The Deep (1977)

Beautifully photographed (by Christopher Challis) undersea adventure shot in Bermuda and the Virgin Islands. Directed by Peter Yates (BULLITT) and based on the novel by Peter Benchley (JAWS). A young vacationing couple (Nick Nolte, Jacqueline Bisset) discover a shipwreck while scuba diving and find two incongruous items, an 18th century Spanish medallion and an ampoule of amber fluid that turns out to be morphine. This discovery leads them to an expert (Robert Shaw) on sunken treasure but all three of their lives are put in danger by a drug kingpin (Louis Gossett Jr.) who'll stop at nothing to obtain the vials of morphine. The plot itself is in service to the splendid underwater sequences, some of the best put on film but one can't help and feel uneasy at how Bisset is constantly exploited. The film seems to be undressing her at every chance and, of course, the film is probably more remembered for Bisset's infamous wet T-shirt than anything else. The long underwater sequences provide an opportunity for some excellent scoring by John Barry to come to the forefront. With Eli Wallach.