THE BIG BLUE

THE BIG BLUE

by
Luc Besson

Bob Garland

Marylin Golden

"God is at the bottom of the sea and

I dive to find him."

Enzo Maiorca

FADE IN:

EXT. GREEK ISLAND - SUNSET

CREDIT SEQUENCE:

The image is in black and white.

The sun disappears behind arid cliffs which cast giant

shadows on the sea.

A little boy around 8 years old -- tanned from head to toe

-- sprints along the cliffs, scrambles from one rock to

another with amazing agility.

In one hand, he carries a transparent plastic bag. In the

other, a net bag containing flippers, mask, pants and

sweater.

The only thing that slows him down is his bathing suit --

obvious hand-me-downs -- way too big. He tugs on them as

he goes, holding them up... Until they slide again... as

he leaps again... and pulls them up...

The little boy is JACQUES MAYOL.

End credits.

EXT. GREEK ISLAND - SUNSET

JACQUES reaches a ledge jutting out over a deserted cove.

He spits in his mask... expertly spreads the spit with a

finger... locks his feet into the flippers... and dives.

He surfaces a long way out... adjusts his mask... and

swims away from shore.

IN OPEN SEA

The boy stops swimming -- starts to gulp air -- sucks it

in -- oxygenating his blood in a series of deep rapid

breaths -- almost hyperventilating, almost alarming if

we've never seen this before.

His gaze is glued to the ocean floor. Clear clear water.

40 feet deep. And intensely blue.

Suddenly, he catches his breath and dives -- into the

blue.

UNDERWATER

JACQUES touches bottom. Clamps his legs around a rock to

hold himself down. Unhurried, thoroughly at home, 40 feet

under... he opens the plastic bag. A huge speckled moray

eel appears in a hole in the rock, slithers toward him.

The carnivore's jaws are bigger than the boy's head.

The boy smiles at him. Pulls a piece of raw meat out of

his bag and holds it out. The eel takes the morsel

delicately -- and slithers back into his hole.

Gravely, JACQUES takes another morsel out of the bag.

EXT. VILLAGE - DUSK

JACQUES walks up a steep road bordering the port, almost

dry now.

Two boys about his age run up the streets; call out, catch

up with him and gesture toward the port.

THE BOYS

Jacques! Come quick!

EXT. PIER - DUSK

The little boys tug JACQUES to the end of the pier and

point to something in the water.

BOYS

Look! Right there! It's shining!

JACQUES walks over, and sure enough sees something shining

a few feet down in the water.

JACQUES

(squinting)

A coin.

FIRST BOY

I found it.

SECOND BOY

Liar!

Camera pans and we see a middle-aged PRIEST loading

supplies into a small boat. He stops to watch the

children's negotiations. Little JACQUES is putting his

flippers on.

JACQUES

Ok. I'll get it, but no fighting,

all right?

The two boys nod as they point to the coin.

JACQUES

We'll split it.

FIRST BOY

You can't split a coin. That's

stupid.

SECOND BOY

He's right. You're stupid.

The pope smiles.

JACQUES

Then we'll buy something and split

that.

SECOND BOY

A helicopter...

JACQUES

It's a small coin.

FIRST BOY

A Ferrari.

SECOND BOY

I don't want a Ferrari... What is

it?

JACQUES

(interrupting them)

Maybe a little radio.

The two boys look at each other.

JACQUES

Well. We'll decide later. The light

is going.

SECOND BOY

I get the radio from after school,

until midnight.

FIRST BOY

Since when do you stay up until

midnight?

JACQUES

All right, all right... Can I

concentrate? And you can stop

pointing. I've seen it.

VOICE (O.S.)

I've seen it too.

The voice is ENZO'S. Another young boy wearing little

round glasses.

FIRST BOY

(annoyed)

Shit, it's the Italian!

He is slightly older than JACQUES but he is taller. ENZO

is with ROBERTO, his younger brother, the only one allowed

to carry his flippers. Five kids are behind him.

ENZO

Well, if it isn't the little

Frenchman! How is the little

Frenchman?

JACQUES

(cool)

Fine!

ENZO pats JACQUES on the shoulder and leaves his hand

there -- a lightly intimidating gesture.

ENZO

You don't mind if I go instead, do

you?

JACQUES

(intimidated, and

pretending not to

be)

No...

ENZO

If you did mind, you'd tell me,

wouldn't you?

ENZO pats his shoulder reassuringly.

ENZO

(to his brother)

Roberto, mio palmo!

ROBERTO who has already started to moisten his big

brother's gear in the water, holds a pair of dripping

flippers and a glistening mask. The pope watches the

scene with obvious pleasure.

ENZO

(to his brother on

the edge of the

pier)

Count!

Sure of himself, ENZO takes a deep breath and dives in the

water. ROBERTO counts out loud.

ROBERTO

1... 2... 3...

The kids all walk over to the edge of the pier. A few

feet away, JACQUES takes off his flippers.

ROBERTO

4... 5... 6...

ENZO bursts out of the water, the coin in his hand. The

children cheer and clap. ROBERTO rushes to catch the

equipment that comes flying at him, piece by piece.

ENZO walks over to JACQUES.

ENZO

(showing him the

coin)

Who's is it now? You saw it but I

dove for it!

JACQUES doesn't answer.

ENZO smiles and slowly puts the coin in his pocket. He

pulls it out again and waves it under JACQUES' nose.

ENZO

(without turning

around)

Roberto? How long?

ROBERTO

Six seconds.

ENZO looks at JACQUES for a while.

ENZO

I'll throw it back into the water.

You dive and if you do less than

six, it's yours.

JACQUES doesn't say anything, then finally shakes his

head, negatively. ENZO smiles, taps him on the shoulder.

ENZO

Brava!

The first boy finally sums up his courage to speak.

BOY

(timidly)

Enzo? I saw the coin first... We

split?

ENZO

(smiling)

You can't split a coin, stupid.

ENZO laughing, sticks the coin in his pocket and leaves

the pier with his gang.

The pope smiles and pulls a coin from his pocket.

With his flippers dangling from one hand, JACQUES sadly

stares out at the sea. The pope calls him over.

PRIEST

Jacques... Come, look.

JACQUES goes over to him, sees where he is pointing, the

faint gleam of the coin underwater.

PRIEST

Is it a coin shining down there?

JACQUES

(overjoyed)

It is. It's a coin! I'll get it

for you, Father!

PRIEST

It'll be for the poor.

JACQUES, intent on the coin's glimmer, quickly slips on

his fins, prepares his mask. He swims in the water like a

fish, goes directly to the coin. Scoops it up, brings it

to the surface.

He breaks water, waves the coin, looks for the priest and

sees he is no longer there.

JACQUES

Padre?

He looks at the ancient impression on the coin -- "Boy on

a Dolphin".

DISSOLVE TO:

ON JACQUES - UNDERWATER

He's swimming near the spot where he fed the moray eel.

He senses something behind him and turns around. He sees

a dolphin, still and silent, floating vertically. It

seems to be watching him. The surprise is such that

JACQUES is in a panic, leaps up to the surface...

ON JACQUES - IN BED

He bolts upright, as if suddenly awakening from a dream.

INT. ROOM - ON JACQUES' FATHER - DARK

A BURLY MAN, around fifty, crosses the room in the shadows

and throws open the shutters with a bang. Sunlight pours

in. He walks over to JACQUES' bed in the one room house,

and runs his hand through his hair.

FATHER

(with a smile)

... Come on, time to get up,

Jacques!

JACQUES rubs his eyes. His father walks over to a pile of

blankets on the floor, on the other side of the room. He

gives the pile a kick.

FATHER

(screaming at the

top of his lungs)

Louis, wake up!

He uncovers a kettle on the fire and ladles up a big bowl

of soup for Jacques. A fifty year old man pokes his head

out from under the pile of blankets. It's UNCLE LOUIS,

who is having a very hard time, waking up.

EXT. HOUSE - DAY

JACQUES bursts out of the house, running. Diving gear

under his arm. A piece of buttered bread in his mouth.

He catches up with his father and UNCLE LOUIS. They're on

a path winding down to the port. JACQUES slows down

abruptly. Tries to imitate their stride. The weather is

balmy and the sea lies before them, peaceful and blue.

EXT. SEA - DAY

Their boat on the water. The chug of its ENGINE ECHOES

off the cliffs. A few gulls -- drawn by the sound -- skim

the waves of its wake.

EXT. BOAT - DAY

On board. JACQUES' Father checks the antique air pump.

JACQUES polishes the enormous copper diver's helmet and

lays out the rest of an old fashioned deep sea diver's

suit.

At the foot of an old monastery another boat passes.

The Priest is in it.

JACQUES' Father and LOUIS take off their caps. JACQUES

takes the gold coin out of his pocket.

The pope nods to JACQUES. His father looks over at him

without understanding. The child quickly puts the coin

back in his pocket.

EXT. BOAT - DAY

LOUIS casts anchor. A few feet away, siting on a rock,

the kid with little round glasses is fishing. He turns

around to the boat. JACQUES smiles and waves at him.

ENZO waves back, obviously disturbed in his fishing

session.

FATHER

Jacques, come help me.

JACQUES helps his father into the diver's suit. The burly

man struggles into a pair of weighted lead shoes. He

seems sluggish and tired. JACQUES watches worriedly. He

has a weird feeling.

JACQUES

You shouldn't dive everyday, Papa.

UNCLE LOUIS

Then you shouldn't eat everyday,

Jacques.

His father catches him fondly by the scruff of the neck.

FATHER

(winks at him)

Don't worry. When I'm tired down

there, the mermaids help me out.

Father and son smile at each other. Then his father puts

the helmet on. JACQUES joins LOUIS at the pump.

The heavy diver's suit disappears slowly underwater. The

gleaming copper helmet is the last thing to slide out of

sight.