EarDelightBase Waste of Money.

Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

GamerTab That was an excellent one.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

JohnHowardReid A London Films Production, presented by Alexander Korda. Copyright 1955 by London Film Productions. Released through 20th Century-Fox. New York opening at the Plaza: 12 October 1955. U.S. release: 20 November 1955. U.K. release: 27 September 1955. Australian release: 10 May 1956. 8,913 feet. 99 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Judge's wife falls for feckless flier.COMMENT: Aside from "The Village Squire" and "Gentleman's Agreement" (both 1935), this is the least known and certainly the least revived of Vivien Leigh's starring films. It's true there are reasons "The Deep Blue Sea" deserves its present obscurity. Chief of these is director, Anatole Litvak. Whilst he often blocks out his action effectively on the CinemaScope screen, he rarely moves the camera. Not only are there few pans and no tracking shots to speak of, even the director's famous "signature" crane shot is missing.The result is a rather stodgy, not to say stage-bound film. This impression is magnified by Vivien Leigh's overly theatrical performance which is at odds with the pitch at which other players, particularly Kenneth More, deliver their lines. As a result the audience never becomes really interested in Hester or absorbed in her problems. Some weak writing by Rattigan doesn't help either. Whilst the dialogue is often too verbose, characterization of all but the two principals remains stubbornly superficial.

writers_reign 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.

wright7700 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.

Pat-54 Vivien Leigh, one of the most beautiful women ever to appear on the screen, is the only reason to watch this movie. The plot is old and tired, but Miss Leigh is always a delight to watch.