Le Monde du silence

Fuck Jacques Cousteau. This doco shows him (and more his crew) to be a bunch of retarded fuckwits.

Wonderfully shot, crafted with Elegance, the film loses its apparent beauty with the unapologetic attitude of the barbaric explorers, damaging the environment to seek beauty. Malle's undeniable craft shines through these contemporary issues, that in 1949, were not existent at all.

Totally enjoyable, except for that time they kill a whale, or that time they dynamite a reef, or that part where they kill a bunch of sharks with axes for some reason.

It's incredible that a film this advanced in cinematography and aesthetic innovation was made in 1956. If the senseless animal cruelty was substituted by something that served the subject matter more fittingly and gracefully, the film's rightful acclaim masterful filmmaking would be even more justified.

But it makes the sea beautiful and interesting.

This was an interesting documentary which has to be viewed as a product of it's time; some actions of Cousteau & Co. are very questionable from today's point of view. Underwater photography is great especially considering this was done in the 50's. After reading comments on IMDB it's obvious that despite it's flaws, this has been a very important doc to many and lured people to the field of marine research.