Main Cast: Vivien Leigh, Kenneth More, Eric Portman, Emlyn Williams, Moira Lister
Release Year: 1955
Country: UK
Run Time: 99 minutes
Plot
Adapted from the play by Terence Rattigan, The Deep Blue Sea stars Vivien Leigh as the troubled wife of a London attorney (Emlyn Williams). Racked with emotional problems, Leigh turns her back on her loveless marriage and sets up house with a handsome RAF officer (Kenneth More). When her lover proves to be shallow and unreliable, Leigh attempts to kill herself. She is rescued by a gambler (Eric Portman), who'd once been a doctor before being drummed out of his profession in disgrace. The kindly ex-doctor builds up Leigh's confidence in herself, allowing her to go on with her life without relying upon men to define her self-image. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
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
