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DVD Description
Witness the birth of a new kind of documentary, as legendary diver, conservationist and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau takes you deep beneath the waves to explore a wealth of life that was previously hidden from view. As much of the technology for shooting film underwater was developed by Cousteau’s team, this was the first time such amazing sights could be captured on film. The result, a Technicolor 1950s masterpiece, succeeds both in revealing an untouched world of beauty, life and drama, as well as evoking a sense of adventure, freedom and boundless possibility. Set on board and below the good ship Calypso during an exploratory expedition, this feature-length documentary was co-directed by Cousteau and Louis Malle, whose first film this was (Cousteau selected Malle for this assignment immediately upon the latter's graduation from film school). Highlights include a shark attack on the carcass of a whale, and the discovery of a wrecked, sunken vessel. A window into the world beneath the sea as well as the colourful and nostalgic world of the 1950s, The Silent World was the start of an entire movement, and is now available on DVD as a vital part of any collection. This classic film is one of few to have won both the Academy Award (Best Documentary Feature) as well as the Palme D’Or in 1956.
Stills from The Silent World (Click for larger images)
Stills from The Silent World (Click for larger images)
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I sought out this DVD after seeing it on a diving holiday in the Red Sea in 2009. The version of the film I received from Amazon is English language, no need for subtitles.
Filmed in the late 1950's this film introduces the viewer to a new world - the undersea world of the scuba diver. Looking at the equipment that these guys (they are all men, I don't recall seeing a single female in the whole film) are entrusting their lives to, I can only admire their bravery. The pressure gauge that I use to monitor the contents of my air cylinder is nowhere to be seen. You know when your air is running out by the change in tone when you draw your next breath from the tank on your back! Each air tank has one air supply only - if you need to share this with another diver, there is a good chance one or both of you might panic and drown. Wetsuits look primitive. Nitrogen exposure is calculated with a set of printed tables and a wrist watch. Dive computers as we know them (hey, I dive with TWO on my wrist) are half a century into the future.
I would recommend it to any recreational diver, as an historical record, with one major caveat: at this point in his career, from the point of view of someone in the 21st century, Cousteau and his crew and the film-makers showed jaw-dropping contempt for some of the sea life around them.
The film includes footage of a reef being dynamited so that they can count the species of fish hiding there, including an unfortunate giant puffer hauled out onto the beach fully inflated and then speared for the benefit of the camera.
A diver showing off early underwater scooters switches to riding a handy turtle, hanging on until it is exhausted.
Sighting a sperm whale pod, one of the crew at first pretends to try harpooning them. The Calypso then accidentally runs over a juvenile sperm whale, mortally injuring it, with the result that the crew then harpoon it for real and finally shoot it dead to put it out of its misery. The sea is full of the poor creature's blood. When - understandably - sharks turn up to help dispose of the body, the crew hook the sharks out of the water and kill them too, on the deck of the Calypso.
The photography is amazing, stunning even considering the equipment available. You are seeing the advent of a new era of exploration, which would eventually lead to industrial, scientific and recreational scuba diving as we now know it. The film includes the crew exploring the wreck of the "Thistlegorm", now a major tourist attraction in the Red Sea between Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada. You can see the wreck as it was discovered by the Calypso crew with the hold contents and ship's bell etc intact.
So, not one for the squeamish, but worth watching if only so you can see what 50 years of progress looks like.
Just remember that in 50 years time, our descendants will be looking at us in exactly the same way...
Filmed in the late 1950's this film introduces the viewer to a new world - the undersea world of the scuba diver. Looking at the equipment that these guys (they are all men, I don't recall seeing a single female in the whole film) are entrusting their lives to, I can only admire their bravery. The pressure gauge that I use to monitor the contents of my air cylinder is nowhere to be seen. You know when your air is running out by the change in tone when you draw your next breath from the tank on your back! Each air tank has one air supply only - if you need to share this with another diver, there is a good chance one or both of you might panic and drown. Wetsuits look primitive. Nitrogen exposure is calculated with a set of printed tables and a wrist watch. Dive computers as we know them (hey, I dive with TWO on my wrist) are half a century into the future.
I would recommend it to any recreational diver, as an historical record, with one major caveat: at this point in his career, from the point of view of someone in the 21st century, Cousteau and his crew and the film-makers showed jaw-dropping contempt for some of the sea life around them.
The film includes footage of a reef being dynamited so that they can count the species of fish hiding there, including an unfortunate giant puffer hauled out onto the beach fully inflated and then speared for the benefit of the camera.
A diver showing off early underwater scooters switches to riding a handy turtle, hanging on until it is exhausted.
Sighting a sperm whale pod, one of the crew at first pretends to try harpooning them. The Calypso then accidentally runs over a juvenile sperm whale, mortally injuring it, with the result that the crew then harpoon it for real and finally shoot it dead to put it out of its misery. The sea is full of the poor creature's blood. When - understandably - sharks turn up to help dispose of the body, the crew hook the sharks out of the water and kill them too, on the deck of the Calypso.
The photography is amazing, stunning even considering the equipment available. You are seeing the advent of a new era of exploration, which would eventually lead to industrial, scientific and recreational scuba diving as we now know it. The film includes the crew exploring the wreck of the "Thistlegorm", now a major tourist attraction in the Red Sea between Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada. You can see the wreck as it was discovered by the Calypso crew with the hold contents and ship's bell etc intact.
So, not one for the squeamish, but worth watching if only so you can see what 50 years of progress looks like.
Just remember that in 50 years time, our descendants will be looking at us in exactly the same way...
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Used to David Attenborough, who loves and cares for all animals, this comes in as a bit of a shock. I felt ill when they killed all the sharks as brutally as possible, and did not like that they made fun of animals - even dying ones. It's a piece of history, but I had a hard time appreciating the poetic parts as it so often changed into bad treatment of one or more animals.
For those who don't mind things like that, I can say that the edition is nice. The picture is probably as good as it can get. But there is no subtitles, so if you don't know french you can't watch it with the original french audio.
For those who don't mind things like that, I can say that the edition is nice. The picture is probably as good as it can get. But there is no subtitles, so if you don't know french you can't watch it with the original french audio.
4 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
This is a Question not a review:
Is the quality any better on Blu-Ray than the DVD version?
Does anyone know what film size this was shot on - I suspect it was 16mm, if this were the case then would Blu-Ray show any higher resolution than DVD given the limited resolution of 16mm?
Note that I have given it 5 stars as the DVD film is excellent (regardless of the film resolution).
Is the quality any better on Blu-Ray than the DVD version?
Does anyone know what film size this was shot on - I suspect it was 16mm, if this were the case then would Blu-Ray show any higher resolution than DVD given the limited resolution of 16mm?
Note that I have given it 5 stars as the DVD film is excellent (regardless of the film resolution).
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