The Deep Blue Sea (1955)

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

What a joy to finally see the REAL Deep Blue Sea even in a poor print with fading colour, missing frames - apparently it is the only 35 mm print in existence and was, in fact, a print that was distributed to cinemas around the country in 1955. Projectionists regularly chopped frames out of prints either as souvenirs or because a film had torn perfs which needed to be removed lest it ground to a halt. Of course when you cut out a frame(s) you also cut the optical soundtrack that runs down the side, but even with all these faults one FRAME of this Anatole Litvak version, with a screenplay by Rattigan himself, is worth the ENTIRE pathetic remake by Terence Davies. Davies' producer had the effrontery to turn up and 'introduce' the screening and displayed a wonderful grasp of show biz by stating that on Broadway the part of Hester - created by Peggy Ashcroft - was played by Margaret O'Sullivan, and he compounded his ignorance by identifying O'Sullivan correctly as Jane in the Tarzan films when the actress who actually played Hester on Broadway was Margaret Sullivan and not MAUREEN O'Sullivan. Be that as it may this is THE version to see albeit at the moment that is impossible. It's full of well-known English actors of the day including Jimmy Hanley, wooden as ever, Dandy Nichols, Alec McCowan, Moira Lister, plus one Canadian, Arthur Hill, who didn't really register until he played opposite Uta Hagen in Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf. If you've got a moment you may feel like lobbying someone with a view to having this version fully restored and made available on DVD and at the same time having the Davies travesty made into banjo pics.

For a while it looked as though the BFI's Vivien Leigh season would be without "The Deep Blue Sea". As others have noted here, it's been unavailable for many years. Programme notes revealed that the BFI has a single 35mm print in its archive - with faded colour, sound damage in the first and last reels, and many splices. Nothing better could be located anywhere in the world. The BFI digitised the print and this was shown tonight to a sold-out house seemingly well aware this may be the only chance to see the film on the big screen. It looked better than anticipated. The performances are excellent. Incidentally, whoever said the film is "stagebound" can't have seen it since 1955. Rattigan's play has been cleverly opened out with flashbacks, many locations (among them an air show, Klosters, and the London Embankment) and several big studio sets including a law court, bars and pubs, and a huge recreation of London's Soho. I didn't have a pen and and have now forgotten many of the uncredited actors. But they include Frederick Schiller, Gerald Campion, Jacqueline Cox, Shandra (later Sandra)Walden, Amanda Coxell (later Mandy Harper),Patricia Hayes, Raymond Francis and John Boxer.

In the 21st century there are apparently no weak indecisive women like Hester ; women who totally subjugate themselves to men.Or if there are we never see them on the screen.Miss V.Leigh seems like a relic from the Victorian era,but in fact in the male - dominated 1950s middle - classes her character was not exactly ploughing a lonely furrow. Married to a judge,she would have spent most of her time re - arranging the doilies and making cucumber sandwiches for her husband's friends. No question of empowerment for her.Perhaps we should,in the circumstances have just a little sympathy for her,desperate to grab a little happiness and excitement with her ex - fighter pilot lover. The fact that he is,frankly,a bit of a trimmer,should merely increase that sympathy.As Freddie,Mr K.More plays against type.He has a superficial charm but there is less in him than meets the eye.Mr More was about to embark on a winning streak engendered by "Genevieve" and "Doctor in the house" and many of his fans viewed "The deep blue sea" in much the same way as Dirk Bogarde's regarded "The Doctor's Dilemma" - a temporary blip in a long and successful career. Miss Leigh lends her ethereal beauty to the role,and in an age when women were expected to be subservient,her self - effacement and naivety would have been looked on as desirable characteristics. She made so few movies that her devotees,naturally enough,trend to treasure each one.My personal preferences would be "St Martin's Lane" and "Waterloo Bridge" when her startling beauty leapt from the screen, here,in early middle age she still emits a strange innocence,as if her she can't believe what her heart is making her do. Mr E.Williams - actor/playwright/author - plays the judge as a fair and compassionate man with an understanding of human weakness.Both he and Freddie are characteristic creations of Mr Ratigan whose work was to become deeply unfashionable shortly after the release of this movie. Actors who wanted to get on the West End stage would soon have to learn to slurp their soup and eat their peas with a knife,and parts for butlers became in short supply. He may have been thought to have been biting the hands that fed him in "The deep blue sea" by depicting the theatre - going classes as immoral and clay - footed and as such a contributor to his own downfall,but the march of Osborne,Wesker,Pinter and co was inexorable. Viewed as a movie per se it is not particularly exciting,competent rather than inspired,ordinary rather than cutting edge,nobody was going to say to Mr Litvak "Tony,you're soooo rock 'n' rol1",but the essence of the play is put over well enough.Like so many works of the theatre it is best experienced in its own medium and is regularly revived quite successfully.As an example of the ouevre of the leading players it is a little out of the usual and consequently a curiosity rather than a "must-see",but if you want to see Mr More as a good old - fashioned cad this is your only chance to do so.

Vivien Leigh is the only reason to watch this film. While she is still beautiful and talented (as always), there just wasn't much she could do with this role. No one would be appealing as a weak-willed adulteress who leaves a good husband for a cad. Hester Collyer just doesn't know what she wants.This movie is very difficult to acquire and apparently has never been released on DVD or VHS. I can see why. The copy I ordered off ebay was not of the best quality. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the film was in color, but everything seemed red or fuzzy. The same street scene on the Thames in London was used over and over, and most of the interior shots were dark and depressing. Perhaps this was the intent of the makers. "Deep Blue Sea" suffers from some of the same problems as "Roman Spring of Mrs Stone"; the characters seem one-dimensional without a full range of emotions and little purpose in life. Miss (not Ms) Leigh aced the parts, but there just wasn't much to develop.At any rate, die-hard Vivien Leigh fans should check this out since it was her third to last film outing. Keep in mind there are many other superior choices in order: Gone With the Wind, Waterloo Bridge, Steetcar Named Desire and even Ship of Fools.