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Donald Crowhurst, Francoise Moitessier de Cazalet, Simon Crowhurst, Bernard Moitessier, Clare Crowhurst ... see more see more... , Donald Kerr , Tilda Swinton , Ted Hynds , Santiago Franchessie , Robin Knox-Johnston , Ron Winspear

Co-directors Louise Osmond and Jerry Rothwell's historical documentary Deep Water chronicles one of the most infamous nautical tragedies of the past several decades. In autumn 1968, Britisher Donald C... read more read more...rowhurst, the proprietor of a down-and-out manufacturing business for marine electrical components, avowed to enter the first Golden Globe sailing competition -- a nonstop, one-man circumnavigational race against eight other competitors. In financing the boat via a deal with English entrepreneur Stanley Best, Crowhurst used his house as collateral. Relinquishing the voyage, or failing to complete it, would thus have instantly rendered Crowhurst homeless and driven his family into Chapter 11. But the voyage was doomed from the start: Crowhurst failed to finish building the craft prior to his October 31st departure, but set sail just the same, and thus sealed his own grim fate. Indeed, two weeks after Crowhurst sailed out of Devon, the boat began to leak substantially; recognizing that a trip into the Southern Ocean could spell disaster, a desperate Crowhurst radioed home with indications of phony distances and falsified his logbook; he then made an illegal pit stop in Argentina to repair the boat, and joined up with the rest of the competitors on the opposite side of Cape Horn, in the Atlantic. When Robin Knox-Johnston won the overall competition, Crowhurst and Nigel Tetley went head-to-head to win 5,000 pounds for the fastest voyage; Crowhurst recognized that a victory would yield scrutiny of his logbooks and unveil his deceptions to the world; he thus intended to preserve his reputation by coming in second. He didn't count, however, on Tetley's boat capsizing -- which led to Crowhurst's own victory. Foreseeing disaster, Crowhurst decided to end his life by drowning himself. In telling Crowhurst's sad story, Osmond and Rothwell intercut narration from Crowhurst's journals, archival film, and interviews with the sailor's family, friends, and colleagues. What emerges is a portrait of a man sinking rapidly into a pit of despair as he comes face to face with his own darkest nightmares of personal failure. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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81% liked it

4,402 ratings

Critics

96% liked it

54 critics

PG, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Jerry Rothwell, Louise Osmond

Release Date: September 3, 2006

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DVD Release Date: December 18, 2007

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Flixster Reviews (320)

  • TheDudeLebowski65
    May 12, 2012
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Deep Water is one of the poignant documentaries that I have seen. This film tells the true story of Donald Crowhurst, and Englishman who risked everything in a circumnavigational race around the world. Crowhurst was near bankrupt and needed the winnings of the race to save himsel... read moref. Deep Water is a flawless documentary and one of the best documentaries in recent memory. This is a true, courageous story, one that is also foolish, but one that also should be admired because of the will Crowhurst had to do everything to save his family. Deep Water is a great sailing documentary about a spectacular race, a true story that is captivating even though it is suicide. I loved this film, thought it was a powerful film from start to finish. If you enjoy a great documentary, then this is the perfect film for you to watch. A flawless film that tells a great story, Deep Water is truly a unique documentary. Brilliantly paced and directed, Deep Water looks at Crowhurts attempt and ultimate failure in attempting the race. The human emotion in recounting the decisions behinds Donald Crowhurst's failed race attempt is apparent, and it adds so much to this documentary. A brilliant, sad documentary Deep Water is a film that must be seen. This a great film from start to finish, one that tells a poignant story about a man who risked everything, and ultimately lost everything.
  • rubystevens
    November 27, 2009
    rubystevens
    a fascinating documentary on the first nonstop singlehanded sailing race around the world, the sunday times golden globe race held in 1968-69, before gps and most satellite communications. the race was open to all comers regardless of experience. what started as a grand adventu... read morere ended tragically for most of the 9 contestants. if u don't know this heartbreaking story already i don't want to spoil it so enough said.
  • Beefy
    November 22, 2009
    Beefy
    Documentary about first solo, non-stop boat race around the world. I expected a more mechanic how-they-did-it approach to the film, but instead it ended up focusing on the psychological toll it took on the sailors. It ended with a haunted chill.

    Good stuff.
  • harrycaul
    November 6, 2007
    harrycaul
    A superb film. A documentary, by it's very nature, can only be as good as the story it has to tell, and this one's a cracker. "Deep Water" raises the bar higher than the likes of "Touching the Void" by it's sheer wealth of contemporary footage and audio material. Donald Crowhurst... read more was a peculiarly British type of Boys-Own adventurer. He may have sought to deceive but he paid the ultimate price for doing so, and this film is a fitting tribute to it's flawed hero.
  • gor41
    June 30, 2007
    gor41
    Faultless account of a sad tale of old fashioned British dare-doing
  • gator681
    August 12, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]Between 1577 and 1581, Francis Drake and crew circumnavigated the globe and for his trouble he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I. During 1966-1967, Francis Chichester sailed around the world solo with a stopover in Australia for refitting and was knighted by... read more Queen Elizabeth II. Since that apparently was not daring enough, a contest was announced for the following year to sail solo non-stop around the world and nine men responded to the challenge.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]"Deep Water" is a haunting documentary about the madness and loneliness of the long distance explorer and the need for accomplishment. The movie focuses on the least likely of the contestants, Donald Crowhurst, engineer by trade and father of five, who in order to get financing for his self-designed catamaran, signed a contract saying in effect that he would be ruined if he did not start or dropped out early. Unlike his competitors, he was not an experienced sailor and almost missed the deadline on October 31, 1968 to set sail. That was the least of his troubles(Footage that he shot attests to this) as he took on water which was doable in calm waters but not if he continued into the turbulent South Atlantic. Since giving up was not a viable option, he came up with a third option...[/font]
  • revkev2
    January 14, 2009
    revkev2
    Very creepy and engrossing. Deep Water will give you much to think about: your life, being pushed to the edge and the terrible consequences of coincidence.

View All Deep Water Reviews

Critic Reviews

Jason Anderson
January 4, 2008
Jason Anderson, Globe and Mail

The details just get stranger and stranger. Full Review

Desson Thomson
November 3, 2007
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

As directed by Louise Osmond and Jerry Rothwell, the movie breezes along at a highly watchable clip, thanks to fluid, affecting intercutting of archival, black-and-white footage and present-day interv... Full Review

Bruce Westbrook
September 14, 2007
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle

For this gripping and amazing documentary, such truth emerges not just from the facts, but also the poetry of men who redefine themselves in a risky race on small sailboats. Full Review

Kirk Honeycutt
September 10, 2007
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter

Deep Water is a stunning documentary that not only beautifully elucidates a nearly forgotten incident but touches on crucial themes involving isolation, sanity, self-worth, impossible dreams, the natu...

G. Allen Johnson
September 7, 2007
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle

One of this year's better studies of the human soul. Full Review

Bill Stamets
September 7, 2007
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times

Osmond and Rothwell do a commendable job of mining a rich archive of material. Full Review

Joshua Katzman
September 7, 2007
Joshua Katzman, Chicago Reader

Osmond and Rothwell's depiction of his unraveling is an exquisitely structured drama. Full Review

Mark Feeney
September 7, 2007
Mark Feeney, Boston Globe

To reveal Crowhurst's decision would be to spoil a stunning tale. Deep Water is not itself comparably stunning. Full Review

Steven Rea
September 6, 2007
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Remarkable. Full Review

Rachel Saltz
September 1, 2007
Rachel Saltz, New York Times

A fascinating documentary about the first single-handed around-the-world sailing race, begins like a Boy's Own adventure tale but ends up more akin to tragedy. Full Review

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    • Narrator: We are all human beings, and we have dreams. This voyage was Don's.
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Deep Water Trivia

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