The Big Blue

THE BIG BLUE Screenplay by Luc Besson, Bob Garland, Marylin Golden. "God is at the bottom of the sea and I dive to find him." ENZO MAIORCA Final Draft, 1988 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.