The Deep Blue Sea (2012)
Mature themes, sex scene and coarse language
| Director: | Terence Davies |
| Actors: | Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston, Simon Russell Beale, Christopher Karl Johnson, Karl Johnson, Barbara Jefford, Ann Mitchell |
In a deeply vulnerable performance, Rachel Weisz plays Hester Collyer, the wife of an upper-class judge (Simon Russell Beale) and a free spirit trapped in a passionless marriage. Her encounter with Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston), a troubled former Royal Air Force pilot, throws her life in turmoil, as their erotic relationship leaves her emotionally stranded and physically isolated.
| Status: | QuickPick |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 100mins |
| Origin: | UNITED KINGDOM |
| Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 |
That sinking feeling
by Simon Miraudo, 19/03/2012 11:15:00 AM
Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston star as illicit lovers in this adaptation of Terence Rattigan’s acclaimed play The Deep Blue Sea. When it first debuted on the stage back in 1952, the post-war setting was a contemporary one. Sixty years ago, it was likely an immediate, intense, and important piece of work. But today, thanks to Terence Davies’ adaptation, it feels like a turgid, ponderous, unsuitably melodramatic tale that is over-performed and over-written (kind of like this review). That’s not to denigrate Rattigan’s legacy, of course (his play’s standing in the history books won’t be dislodged). As a modern movie, however, The Deep Blue Sea is more concerned with replicating period detail than anything else. It begins with the attempted suicide of lovelorn Hester (Weisz), who has aban...
Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston star as illicit lovers in this adaptation of Terence Rattigan’s acclaimed play The Deep Blue Sea. When it first debuted on the stage back in 1952, the post-war setting was a contemporary one. Sixty years ago, it was likely an immediate, intense, and important piece of work.
But today, thanks to Terence Davies’ adaptation, it feels like a turgid, ponderous, unsuitably melodramatic tale that is over-performed and over-written (kind of like this review). That’s not to denigrate Rattigan’s legacy, of course (his play’s standing in the history books won’t be dislodged). As a modern movie, however, The Deep Blue Sea is more concerned with replicating period detail than anything else.
It begins with the attempted suicide of lovelorn Hester (Weisz), who has abandoned her husband, an esteemed judge (Simon Russell Beale), for rambunctious, sweet-talking pilot Freddie (Hiddleston).Though we don’t understand her motives at first, we eventually learn that Hester’s love for Freddie is only matched by her insatiable lust, and that Freddie only reciprocates it somewhat. Over the course of one day – paging Mrs. Dalloway! – Hester, saved from the brink of death by nosy neighbours, tries to win back Freddie, secure a divorce, and ignore the emotional scars imprinted on her by WW2, despite traumatic reminders surrounding her flat in war-torn London.
Weisz and Hiddleston share some nice moments, but they (and the feature as a whole) struggle to find the right balance between stiff-upper-lip character drama grounded in reality and histrionic-happy melodrama. Davies’ undeniably makes a pretty picture, but it’s ultimately an empty one. It bears comparison with Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House, but Mrs. Dalloway is surely the closest relative. Much like that Virginia Woolf classic, the late Rattigan has similarly inspired an underwhelming film too.
2/5
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Member Reviews (14)
14 Member
Reviews
Crystal
says
Slow...........so slow.......... And such an unbelievable relationship! Started miserable, finished miserably.
says
Remember, as a kid, being dragged off to spend an interminable afternoon with an elderly relative? Well, this movie captures that feeling of mind numbing tedium with uncanny accuracy. We turned it off at the 15 minute mark; in retrospect, should have read the reviews here first or turned it off sooner.
kaye
says
Don't waste your time! This is a stinker!
Sybil
says
Waste of time
says
It was a disappointment. I was really looking forward to this movie as I think Rachel Weisz is a wonderful actor. However, I could barely make it past the first half hour with this film. Slow and boring. What a shame!
Harlowe
says
One of the worst movies I have EVER seen! There is absolutely no backstory or anything to make the viewer feel any kind of empathy in either direction with the main characters. The characters come across as pathetic and one dimensional with no endearing qualities whatsoever. There are not even any decent sex scenes to make up for it!
CL-D
says
A rivetting story about love set in depressing post war Britain. An unsensational rendition of a woman trapped in a sexless stifling marriage to a mother's boy Judge. She unfortunately falls in love with another flashier type who can only partially reciprocate. She was not filled with self pity but rather understood all the implications of her predicament yet realised she was on a hiding to nothing with only love as a fragile lifeboat to keep her going. You always knew she was going to stick with a lost cause to the bitter end, like so many people do, simply out of love. Brilliantly acted, scripted and shot but you have to be in the right mood as it can get depressing and morbid. It's not a movie I could say I "enjoyed" but more one to be appreciated. Not a foot was put wrong in this finely crafted movie from Terence Davies.
xx
says
slow and uninteresting...
Bill Spencer
says
A tense and somewhat depressing film, good depiction of 1950 England ( if you were there) but very poor sound - at 80% volume the music was deafening yet some of the dialogue almost inaudible. Good performances from the cast.
david simon
says
yawn!
Jenny
says
Slow and tedious.
Sil
says
This follows one woman and her extreme self-involvement and self pity. It drags on and on and you just want her to get a grip. The ending does, however, show she is about to take that step.
dan
says
boring
kimbo
says
Boring lousy movie