DVDpendence . videophile
THE COVE
With Richard O'Barry, Joe Chisholm, Louie Psihoyos, Kirk Krack, Isabel Lucas, Dan Goodman, Mandy-Rae Cruikshank
Written by Mark Monroe
Directed by Louie Psihoyos
Everyone must see this Oscar-winning documentary.
Human beings become complacent very quickly and tend to forget about the world they live in and some of the shocking atrocities certain nations perpetrate without considering the long term consequences. One of these is a Japanese fishing town of Taiji where each year hundreds of dolphins are caught to be sold to amusement- and water parks... the thousands left over are slaughtered.
This dirty secret is kept hidden from the world with denial from the authorities and constant security in the area.
The man who trained Flipper for the '60s TV show made a 180 degree turn, becoming the leading activist against the captivity and killing of marine mammals. He feels responsible for the boom in the catching and resultant killing of these amazing creatures. But the world is unaware of this dark secret in Japan. So, together with a crack team of activists, documentary filmmakers and free-divers, they set out to pull off a mind-blowing exposé on exactly what is being hidden from the world. The viewer is taken through the military precision of their planning (including placing hidden cameras), evading police and security, and the capturing of shocking footage illustrating exactly what happens there. This is high drama with some very important information also coming to the fore, like for instance the high mercury levels in large sea dwelling animals from tuna to dolphins, making it dangerous to consume, and how the countries who want to continue whaling practices bribe smaller ones to side with them.
People tend to forget, dolphins are not fish, they're mammals, and one of the most intelligent living beings on this planet after humans. But we so easily lose that humanity we claim as that which distinguishes us from the rest of our fellow animals.
It takes a courageous viewer to watch some parts of this movie, and may be the one thing that loses part of its audience. But you cannot live in ignorance and need to know what's happening to your planet.
Many extra features include loads of additional footage and interviews with the people involved.
6 / C
- Paul Blom
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