Le Monde du Silence (1956)

Avec Frédéric Dumas, Albert Falco, Jacques-Yves Cousteau…

En 1956 est présenté au Festival de Cannes Le monde du silence, un documentaire en couleurs sur le monde sous-marin réalisé par Jacques-Yves Cousteau et son assistant, un certain Louis Malle, qui commence là sa carrière de cinéaste. À l’époque, ce recueil d’images des eaux du Golfe Persique, de la mer Méditerranée, de la mer Rouge et de l’océan Indien bouleverse les foules, et pour cause : les expéditions du navire La Calypso offrent pour la première fois au public des clichés époustouflants de la vie sous-marine, même si le réalisateur italien Folco Quilici avait été un précurseur du genre avec Le sixième continent en 1954.

(Witness the birth of a new kind of documentary, as legendary diver, conservationist and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau takes you deep beneath the waves to explore a wealth of life that was previously hidden from view. As much of the technology for shooting film underwater was developed by Cousteau’s team, this was the first time such amazing sights could be captured on film. The result, a Technicolor 1950s masterpiece, succeeds both in revealing an untouched world of beauty, life and drama, as well as evoking a sense of adventure, freedom and boundless possibility. Set on board and below the good ship Calypso during an exploratory expedition, this feature-length documentary was co-directed by Cousteau and Louis Malle, whose first film this was (Cousteau selected Malle for this assignment immediately upon the latter's graduation from film school). Highlights include a shark attack on the carcass of a whale, and the discovery of a wrecked, sunken vessel. A window into the world beneath the sea as well as the colourful and nostalgic world of the 1950s, The Silent World was the start of an entire movement, and is now available on DVD as a vital part of any collection. This classic film is one of few to have won both the Academy Award (Best Documentary Feature) as well as the Palme D’Or in 1956.)