx
laurens
: |>>45 minutes? I haven't seen the short version so I don't know what
: |>>was cut, but I can't figure out more that a few minutes that
: |>>couldd have been removed without ruining the whole movie.
- the second love scene
- the scene where all the competitors try to beat the record and fail (the
alarm bell...)
- some dives (mainly the Enzo ones)
- some shots at the very beginning, when Jacques is still a child. There are
almost no discussion (why mom left...)
I think they never say the word Siren in the movie !
- other things that I forgot. Rosana doesn't says to Jacques thatshe is pregnant- You almost don't see the Italian girl, friend of Enzo and who speaks to
Rozanna (what's her name ?) about babies...
This list is depressing !!!
I'm French, I *LOVE* this movie, and I can't believe they (the US) changed
the soundtrack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
How stupid !!!!!
Phil
Gilles Bacon
Jean-Yves SIMON si...@wotangate.micro.ti.com wrote:
>The long and short version in France had the same ending which was different
>and much more happier in US.
That's what annoyed me most about the ending change: it's that people assume
that in the french version he stays at the bottom of the sea. The beauty
of the real ending is that the choice is left to the spectators, instead
of being made for them.
A few notes about Luc Besson. His parents were diving instructors, and
worked at Club Meds. He lived near the Mediterranean all his childhood,
in between Greece and Yougoslavia.
At the age of 10, he had a surface encounter with a dolphin. He left his
boat and swam with it. He told his parents then that he wanted to become
a dolphin specialist. He studied them, and came to love their simple
lifestyle: eat, play and make love. A dolphin doesn't know aggression,
and if caught in a fisher's net, will let himself die instead of just
slashing the net with a swat of its tail fin.
He first encountered Jacques Mayol when an italian underwater film maker
showed a film of Mayol diving 92 meters with just one breath of air. He
said he had tears in his eyes and couldn't close his mouth the whole time
of the dive. That's when the "big blue" first entered his mind. His
love of the sea.
The following summer, at the age of 17, Besson had a diving
accident that prevented hime from ever diving again. Completely
devestated that he couldn't pursue his dream, he spent a year
contemplating his life and finally decided that the idea of making films
attracted him more than most. He saw 10 films a week for about a year,
and started experimenting with super-8.
During the filming of a short feature, he was hired as a grip thanks to
a friend. He was asked to bring coffe to the director, and was
mesmerized by the scene that was being shot. Not the scene itself, but
what the actor was giving, what the director was saying, what the people
around were doing. He was hooked.
Military sevice, then three years of training as an assistant director
(after a lot of rejection), and he finally made his first feature: Le
Dernier Combat. It was selected for the Avoriaz Science Fiction Film
Festival. He won two of the highest prizes at that festival, which had
Alan J. Pakula and Jean-Jacques Annaud on the jury.
Then came his second film, the Paris cult classic Subway. He wanted to
make a fun film, and delighted a lot of people with his silliness.
The Big Blue was his third feature. After the success of his first two
films, he looked up Jacques Mayol in the directory, and just went to see
him to propose his idea for a film. The actual screenplay had not been
written, and the story really developped from his encounter with Mayol,
and the education that he gave Besson about the "big blue."
With Gaumont backing the project, he got some talented screenwriters
(Cammille Claudel, Tootsie writers) and looked for actors. Christopher
Lambert was first considered for the role of Mayol, but he felt he wasn't
ready for such a role. Mickey Rourke was also considered, but he and
Besson both felt he wasn't appropriate. He wanted Matthew Modine, but
he had just come out of 11 months with Kubrick and was the proud father of
a six month old baby boy. Besson didn't press the issue.
A casting call was sent out in NY, LA, Rome, London and Paris, and after
several hundred, Jean-Marc Barr walked into the London call and when
Besson saw him, he knew he could start filming.
The role of Enzo was written to suit his friend Jean Reno, and after
pursuing Rosanna Arquette in LA, they all went to the greek islands for
nine months ...
The info here was from an interview in the French Premiere magazine (Mai
1988) with Luc Besson. As you can tell, the Big Blue is one of my
favorite movies.
Gilles
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gil...@netcom.com
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