Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3507 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-04-16
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Black & White, Colour, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 89 minutes

DVD Description
DEEP WATER is the stunning true story of the fateful voyage of Donald Crowhurst, an amateur yachtsman who enters the most daring nautical challenge ever - the very first solo, non-stop, round-the-world boat race

Synopsis
DEEP WATER tells the story of Donald Crowhurst, who entered the first Sunday Times Golden Globe solo, non-stop, round-the-world, boat race in 1968. His boat began its journey slowly but, as the race progressed, reports of his position at sea showed that electronics inventor Crowhurst was covering great distances every day. The news made headlines across the world but as the world waited for Crowhurst to cross the finishing line, the shocking truth was revealed. DEEP WATER includes interviews with Donald Crowhurst’s family and is narrated by actress Tilda Swinton.

Customer Reviews

Important story, well made...
Having read the excellent Tomalin/Hall book of this story, and then the reviews here at Amazon, it was apparent there'd be little else added to a tale that has been in the making for nearly thirty years. True enough there wasn't, but only factually.

Nevertheless, I still thoroughly enjoyed this documentary film. Having watched the interviews with Crowhurst's wife and one of his sons, I couldn't help but feel truly sorry for his family and Crowhurst himself, something that the book didn't really manage for me (even though the book is superb). The footage of the disastrous start to Crowhurst's race out of Teignmouth made me laugh out loud, which is pretty odd seeing as I knew how this tragic tale ended.

After reading the book I felt Crowhurst was just a chancer/Mittyesque character that took a big gamble and lost in the ultimate way. After the film, I still felt some of this this but the difference was I ended up liking Donald Crowhurst. Of course, the film-makers may have been more sympathetic to get the co-operation from the family but I like to think this is an accurate representation of the tale as it was. At the end, I felt genuinely moved by what I'd just seen.

If you don't have the time or inclination to wade through 275 pages of the book, then rent or buy this little treasure. It may be lacking the finer detail of the book but it added something important; the human side to all this and the effect that a tormented mans dream had on everyone around him. Overall it's an important story that should be heard. The film describes the story simply, is filmed nicely, has crucial interviews with many of the main players and therefore I recommend it highly.

Overwhelming
I'm no film buff nor literary critic so excuse this amateur appraisal but, for me, Deep Water was one of those films you'll remember for the rest of your life. It was painfully tagic, with no winners, only pain and heartache for all concerned. Very well put together, great contributions from fellow sailors, journalists and family with wonderful footage from the time. It's now over a year since I last saw it and it still haunts me. What different times yachtsmen live in today but it doesn't alter the fact that we are all just human, all equally fallible. Great film.

Thoughtful, sad documentary. Hardly a boy's own adventure...
This is an excellent, feature-length documentary about the Round The World yacht race of the late 1960s.
It's constructed from actual footage of the journeys, plus interviews of those who took part and their families, plus some very clever modern filming which neatly bridges the gaps.

The story is a sad one, about Donald Crowhurst, one of the competitors.
He was one of only nine competitors to enter the race. He viewed it very much as a way to make his fortune, a boy's own adventure that would set him up for life.

Instead it destroyed him, and this film explains how and why.

It's a very clever documentary which certainly influences the viewer's feelings -- you start by being incredulous that someone with so little experience even entered this appalling competition, and end up wishing that history could have played out differently.

It gives great insights into the trials and attractions of solo yachting, the savagery of the seas, and the accomplishment of the race winner.
But this is a film for mature appreciation.
It's not a splash-and-dash crowd pleaser.
And it doesn't end well, unlike the producers' previous effort of Touching the Void.
So Deep Water is probably not one to watch if you're in a sad mood, but if you enjoyed Touching the Void then you may well find it compelling viewing.