I am forever looking for a documentary that
is not afraid to be blunt about what is
happening to marine mammals around
the world AND one that can do it eloquently
and smartly so that people will be
engaged, outraged and emotionally
connected. It is a complicated topic and
too many legal facts and figures make
people disconnect, so I was very happy to
see Louie Psihoyos' The Cove was able to
balance all of that perfectly without being
the hands off objective scientist that many
documentaries have become. This is war
after all.
is not afraid to be blunt about what is
happening to marine mammals around
the world AND one that can do it eloquently
and smartly so that people will be
engaged, outraged and emotionally
connected. It is a complicated topic and
too many legal facts and figures make
people disconnect, so I was very happy to
see Louie Psihoyos' The Cove was able to
balance all of that perfectly without being
the hands off objective scientist that many
documentaries have become. This is war
after all.
| The Cove An Insiders Review |
That said, The Cove features an activist, Richard O'Barry, who has been working to free dolphins from captivity
(dolphinariums, etc) for years and also fighting the commercial and underground whaling industries that exist in various
countries. Ironically, before he was an activist, O'Barry worked at the Miami Seaquarium and trapped and trained dolphins for
10 years, including those used on the TV show Flipper, until he realized just how immoral it is to keep dolphins in captivity.
So, the documentary follows him as he attempts to expose the dolphin slaughter occurring in a small village in Japan (Taiji),
a place that (in Twin Peaks style) has a whale museum, is filled with whale murals, and where none of the villagers know
what is going on. He is able to enlist people with money which means Hollywood connections including HD cameras, set
design for hiding these cameras, world class free divers, etc. to carry out this covert mission to document what is happening
to dolphins every night in a remote bay in Taiji. It's quite exciting to see how high tech this team is (something every activist
dreams of and only sees in Tom Cruise movies) and quite scary to see how militant the Japanese are at protecting their
secret, going to far as to patrol the hillside surrounding the cove every night with guns, and putting barbed wire everywhere.
So, one part of the film is the mission to expose this slaughter. The other is to educate the audience (Yay!) about the reasons
the Japanese have for continuing to hunt large whales in the Antarctic and, more importantly, how they are killing all the
dolphins they can in coastal communities and covering it up. Now, none of this is news to me, but I'm pretty sure most of the
people in the audience had no idea. None of the citizens of Japan know either since their government would have a hard
time explaining this, but their government has convinced the fisherman that the dolphins are taking all of the fish and that they
are "pests" and need to be dealt with accordingly. The film does a great job of explaining the legal side and Japan's side and
letting the audience shake their heads in disbelief.
The last part, which I think is so important because even people who don't care about dolphin slaughter do care about their
children, is that dolphin meat was being sold (or donated) illegally to the Japanese people. Dolphin meat is toxic from the
high levels of mercury in the water and it was being donated to school children in Taiji which should outrage all of the parents
in Japan (now that it's exposed). Of course, the film was banned from the Japanese film fest so who knows how anyone
there will ever see it...
Anyway, I felt somewhat hopeful that since this film was so well done that it might get come legitimate attention, however as I
said, none of this was news to me. As an activist you just feel so empowered that they actually accomplished their goal and
didn't get caught up in permits and bs as happens with activists vs govt all of the time. They beat the system for once. Go
see it if you can. ~
Letter From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
The Cove will be released on DVD December 8th, 2009
Behind the Dolphin Smile: A True Story that Will Touch the Hearts of Animal Lovers Everywhere, by Richard O'Barry
thecovemovie.com
opsociety.com
"Mercury Poisoning In Taiji, Japan Suspiciously Inadequate" - TakePart Social Action Network
(dolphinariums, etc) for years and also fighting the commercial and underground whaling industries that exist in various
countries. Ironically, before he was an activist, O'Barry worked at the Miami Seaquarium and trapped and trained dolphins for
10 years, including those used on the TV show Flipper, until he realized just how immoral it is to keep dolphins in captivity.
So, the documentary follows him as he attempts to expose the dolphin slaughter occurring in a small village in Japan (Taiji),
a place that (in Twin Peaks style) has a whale museum, is filled with whale murals, and where none of the villagers know
what is going on. He is able to enlist people with money which means Hollywood connections including HD cameras, set
design for hiding these cameras, world class free divers, etc. to carry out this covert mission to document what is happening
to dolphins every night in a remote bay in Taiji. It's quite exciting to see how high tech this team is (something every activist
dreams of and only sees in Tom Cruise movies) and quite scary to see how militant the Japanese are at protecting their
secret, going to far as to patrol the hillside surrounding the cove every night with guns, and putting barbed wire everywhere.
So, one part of the film is the mission to expose this slaughter. The other is to educate the audience (Yay!) about the reasons
the Japanese have for continuing to hunt large whales in the Antarctic and, more importantly, how they are killing all the
dolphins they can in coastal communities and covering it up. Now, none of this is news to me, but I'm pretty sure most of the
people in the audience had no idea. None of the citizens of Japan know either since their government would have a hard
time explaining this, but their government has convinced the fisherman that the dolphins are taking all of the fish and that they
are "pests" and need to be dealt with accordingly. The film does a great job of explaining the legal side and Japan's side and
letting the audience shake their heads in disbelief.
The last part, which I think is so important because even people who don't care about dolphin slaughter do care about their
children, is that dolphin meat was being sold (or donated) illegally to the Japanese people. Dolphin meat is toxic from the
high levels of mercury in the water and it was being donated to school children in Taiji which should outrage all of the parents
in Japan (now that it's exposed). Of course, the film was banned from the Japanese film fest so who knows how anyone
there will ever see it...
Anyway, I felt somewhat hopeful that since this film was so well done that it might get come legitimate attention, however as I
said, none of this was news to me. As an activist you just feel so empowered that they actually accomplished their goal and
didn't get caught up in permits and bs as happens with activists vs govt all of the time. They beat the system for once. Go
see it if you can. ~
Letter From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
The Cove will be released on DVD December 8th, 2009
Behind the Dolphin Smile: A True Story that Will Touch the Hearts of Animal Lovers Everywhere, by Richard O'Barry
thecovemovie.com
opsociety.com
"Mercury Poisoning In Taiji, Japan Suspiciously Inadequate" - TakePart Social Action Network
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