The Deep Blue Sea

11/14/2022

I can't help but feel that this film is one purely for devotees of Vivien Leigh, rather than one with much more general appeal. Her depiction of the rather selfish "Hester", stuck in an unhappy marriage with High Court Judge "Sir William" (Emyln Williams) whilst having a pretty open affair with former fighter pilot "Freddie" (Kenneth More) is really rather frosty, almost sterile. We start as she is found asleep in a chair, knocked out by a combination of sleeping pills and the gas from the fire. Eric Portman, a fellow lodger, helps revive her and we gradually begin to unravel her complicated situation driven by an almost self-destructive approach to her own life and to her relationships with both of her men. Sadly, though Williams performs adequately as her still loving and supportive husb