Big Blue Long Version: What are the differences with the edit on Arte?

A huge success in cinemas in 1988 (about 9.2 million in attendance), The Big Blue was re-released the following year in a longer version of 50 minutes. While the original version focuses on the freediving championships as well as the friendly and competitive relationship between Jacques and Enzo, Director’s Cut / Extended Cut Gives greater importance to the love story of Jacques and Johanna (Rosanna Arquette), which falls slightly behind Enzo. It is enough to satisfy the actor, who complained during the first version that it was cut a lot during editing.

This version was later released on VHS and Laserdisc, then DVD in 2001 and Blu-Ray in 2009. For the record, although the film was a triumph in theaters, it was panned by critics. Hence this cheeky caption Besson made on his film’s re-release poster to raving critics: “Don’t go, it’s going on for three hours!”

Here are the differences between the two versions:

• Johanna spends the night in her room talking to Carol about Jacques in their New York apartment. She specifically specifies that Jacques is American through his mother.

• When Jacques goes out on the balcony after making love to Johanna, he sees a dolphin and then joins the dive. He tries to touch the mammal every time it jumps (thus replicating the photo that graces the movie poster). Johanna takes turns waiting for Jacques to come out of the water. The latter finishes swimming early in the morning. At this time, Johanna tells him that she is going back to New York.

• Saddened by Johanna’s departure, Jacques visits Enzo, who has been sleeping in a diving suit. The Italian offers the Frenchman a ride to the oil platform, where Enzo is called to work. Arriving there, two men get into an underwater capsule, which is lowered to the bottom.

Once deep, an overdose of helium causes the characters’ voices to change. Enzo then gives Jacques the alcohol by putting his finger in the bottle so he can imbibe it later. The two men get drunk, put on diving suits, dive into the water and then start waltzing to the tune of the beautiful Blue Danube.

• In New York, Johanna lets herself go to the point of disappointing Carol. Afterwards, her boss Duffy (Griffin Dunne), realizing that Johanna lied to explain her presence in Sicily, fires the young woman but wishes her luck in her love life.

• Johanna calls Jacques to reconnect and realizes she can’t live without him. She arrives at a station on the Cote d’Azur, where she finds Jacques. The two lovers then settle into the Carlton Hotel and spend a long night of love. At this moment, Jacques is a victim of hallucinations.

• At lunch, Uncle Louis (Jean Bouze) meets Johanna.

• While Uncle Louie argues with the fishmonger at the port about the goods, Enzo arrives by boat and then introduces himself to Bonita (Valentina Vargas), his new companion.

• The aperitif scene between Uncle Louis and Enzo has not only been expanded (it was inserted after Enzo’s victory in the film version), but enriched. The Italian champion makes fun of the old man and his deafness. Afterwards, Jacques is visited by Dr. Laurence (Paul Chenard) and introduces him to Enzo.

• A trophy ceremony in Enzo’s honor, in which Novelli (Sergio Castellito) gives a speech and specifically states that it would be dangerous to beat the champion’s record. Meanwhile, Enzo motioned for his brother to put the ham slices in the sandwich.

• Bonita visits Johanna to tell her that she is leaving. He gives her a photo of her baby daughter, which makes Johanna’s desire to have a child stronger.