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Thirty Leagues Under the Sea is a 13-minute excerpt of a longer documentary also called Terrors of the Deep. The film is notable for being the first one to feature underwater footage, through the use of a device called the "photosphere". The whole video is considered lost, but we can still go "thirty leagues under" with this short and see what remains.
Granted, Thirty Leagues Under the Sea might be a bit of a tough watch for some since it is fairly graphic in some of its depictions. From the beginning you get to see actual sawsharks being harpooned and fished out of the water, sea turtles being "abused", and a dead horse used as bait to catch a shark.
But putting that aside, the film is not that memorable. Some of the footage is interesting to see, both from a technical and historical perspective. Put this beside a current National Geographic documentary, and it makes for an interesting contrast. However, watching it doesn't go beyond being a cinematic curiosity.
Grade:
THIRTY LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
(1914, Gregory)
(1914, Gregory)
"The monster's rage when it is brought to the surface."
Thirty Leagues Under the Sea is a 13-minute excerpt of a longer documentary also called Terrors of the Deep. The film is notable for being the first one to feature underwater footage, through the use of a device called the "photosphere". The whole video is considered lost, but we can still go "thirty leagues under" with this short and see what remains.
Granted, Thirty Leagues Under the Sea might be a bit of a tough watch for some since it is fairly graphic in some of its depictions. From the beginning you get to see actual sawsharks being harpooned and fished out of the water, sea turtles being "abused", and a dead horse used as bait to catch a shark.
But putting that aside, the film is not that memorable. Some of the footage is interesting to see, both from a technical and historical perspective. Put this beside a current National Geographic documentary, and it makes for an interesting contrast. However, watching it doesn't go beyond being a cinematic curiosity.
Grade: