The Big Blue (1988)
Le Grand Bleu
Romance, Drama, Adventure • 2h 48m
Overview
Two men answer the call of the ocean in this romantic fantasy-adventure. Jacques and Enzo are a pair of friends who have been close since childhood, and who share a passion for the dangerous sport of free diving. Professional diver Jacques opted to follow in the footsteps of his father, who died at sea when Jacques was a boy; to the bewilderment of scientists, Jacques harbors a remarkable ability to adjust his heart rate and breathing pattern in the water, so that his vital signs more closely resemble that of dolphins than men. As Enzo persuades a reluctant Jacques to compete against him in a free diving contest -- determining who can dive deeper and longer without scuba gear -- Jacques meets Johana, a beautiful insurance investigator from America, and he finds that he must choose between his love for her and his love of the sea.
Director: Luc Besson
Cast: Jean-Marc Barr, Jean Reno, Rosanna Arquette, Paul Shenar, Sergio Castellitto, Jean Bouise, Marc Duret, Griffin Dunne, Valentina Vargas, Kimberly Beck, Alessandra Vazzoler, Andréas Voutsinas, Patrick Fontana, Geoffrey Carey, Jan Rouiller, Pierre Semmler, Pierre-Alain de Garrigues, Claude Besson, Bruce Guerre-Berthelot, Gregory Forstner, Eric Do, Jacques Lévy, Paul Herman, Franco Diogene, Konstantin Aleksandrov, Luc Besson, Valentina Castellani, Christian Gazio
Director: Luc Besson
2020 StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray vs 2017 Sony 4K Blu-ray (20th annivesary) vs 2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray (Luc Besson Box Set). The first two have totally different texture.
StudioCanal: More natural looking. Better defined grain. The white balance is rather yellow/orange. Some say it is closer to the original theatrical release.
2017 Sony: More vibrant and impactful. The white balance is rather neutral. While color noise and grain can look busy because it had been sharpened and had micro-contrast boosted.
2025 Sony: Supposedly an improved version of the 2017 release? Shows around 20mbps-higher overall video bitrate. caps
2025 Sony US 4K Blu-ray has the original 5.1
Disc info of the box set discs. This film have recieved multiple encode/versions in different regions over the years. The 2017 Germany4K Blu-ray is encoded differently than the 2017 Sony but not better. Also, the same can be said to 2024 France Gaumont 4K Blu-ray while comparing to the 2020 StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. The StudioCanal 4K Blu-Ray omits all the extras from previous releases, being barebones.
Director: Luc Besson
2020 StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray vs 2017 Sony 4K Blu-ray (20th annivesary) vs 2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray (Luc Besson Box Set). The first two have totally different texture.
StudioCanal: More natural looking. Better defined grain. The white balance is rather yellow/orange. Some say it is closer to the original theatrical release.
2017 Sony: More vibrant and impactful. The white balance is rather neutral. While color noise and grain can look busy because it had been sharpened and had micro-contrast boosted.
2025 Sony: Supposedly an improved version of the 2017 release? Shows around 20mbps-higher overall video bitrate. caps
2025 Sony US 4K Blu-ray has the original 5.1
Disc info of the box set discs. This film have recieved multiple encode/versions in different regions over the years. The 2017 Germany4K Blu-ray is encoded differently than the 2017 Sony but not better. Also, the same can be said to 2024 France Gaumont 4K Blu-ray while comparing to the 2020 StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. The StudioCanal 4K Blu-Ray omits all the extras from previous releases, being barebones.
Director: Luc Besson
Director: Luc Besson
Sony 4K Blu-ray included in the Luc Besson Collection
Sony 4K Blu-ray included in the Luc Besson Collection see caps
Original DVD has a few exclusive extras like a isolated score
Sony 4K Blu-ray included in the Luc Besson Collection
Sony 4K Blu-ray included in the Luc Besson Collection see caps
Original DVD has a few exclusive extras like a isolated score
Director: Luc Besson
LaserDisc is best for stereo.
While Sony 4K Blu-ray has Original Stereo, it is compressed like the 5.1 on the 4K Blu-ray.
The TrueHD 5.1 from the 2008 Sony Blu-ray is free of compression. https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=22484238&postcount=94
Director: Luc Besson
LaserDisc is best for stereo.
While Sony 4K Blu-ray has Original Stereo, it is compressed like the 5.1 on the 4K Blu-ray.
The TrueHD 5.1 from the 2008 Sony Blu-ray is free of compression. https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=22484238&postcount=94
Director: Luc Besson
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray from the Luc Besson 9-Film Collection: has Dolby Vision, better than 2017/2020 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray from the Collection: has the English Original 5.1
This title was released many times on 4K Blu-ray and Steelbooks, there was a TC Entertainment 4K Blu-ray with 5.1 and Dolby Vision too before the Luc Besson Collection was released but differences are unknown, so not recommended for English users.
Director: Luc Besson
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray from the Luc Besson 9-Film Collection: has Dolby Vision, better than 2017/2020 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray from the Collection: has the English Original 5.1
This title was released many times on 4K Blu-ray and Steelbooks, there was a TC Entertainment 4K Blu-ray with 5.1 and Dolby Vision too before the Luc Besson Collection was released but differences are unknown, so not recommended for English users.
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Atmos on the Sony 4K Blu-ray maybe better?
Regarding the "original theatrical audio" 5.1 mixes:
The Sony UHD and the BD DTS-HD 5.1 mixes are the same but the UHD has been pushed slightly harder and has a lot of clipping. The UHD is 16 bit vs the BD's 24 bits.
The Second Sight UHD DTS-HD 5.1 is a downmix of its respective Atmos track. Definitely different from the Sony UHD/BD mix plus a little less dynamic. Whether or not that's representative of the theatrical Dolby Digital mix is anyone's guess.
So, if you want the best version of the original 5.1, the 2012 BD is the winner.
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Atmos on the Sony 4K Blu-ray maybe better?
Regarding the "original theatrical audio" 5.1 mixes:
The Sony UHD and the BD DTS-HD 5.1 mixes are the same but the UHD has been pushed slightly harder and has a lot of clipping. The UHD is 16 bit vs the BD's 24 bits.
The Second Sight UHD DTS-HD 5.1 is a downmix of its respective Atmos track. Definitely different from the Sony UHD/BD mix plus a little less dynamic. Whether or not that's representative of the theatrical Dolby Digital mix is anyone's guess.
So, if you want the best version of the original 5.1, the 2012 BD is the winner.
Director: Rob Reiner
Director: Rob Reiner
Director: Lionel Barrymore
Director: Lionel Barrymore
Director: Pierre Perifel
2D version: Universal 4K Blu-ray
3D version: Australia Universal/Sony 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Universal 4K Blu-ray
3D version: Australia Universal/Sony 3D Blu-ray
Director: Pierre Perifel
2D version: Universal 4K Blu-ray
3D version: Australia Universal/Sony 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Universal 4K Blu-ray
3D version: Australia Universal/Sony 3D Blu-ray
Directors: Frank Oz & Jim Henson
Directors: Frank Oz & Jim Henson
Director: Jim Henson
Shout! Factory replacement 4K Blu-ray
Plaion 4K Blu-ray available in June
Shout! Factory replacement 4K Blu-ray, Shout! Factory doesn't have the low-pass filter that's on the Sony US 4K Blu-ray from 2021 with Dolby Vision (or the worse HDR10 only release from 2016). Shout! Factory retains more high-frequency grain and detail.
Embassy Home Entertainment JPN LaserDisc or 1999 Sony US DVD 2.0
Director: Jim Henson
Shout! Factory replacement 4K Blu-ray
Plaion 4K Blu-ray available in June
Shout! Factory replacement 4K Blu-ray, Shout! Factory doesn't have the low-pass filter that's on the Sony US 4K Blu-ray from 2021 with Dolby Vision (or the worse HDR10 only release from 2016). Shout! Factory retains more high-frequency grain and detail.
Embassy Home Entertainment JPN LaserDisc or 1999 Sony US DVD 2.0
Director: Peter Segal
Sony MOD 4K Blu-ray see caps
Director: Peter Segal
Sony MOD 4K Blu-ray see caps
Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray for uncensored Japanese audio and original 6.1 mix
Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray is an upscale of the original 2K DI but has no English subtitles, all past releases are flawed scans from filmout sources.
Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray for uncensored Japanese audio and original 6.1 mix
Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray is an upscale of the original 2K DI but has no English subtitles, all past releases are flawed scans from filmout sources.
More Romance on Blu-ray
Director: Steven Shainberg
Director: Steven Shainberg
Director: Rob Reiner
Director: Rob Reiner
Director: Michael Gordon
Director: Michael Gordon
Director: Melville Shavelson
Kino Lorber Blu-ray 6K master from Paramount
Director: Melville Shavelson
Kino Lorber Blu-ray 6K master from Paramount
Director: H. C. Potter
Kino Lorber Blu-ray 2K restoration
Director: H. C. Potter
Kino Lorber Blu-ray 2K restoration
Director: Elliott Nugent
Kino Lorber Blu-ray is a newer 4K restoration than Imprint Blu-ray and significantly better see caps
No information on French Elephant Films Blu-ray
Director: Elliott Nugent
Kino Lorber Blu-ray is a newer 4K restoration than Imprint Blu-ray and significantly better see caps
No information on French Elephant Films Blu-ray
Director: Henry King
Director: Henry King
Director: Sam Wood
Probably Kino Lorber Blu-ray
Probably Kino Lorber Blu-ray
While no comparison is available, this is indeed a new 4K restoration. However it has its problem like not scanned from best surviving prints due to some issues, or technicolor out of alignment but seems to be still better than older releases
Director: Sam Wood
Probably Kino Lorber Blu-ray
Probably Kino Lorber Blu-ray
While no comparison is available, this is indeed a new 4K restoration. However it has its problem like not scanned from best surviving prints due to some issues, or technicolor out of alignment but seems to be still better than older releases
Director: William D. Russell
Kino Lorber Blu-ray 4K restoration from 35mm Original Camera Negative
Director: William D. Russell
Kino Lorber Blu-ray 4K restoration from 35mm Original Camera Negative
Director: Jean Aurel
Director: Jean Aurel
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