Film: 'The Silent World' (1956)

After a two hour bicycle ride to something that didn't end up happening, you can get a bit erratic. This is liable to be a mass of eclectic and disconnected words! Or, it could become even worse, and veer into Trumpland. No, it will never get that bad... No more politics here ever, short of a constitutional disaster.

Actually, it might be a good time to break the alternating rule of Quirky Muffin posts and talk about the film seen today, 'The Silent World' from 1956. This was the breakthrough movie for pioneering oceanic explorer Jacques Cousteau. Cousteau actually co-developed the scuba system that has been used so much since its inception, and pretty much inspired underwater filming, thus making himself indirectly responsible for 'Thunderball'. Ah, 'Thunderball', a topic for another day.

'The Silent World' is equal parts fascinating and terrifying. For every beautiful underwater sequence with the fish or coral reefs, there is something at best disquieting and at worst rather revolting. Also, there is the Continental divide in terms of style and behaviour, but that's to be expected from such a French production. Louis Malle made the film, and that's a familiar name for some reason.

Why is it good? Mostly because it was a one of a kind movie that launched a whole sequence of screen productions for Cousteau (apparently a hero of the French Resistance???), and introduced the very idea of oceanic documentaries and submarine photography. It's also oddly quirky in places, and has a cute roly-poly daschund. Why is it troubling? Because the crew are very uncaring about sea-life and the damage they are inflicting, and display strong streaks of cruelty in the way they do things. Not only do they dynamite a patch of ocean in order to catalogue the (now dead) sea life in the region, but they also torment turtles and tortoises by hitching rides in their respective environments until the creatures become exhausted, and crowd a herd of sperm whales to the point they chop up a baby one with the Calypso's propellor. Then, when sharks turn up for the calf's corpse, they massacre the predators with great violence and malice just for doing what's natural. It's very strange. How frustrating it was to see the turtle struggling to reach the surface and its much needed breath while a great big oik was hanging on behind.

Despite all the downsides, it's still a beautiful film, and it does hold you for the eighty minutes. It's just a shame that it has such a cruel streak at times. They had the underwater scooters! Now, to a cycling inspired long sleep...

O.

Note: Louis Malle was the director of 'My Dinner With Andre'. Connection made!