The Deep (1977)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Peter Yates

Writers:

Peter Benchley (novel)
Peter Benchley (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 June 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

Is the treasure worth the terror? [Video Australia]

Plot:

A pair of young vacationers are involved in a dangerous conflict with treasure hunters when they discover a way into a deadly wreck in Bermuda waters...

Plot Keywords:

Treasure | Bermuda | Water | Underwater | Moray Eel

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Robert Shaw	...	Romer Treece
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Gail Berke
Nick Nolte	...	David Sanders
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Henri Cloche (as Louis Gossett)
Eli Wallach	...	Adam Coffin
Dick Anthony Williams	...	Slake
Earl Maynard	...	Ronald
Bob Minor	...	Wiley
Teddy Tucker	...	The Harbor Master
Robert Tessier	...	Kevin
Lee McClain	...	Johnson

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo | Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1977) | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | UK:A (cut)

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

Casablanca Filmworks

Trivia:

In the beginning of the movie while Gail is diving, she reaches under a part of the shipwreck and gets her arm yanked by the giant green moray, which causes her to scream in pain. In real life, her stunt-double, Jackie Kilbride, dislocated her shoulder doing this scene. A diver was told to pull the stick attached to her wrist from inside the wreck. When the stick appeared he pulled with all his might (as instructed). The scene was done in one take with multiple cameras as there was no chance (or need) for repeating it.

Quotes:

Romer Treece: Hey, boy, this is "Goliath" trash! What the bastard hell were you doing diving down there?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "I Love the '70s: Volume 2" (2006)

Soundtrack:

THE DEEP

Linear Adventure in Wonderful Locations

In Bermudas, while diving for pleasure, David Sanders (Nick Nolte) and Gail Berke (Jacqueline Bisset) find a submerged vessel, and they bring a couple of objects withdrawn from the ship. They look for the advice of Romer Treece (Robert Shaw), an expert in treasures and old ships, and they realize that indeed there were two vessels in the same location: a French one, from the Eighteenth Century, with a treasure in jewels, and another one, from the war, with a load of morphine. David and Gail associate to Treece, trying to recover part of the underwater wealth. Meanwhile, the powerful Haitian drug dealer Henri Cloche (as Louis Gossett Jr.) menaces the group, trying to get the drugs. "The Deep" is a very linear adventure, without any plot point or surprises. The wonderful locations, the magnificent photography, the good cast and the amazing beauty of Jacqueline Bisset support this movie, which is recommended for killing time only. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Fundo do Mar" ("The Bottom of the Sea")