The Deep Blue Sea (2011)

The wife of a British Judge is caught in a self-destructive love affair with a Royal Air Force pilot.

Director:

Terence Davies

Writers:

Terence Rattigan (play), Terence Davies (adaptation)

Stars:

Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston, Ann Mitchell

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ann Mitchell	...	Mrs Elton
Jolyon Coy	...	Philip Welch
Karl Johnson	...	Mr Miller
Rachel Weisz	...	Hester Collyer
Simon Russell Beale	...	Sir William Collyer
Tom Hiddleston	...	Freddie Page
Harry Hadden-Paton	...	Jackie Jackson
Sarah Kants	...	Liz Jackson
Oliver Ford Davies	...	Hester's Father
Barbara Jefford	...	Collyer's Mother
Mark Tandy	...	Edie and Ravenscroft Assistant
Stuart McLoughlin	...	Singing Man in Tube
Nicholas Amer	...	Mr. Elton

Storyline

The wife of a British Judge is caught in a self-destructive love affair with a Royal Air Force pilot.

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Plot Keywords:

1950s | based on play | marital separation | extramarital affair | suicide by gas | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a scene of sexuality and nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

TIME magazine ranked Rachel Weisz's performance in the film as the fourth best performance of 2012 (November 2012), while New York Magazine named it the "Film Performance of the Year" (November 2012).

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Quotes

Hester Collyer: Lust isn't the whole of life, but Freddie is, you see, for me. The whole of life. And death. So, put a label on that, if you can.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojoUK: Top 10 Tom Hiddleston Performances (2017)

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Soundtracks

Concerto for Violin and Ochestra, Op. 14
Composed by Samuel Barber
Published by G. Schirmer, Inc (ASCAP)
Performed by Hilary Hahn & The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Conducted by Hugh Wolff
Licensed courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

User Reviews

Interesting Love Story But Hard to Follow

The Deep Blue Sea is a period romance focusing on Hester (Rachel Weisz), the wife of a judge who embarks on an affair with the reckless RAF pilot Freddie (Tom Hiddleston). However, overcome with a mixture of guilt and disappointment that her new life isn't quite what she'd hoped, she makes a dramatic decision which has disastrous consequences for herself and her relationships.

This film has quite a poignant story – it focuses a lot on emotion and doubt which are highly relatable even outwith the situation of the story itself. The period setting gives it a somehow more romantic edge and it really is an interesting love story. You can't help but understand the problems that Hester experiences with her troubled life, and the "grass is greener" feeling that draws her towards a seemingly more exciting life with Freddie. The story ebbs and flows in parallel with Hester's feelings, and at times takes some dark turns. Despite the story being good, I felt really let down by the direction – the scenes constantly switch between present day and very recent flashbacks with little discerning detail as to which is which. I found myself lost at many points during the film, unable to work out where it was in the story and having to rely on the odd bit of choice dialogue that would reveal the time setting. This is sadly very off-putting and took away from the punch that the script would have had otherwise.

Despite the scene confusions, Weisz and Hiddleston offer a beautiful, if difficult, romance that is really set alive by the strengths of them as actors. Weisz is on top form with a powerful but vulnerable performance, and Hiddleston suits the role of the troubled romantic (his character in this reminded me a lot of his role in "Only Lovers Left Alive" (2014) in which he was incredible). There was also good performances from smaller characters, most notably Hester's husband Sir William (Simon Russell Beale) who's role was vulnerable and gentle, an opposite to the rival of his wife's affections.

The Deep Blue Sea is quite a powerful and interesting love story, but sadly I felt that the possibility of this film being a great classic romance was tarnished somewhat by the lack of clarity in time shifts. Nevertheless, the story is good and it's worth a watch for the excellent characters and script.

Details

Official Sites:

Music Box Films [United States] Official site [United States]

Country:

UK Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 November 2011 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Deep Blue Sea

Filming Locations:

Three Mills Studios, Three Mill Lane, Bow, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$123,841, 25 March 2012

Gross USA:

$1,126,525

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,143,514

Company Credits

Production Co:

Camberwell / Fly Films, Film4, UK Film Council

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby Digital (Spanish dubbing mix)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1