'Becoming Cousteau' review: Dive into the depths of the water with the famous pioneer of oceanography

From National Geographic, Becoming a Cousteau is a documentary that explores the life of the French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, who invented diving and scuba diving devices, including the Aqualung breathing device. He is perhaps best remembered for his television series. Jacque Cousteau’s Underwater World, which was the inspiration for him 20,000 leagues of underwater travel 1954 Disney film.

Becoming a Cousteau it is intriguing and attractive to viewers. The cinematography is impressive, with close-up images of fish, flora and marine life. None of this would be possible without underwater breathing technology. At 10,000 feet or more, air is pressing on you from all sides. The pressure of the ocean can literally crush you. Keeping the diver safe is extremely important, and so is capturing it all on film.

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The movie shows how Jacques-Yves Cousteau He was a pioneer in oceanography, overcoming many challenges along the way, on his journey of tragedy and triumph. Filmmaker Liz Garbus takes the standard documentary route of examining Cousteau’s life from his birth to his death in 1997. The movie starts off slow and gets more interesting as it goes on. Cousteau’s fascination with water throughout his life began at the age of four, when he learned to swim. When he was a teenager, he bought a movie camera and took it apart to understand how it worked. Cousteau attended boarding schools and eventually went to the French Naval Academy. He graduated as an artillery officer and joined the French Navy information service. In the Navy, Cousteau used his camera to film exotic ports in the Indian and South Pacific Oceans.

In 1933, Cousteau nearly died in a car accident. To recover from his injuries, he swam in the Mediterranean Sea. His best friend, Philippe Tailliez, gave him swimming goggles, which helped him open his eyes underwater and marvel at the fish, flora and waterscape. In 1937, Cousteau married Simone Melchior. They had two sons, Jean-Michel and Phillipe, who eventually joined their dad on diving expeditions. His wife Simone died in 1990 and a year later the elderly Cousteau married Francine Triplet, with whom he had a daughter and son (born while Cousteau was married to Simone).

Inventing the Shock Resistant Aqua-Lung Cinema Camera

During World War II, Cousteau quietly continued his underwater experiments and explorations. In 1943, he met a French engineer named Emile Gagnan, who shared his passion for diving. Around this time, compressed air cylinders were invented and Cousteau and Gagnan experimented with snorkel hoses, body suits, and breathing devices. Eventually, they developed the first Aqua-Lung device that allowed divers to breathe underwater for long periods of time. Cousteau also developed a shock resistant and waterproof chamber to withstand the high pressure of ocean excursions. During this time, Cousteau made two documentaries on underwater exploration, For eighteen meters deep (18 meters deep) and Shipwrecks (Shipwrecks).

French resistance movement

As World War II continued, Cousteau joined the French Resistance movement. He spied on the Italian armed forces and documented their troop movements. In recognition of his resistance efforts, Cousteau received the French Legion of Honor medal. After the war, Cousteau worked with the French navy to immobilize underwater mines. It was very dangerous, because mines could accidentally explode at any moment. Between missions, Cousteau continued to conduct various tests and film his underwater excursions.

First underwater archaeological expedition

In 1948, Cousteau, together with Philippe Tailliez, assembled a team of experienced divers and academic scientists for the first underwater archaeological expedition. They explored the Mahdia, a Roman shipwreck that had sunk deep into the Mediterranean Sea. This expedition marked the beginning of underwater archeology.

Oceanography Research with the Calypso

In 1950, Cousteau converted a former British minesweeper into an oceanographic research vessel that he named Calypso. Cousteau started the French Navy’s first underwater research group and explored the ocean using the Calypso. Eventually, Cousteau’s underwater voyages were introduced to the public in the television series. Jacque Cousteau’s Underwater World. Overall, this movie is fascinating and fun to watch. Bring Cousteau’s journey to life by exploring the ocean with his revolutionary breathing devices and filming underwater. Ultimately, he was concerned about ocean pollution and climate change, and he collaborated with the National Geographic Society to raise awareness of these issues.