The Deep Blue Sea

Although it perhaps doesn't conceal its stage origins as well as it might, The Deep Blue Sea is still a powerful and very affecting character drama. It's too bad that the producers decided to film what is essentially an intimate portrait in Cinemascope, but fortunately the performances of the first rate cast manage to fill the big screen without becoming oversized. And this is very much an actors' movie, starting with the stunning performance by Vivien Leigh. Leigh's performance was initially judged a bit too cold by some, but the coolness is simply on the surface; there's a deep reservoir of fire burning brightly and forcefully underneath the thin veneer of ice, appropriate for a woman whose deep, intense sexual desires have been frustrated both by society and by men who do not understand or totally accept them. Leigh understands, of course, that that rejection extends beyond her sexuality and is ultimately a deeper rejection of the character herself, and that understanding adds poignancy to her performance. There's also excellent work from Kenneth More and Emlyn Williams as the difficult men in Leigh's life, and a sensitive turn from Eric Portman as the doctor who ultimately saves her. Terence Rattigan's screenplay is a bit mechanical in places, especially to modern audiences, but his speeches have beauty and impact, and Anatole Litvak's direction is effective. All in all, Sea is well worth viewing. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide