The Deep Blue Sea (Davies, 2011)

[haqyunus]

A sophisticated and exquisite look at crippling, uncontrollable, self-destructive passion and desire represented through a love triangle in post world war 2 Britain. Based on a Terrence Rattigan play.

Melodrama is kept in check and though it is a very dramatic piece, it never feels overboard in that department which is fine. Primarily because the director uses a stylish, operatic, non-linear approach towards camerawork and direction (the first 15 min or so specially are beautiful.) Good showcase for Rachel Weisz though she is not as consistent as some of the reviews made her to be. She is superb in some scenes but comes of a trying a bit too hard in others (the more loud, dramatic sections.)

The mournful, dark and moody cinematography is beautiful and conveys the mental state the main character is throughout the movie (some scenes are indeed creative) and goes with the disjointed, musical style of execution.

There is nothing much to cling to when all of this is over (or at least what one expected at the start.) The issue I had was that at one end the film is operatic and stylish but at the same time effort has been made to not be too melodramatic (melodrama is not always a bad adjective). It couldn't find a right balance and it ends up being neither. I haven't read the play but it seems a complex look at physical desire and passion from a female perspective that is not that flattering. The absolute focus is on the main character and the male roles suffer (the actors are also decent at best), both the husband and the lover are shallow and not fully developed. Basically the whole concentration and focus is on the female lead all the time, which is probably fine as that must be in the play and might look OK in theatre but here it makes it for a stagey (I know, another worn out criticism and specially a lazy one for a movie based on a play but this is what I felt ) adaptation. I couldn't hang on or root for the lead for 90+ minutes.

Having said that, it is a solid movie and I think worth checking out (looking forward to what others think of it here.) It somehow reminded me of 'The Painted Veil' (which I liked better.)

[spoiler]And what's up with that long, even more stagey looking, sequence during the war in the subway tunnel? It is definitely evocative of time and the city but what it is doing in the movie?[/spoiler]

[Cricket]

I admired The Deep Blue Sea quite a bit, but I'm of the opinion that Terence Davies can do almost no wrong. He's such a singular, unique artist. I thought it was brilliant the way he basically threw away the exposition-heavy first act of the the Rattigan play (a very fine play that works very well in the traditional sense), and instead created a kind of overture; a dazzling, free associative collection of images and movements that captures Hester's memories, but in a subjective, non-linear way.

It might seem that the underground sequence or the sing-alongs are superfluous, and they are. But, within the framework of the director's oeuvre, they make a lot of emotional sense. I'd suggest that milieu is everything in Davies's cinematic universe. If you watch this back to back with The Long Day Closes, Distant Voices, Still Lives and Of Time and the City, you'll see that he has, again, made a film about a ruined place and a lost time. What I find really fascinating is that Davies's style is almost unclassifiable. He's both unapologetically old-fashioned and resolutely modern.

That said, I did sometimes feel that his expressionistic tendencies were at odds with the structural restrictions that come with adapting a play. And I thought Rachel Weisz, despite giving a performance of great poise, was slightly miscast. She's a little too earthy and sensual to play a woman who has essentially never had an orgasm until her forties. (I was stunned to learn that she's only nine years younger than Simon Russell Beale. He looks like he could be her father!) I believe it was Michael Sicinski who described the film as Davies's Gertrud, and I think an actress with a graver, more tragic sensibility would have been more powerful.

But, I mean, still. This is ravishing stuff:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttI6Ed4SzKA"]The Deep Blue Sea Monet, Bar and Dance - YouTube[/ame]

[haqyunus]

I admired [I]... and instead created a kind of overture; a dazzling, free associative collection of images and movements that captures Hester's memories, but in a subjective, non-linear way....

That is the thing. Individual images and sequences in themselves were definitely exquisite and gorgeous but as a whole I wasn't able to join them together as a coherent complete film.

I haven't read the play, as I said, and didn't know much about it beforehand (though I was aware of Terence Davies) but I agree, Rachel Weisz didn't look like anything like what was being portrayed. By the way Davies himself was present at the screeing to which I went.

[Cricket]

That is the thing. Individual images and sequences in themselves were definitely exquisite and gorgeous but as a whole I wasn't able to join them together as a coherent complete film.

I haven't read the play, as I said, and didn't know much about it beforehand (though I was aware of Terence Davies) but I agree, Rachel Weisz didn't look like anything like what was being portrayed. By the way Davies himself was present at the screeing to which I went.

Davies was at my screening too! (Along with Weisz and Hiddleston.) Isn't he absolutely charming?

If you haven't seen his earlier films, I highly recommend you seek them out. My personal favorite is The Long Day Closes, which I think is a masterpiece. As artful and personal as Of Time and the City and The Deep Blue Sea are, these last two features were essentially brought to him by producers. He hasn't been able to secure funding for the films he really wants to make. Hopefully, that's changed with Sunset Song, an adaptation he's been developing for over a decade, and which will reportedly be his next film. It's, like, my most anticipated movie!

[haqyunus]

Yup, he seemed genuinely humbled by the love and respect he is getting is US. The Long Day Closes, was mentioned at the screening (so stars at this one though) too and I'll surely check that out. Thanks.

[ewdot2480]

This movie felt embalmed, to me.

Gorgeous smoky cinematography, interesting music, nice feel for the 50's in England. But maybe I just didn't find much in the story. Hester survives her suicide attempt in the beginning of the film, but the tone of the film itself felt near-death (which I suppose could be the intent).

I understand Hester's torment. But she doesn't come across as wildly empathetic to me, so I wasn't emotionally devastated. That said, I believe the problem (for me) is with the character, itself.

Weisz, on the other hand, was excellent. It's the least mannered I've seen her. And I just think she nailed the character. I also thought Hiddleston & Beale were impressive.

The one scene that I loved was (and I think most peple will touch upon it) is the "You Belong to Me" scene in the bar). It's a wow of emotion.

So overall, a B- ish film, for me. And that's bolstered up by Weisz's intelligent performance.

[caseyfan14]

I saw this today and I can say I don't remember it too well. Weisz gives a really good performances, as do her male counterparts, but that is really all that is interesting about the movie. The smokey and stagey cinematography really work against the film. I understand the dark natural lighting is to show the torment in soul of Weisz's character, but it made the film look unappealing.

Moreover, I really had no reason to like the characters in the movie at all. Maybe I just can't empathize with a middle age heartbroken woman who has some serious need issues.

Play adaptations just don't work for me. Half of the movie I was thinking about other things when there were long dialogues.

[Dooby]

I LOVED Rachel Weisz in this. She manages to find emotional coherence and a nobility in a character whose inner turmoil could've led to histrionics. If she is not in my top five actresses at the end of the year, it will be a great year for actresses. The film is great too, helped along by its sumptuous painterly style and nippy running time. It might feel a bit slight at the end, but its still a compelling character piece. Simon Russell Beale is excellent also.

[Andy Hall]

This was one of the worst movies I've seen in a long, long time -- terribly written, performed and executed, with some of the most over-wrought dialogue and pretentious staging I've ever seen. LMAO. My entire audience hated it.

I'm sure AD will love this, lmao.

[Solopop]

The amount of walk outs at the cinemas I work at for this film is ridiculous, people hate it.

[Andy Hall]

My friends and I almost left 20 minutes in.

[Critix]

This was one of the worst movies I've seen in a long, long time -- terribly written, performed and executed, with some of the most over-wrought dialogue and pretentious staging I've ever seen. LMAO. My entire audience hated it.

I'm sure AD will love this, lmao.

Oh come on. Give us more!

[ladylurks]

Unfortunately, my theater had the sound cranked way up, and that overwhelming swoony music at the beginning almost did me in. I tore up a kleenex to make myself some earplugs (LOL!) and stuck it out, and actually liked the movie for the most part. Odd and interesting, despite its old-fashioned vibe. Weisz and Beale were really good, Hiddleston not so much. Loved the bomb ruins at the end.

[solly79]

Unfortunately, my theater had the sound cranked way up, and that overwhelming swoony music at the beginning almost did me in. I tore up a kleenex to make myself some earplugs (LOL!) and stuck it out, and actually liked the movie for the most part. Odd and interesting, despite its old-fashioned vibe. Weisz and Beale were really good, Hiddleston not so much. Loved the bomb ruins at the end.

Wut. I'm going to go all Hiddlestoner on you.

Seriously though, I'm so torn on if I want to see this.

[Dooby]

Wut. I'm going to go all Hiddlestoner on you.

Seriously though, I'm so torn on if I want to see this.

These reactions are surprising me - I loved this film. Don't worry, Hiddleston is fine, just Weisz and Beale are like OMG good (specially Weisz )

[JeanRZEJ]

The amount of walk outs at the cinemas I work at for this film is ridiculous, people hate it.

Nothing happens, and it happens beautifully. This is the antithesis of American cinema, of American film criticism, of American television, of American advertising, of American video games, etc. It's not much of a mystery. There's also this nonsensical myth of the dichotomy between 'art' and 'entertainment', not to mention the absurd notion taught in most every class that teaches art in school that art must have 'meaning' and be symbolic/metaphorical. Our entire culture conspires against everything that isn't immediately consumable. It's better for short term profits.

[ldw]

A masterpiece, this ranks with the best work by Davies. A statement about sexual liberation and it's cathartic effect is a universal one for both men and women. Hiddleston captures the childlike emoting of Freddie just as Beale masters his character's passivity. One can understand why Hester cannot stay with her husband and Davies's direction, combined with Weisz's acting, allow the viewer to see why she is so focused on Freddie. It is all about sex and an early sequence of Hester and Freddie's bodies touching demonstrates the need for physical intimacy and attraction crucial to all of us. We can imagine that Hester has never experienced this with a husband who loves her far more than the tantrum throwing Freddie ever would.

While the compositions, color scheme, and subtle camera movement are wonderful, it is Weisz's brilliance that really stands out. Hester's body language and the tone of her voice shift based on whether it is Freddie or her husband that she converses with. However true liberation comes not from either (one representing security and stability; the other sexual fulfillment). A very brief but telling sequence with a landlady (and her invalid husband) gives Hester insight into the type of love that is possible to obtain. It is when Hester recognizes that neither men is the answer that true liberation can occur.

[MrJeffery]

i really enjoyed this. loved the filming, the sets / costumes, the music and weisz was perfect.

[Dooby]

Finally, some positivity!

[Edvard V.]

I'm sure AD will love this, lmao.

Perhaps the most vicious remark ever written about a movie.