Le Grand Bleu Podcast: How Eric Cera Created Unforgettable Film Music?

The sound of the sea, the song of the whales, the sliding of the sand… 35 years after the release of Luc Besson’s iconic film, composer Eric Serra returns to AlloCiné to create his most memorable score: Le Grand Bleu.

This soundtrack, sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, won him the Victoire de la Musique and the César for Best Original Score, and became the most listened to album in France upon its release in front of the biggest pop stars of the time.

Before creating this unforgettable piece of music, the composer first trained for three weeks with Jacques Mayolle, the first diver in the world to descend 100 meters on apnea and to whom Jean-Marc Barry gives his features in the film.

To create this hypnotic and gaping music, Eric Serra We are told that he was inspired by the impressions he received during these few minutes of underwater immersion, but also by the incredible sounds that can be heard on the seabed, such as the careful sliding of a grain of sand on the seabed.

As for the famous “dolphin song” or “sonar music” emblematic of the film’s music, it is neither a natural sound… nor dolphins, contrary to the popular belief that it is associated with cetaceans. These notes are actually artificial and inspired by the song of whalesEric Serra He tried to revise in his own way. Obviously for strong impact.

If you want to dive back in, behind our podcast, Eric Serra is currently on tour At the movie-concert around Big Blue whose score is attached to the stage with the nearest note and the nearest image. Three dates are expected in France this summer: Saturday July 22nd in Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, July 23rd at Viennese Old Theater (Isère) and August 31st at Pelicu-Live Festival in Tuirs.