Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

mben111 This visually stunning masterpiece by the great undersea explorer, and co-directed by a young Louis Malle, is one of the most gorgeous films ever made. With his revolutionary equipment, Cousteau was able to capture the eerie majesty of the ocean and its mysterious inhabitants with vibrant, dazzling color. It's no wonder to me how this film won the Palm d'Or and an Oscar because it is probably the best filmed documentary ever.The focus on the new technology and the lives of the shipmates was even more fascinating than the nature, particularly the more violent scenes like the butchering of the sharks by the sailors or the dynamite in the water, used to discover the diversity of fish in the area. It is for this reason, I would guess, that this film has been forgotten and the animal rights movements of today would likely shun the film. Still, I hope for a resurgence of "The Silent World", and all Cousteau films for that matter.

William Bushing While I understand Badge's deep concern for what is portrayed in this film regarding what we now consider serious mistreatment of the creatures from our oceans, this film must be viewed from its historical context. I am old enough to have seen it when it was first released, and to have been awe inspired by it. Cousteau and his crew were pioneers, entering a world few knew at that time... and even fewer (including the Captain) knew how to treat. It just can't be viewed and judged properly with the benefit of today's understanding of our ocean.More than a decade later I was a practicing marine biologist and killed sharks myself, some for research, some for their flesh and skins (to tan) and some just for the heck of it. Despite claiming to be an environmentalist, we saw little wrong with most of that since sharks had been given a black eye by the media (even prior to "Jaws") and at the time they were so plentiful in my local waters. No one foretold at that time how we would devastate them and impact ecosystems from shallow sandy bays to tropical coral reefs.It was early Cousteau films like this that led many in my generation to pursue SCUBA diving as a career, and often work for the cause of ocean conservation. I was fortunate enough to work for JYC and his son Jean-Michel during the 1985 filming of one of his TBS episodes in the "Rediscovery of the World" series. By that time Cousteau and many of us who loved his work, had developed real concern for the oceans that grew out of what was revealed to him and what he revealed to us over the decades.

SONNYK_USA MUST-SEE viewing for any 'adult' that caught Wes Anderson's send-up of the Cousteau crew earlier this year in "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou." If anything, this early documentary proves that the actual Cousteau crew was even more outlandish than Bill Murray's gang.One politically incorrect scene in particular shows the crew pulling sharks out of the ocean and beating them to death with clubs, while nightly dining includes plenty of fresh SEAFOOD! The major project of the expedition is the mapping of the ocean floor using advanced sonar, but in between the crew stays busy exploring the ocean and occasionally 'interfering' with the habits of the local sea creatures.You'd never see this kind of disrespectful attitude in a National Geographic docu today and in a way it's kind of refreshing to see that these guys are not infallible.One note to those with sensitive stomachs, there is a scene where the Calypso 'accidentally' runs over a baby whale and the resulting wound turns the ocean bright red forcing the crew to capture the whale and administer a 'kill shot' in order to put it out of it's misery.Parents might want to think twice about bringing kids to see this rather graphic look at ocean research and some of its inherent dangers.

mulvenna I remember seeing this first Cousteau documentary when it came out and being totally enthralled. No one had shown use of aqualungs before, and compared to the previously used helmets with air hoses and cables, the amount of freedom allowed the divers was amazing. It opened up a whole new exotic world and made trips to the beach a lot more exciting. Compare this to the old Lloyd Bridges Sea Hunt TV show and there is no comparison - what can you do with those old cables and hoses attached? And besides, Cousteau was a master. I hope the Cousteau Society comes out with DVDs of this and other early works in my lifetime. English or subtitled. Fifty years is a long time to wait for a second viewing.