Runtime: 124 minutes
Directed by: Peter Yates
Starring: Nick Nolte, Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Shaw, Louis Gossett, Jr., Eli Wallach
From: Columbia
There’s a scene featuring cricket. I mention that as someone I follow on Letterboxd has been viewing films which have at least one scene containing the sport. It’s background to a scene of two key characters conversating w/ each other; whether or not they’ve interested in a viewing just for that reason…
As for The Deep, it was a movie my late mother enjoyed! She passed away this month 5 years ago; no, not because of COVID but rather due to an illness she had since the start of 2020. As many know this for an infamously gratuitous moment involving Jacqueline Bisset, there may be surprise that she was a fan. While I don’t know for certain, the presumption is “it was an aquatic adventure in a scenic location from the guy that wrote Jaws and Robert Shaw played a key role.”
The opening was lovely—Nick Nolte & Jacqueline Bisset diving underwater in Bermuda, a lovely John Barry score in the background, many lovely sights to see. That includes… Bisset obviously diving underwater in only a white t-shirt and no bra! How shameless that was—that is what sticks out by modern standards, no pun intended. A shame that due to the era, she was endangered more than once-still, at least her character did contribute at times. Bisset did a swell job in the part.
She and Nolte were a couple vacationing in Bermuda who discovered something that may be treasure but of course there are rivals; this includes Lou Gossett, Jr. in an ominous part as a Haitian. Nolte wasn’t quite the grumpy Nick Nolte we all expect, although he still did some yelling. Shaw, though… the echoes of Quint were unconcealed and that character gave no F’s, even when it came to voodoo and well, something bad happens to a cat, unfortunately.
A common complaint is that The Deep is “boring;” I won’t argue with anyone who feels that way. However, movies like that usually aren’t boring in my eyes as long as interesting elements were present. I never wavered in my interest due to the cast which had other familiar faces (Robert Tessier, Eli Wallach, Mr. Universe turned wrestler turned actor on rare occasions Earl Maynard), stunning views of Bermuda, and of course the copious amounts of underwater footage, filmed in that area, the British Virgin Islands, and even Australia. It still looks great today.
Others won’t find the film as interesting as me; I was entertained despite the measured pacing. The movie was a big hit at the time and even had a theme song from Donna Summer. The Deep didn’t resonate in people’s minds like a big hit yet my mom was a fan. A shame on my part that I never gave The Deep a shot while she was alive so discussion could be had w/ her. Randomly, the movie has been on the Criterion Channel for awhile now, which is how I went on a pleasant journey to Bermuda.
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