It is tempting to describe The Deep Blue See as one of those examples of typical British understated cinema and superb acting. In a way, it is. But it just doesn't work out very well in this particular film.
It's about a woman with a husband she doesn't love and a lover who doesn't care about her. The husband finds out about the lover, and the lover finds out about her dramatic suicide attempt the film starts with. As if all this isn't tragic enough, the film is set in postwar England, a narrow-minded society of almost claustrophobic proportions.
The result is a film so heavy it almost gets crushed under its own weight. Long shots, silence-filled conversations, tormented looks, outbursts of anger. The first minutes are filled with seemingly unconnected images of the woman in various situations, accompanied by dramatic classical music. Not really a nice appetizer for what's to follow. I had trouble keeping my eyes open during the many scenes in which nothing really happens. One wants to shout out: 'Come on, let's get on with it!'.
It's a pity really, because it's clear this film is made with the best of intentions. It's meant to be a counterweight to the commercial junk from Hollywood. It's about vulnerable people with real emotions, as opposed to cardboard characters shooting and killing each other. But in its efforts to be serious, intellectual, and high-brow, it has almost become a parody of itself.
It's about a woman with a husband she doesn't love and a lover who doesn't care about her. The husband finds out about the lover, and the lover finds out about her dramatic suicide attempt the film starts with. As if all this isn't tragic enough, the film is set in postwar England, a narrow-minded society of almost claustrophobic proportions.
The result is a film so heavy it almost gets crushed under its own weight. Long shots, silence-filled conversations, tormented looks, outbursts of anger. The first minutes are filled with seemingly unconnected images of the woman in various situations, accompanied by dramatic classical music. Not really a nice appetizer for what's to follow. I had trouble keeping my eyes open during the many scenes in which nothing really happens. One wants to shout out: 'Come on, let's get on with it!'.
It's a pity really, because it's clear this film is made with the best of intentions. It's meant to be a counterweight to the commercial junk from Hollywood. It's about vulnerable people with real emotions, as opposed to cardboard characters shooting and killing each other. But in its efforts to be serious, intellectual, and high-brow, it has almost become a parody of itself.