Oceans Movies!
As we approach the end of Week 2, and the weather has been so awful this week, I thought you might appreciate a list of ocean based movies from a selection of PhD students here at NOCS. These are in no particular order, and are a mix of documentaries and fiction. Some are all about the ocean, some focus on natural disasters, and some focus on the significant threats to the ecosystem from human activity. Have you seen any? Feel free to share your thoughts below, and suggest more to our audience of ocean lovers!
I have chosen a few that are topical, and not necessarily that easy to watch (Sharkwater and The Cove especially), but each have important messages.
1. Blue Planet
A seminal TV series, and the top of the list for those we spoke to today about what to watch. Many will have already seen this one, it is one of Attenborough’s finest, not currently available on the BBC iPlayer, though a selection of clips still are at the series home page here. There is also an excellent playlist from the series from the BBC Earth Youtube Channel. For those of you particularly entranced by bioluminescence, there is an excellent clip from the series here:
2. The Cove
This movie came out in 2009, focuses on the campaign of Ric O’Barry, who trained the original “Flipper” dolphins. The film is not easy watching, it details the Taiji dolphin hunt and massacres, and then follows through to how the meat from these dolphins is then fed to school children in Japan. The bioaccumulation of mercury in dolphins makes this an unsafe practise, and although the film has garnered criticism and a law suit, it is well worth watching:
3. Encounters at the End of the Word
This wonderful documentary is focused on life in Antarctica, not strictly related to the oceans in all aspects, but a fascinating view of some of the scientists who are involved in the ongoing work to understand past climates. A number of the scientists working here at NOCS have spent time on cruises around the continent, where rich records of productivity, temperature and ocean circulation have been developed.
4. The End of the Line
Another movie designed to raise awareness, this time over the current (2009) fishing practices and patterns of consumption, Narrated by Ted Danson, the film highlights the need for all of us to practise responsible purchasing of our fish, and why it is important to know where our fish came from, and how sustainable it is to eat each species (you may find this website useful if you are concerned about overfishing)
5. The Day After Tomorrow
A classic disaster movie, the spontaneous break up of the ice sheets, the collapse of the thermohaline circulation system, for some reason giant tidal wave over New York that frees the Wolves, and an instant Ice-Age. Not that accurate, but a fabulous imagination of worst case scenario ocean imbalance:
6. The Abyss
A Cameron classic, this 1989 sci-fi thriller about alien life in the deep is worth a watch:
7. Sharkwater
Sharks are immensely important for our oceans, but their numbers are dwindling due to the continued practise of culling sharks, and the collection of their fins for shark fin soup. Again, this is not a lighthearted movie, but raises important issues:
8. Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Not released yet, but the trailer looks great, and there are limited screenings of this in the USA at the moment. You can stay updated on their website or Facebook Page, this movie is all about the Pacific Garbage Patch, and the fate of plastics on our planet:
9. Chasing Ice
A global warming focussed movie, but seems relevant to some of the discussions on the forums this week. Chasing Ice is a James Balog movie, released last year to much critical acclaim. It tracks his project of time lapse photography of glaciers around the world and how they have changed over the last few years. Whilst not enough at the moment to induce North Atlantic shutdown, the movie is really one to watch in HD, speakers on loud and try to grasp the scale of what is happening to the ice sheets at the moment. On a similar theme, but a more technical perspective on climate change science, check out the excellent “Thin Ice” documentary as well.
10. The Big Blue
Beautifully filmed, this 1988 movie about free diving is a real classic. Based on the stories of two competitors and their history together, the cinematography in this movie is outstanding (personal favourite!):
So, a selection of movies, by no means definitive, what would you add? Can you suggest some others to our audience? Feel free to comment or tweet!
Millie
@GeoMillie