Blue Water, White Death [DVD]

I remember seeing this when it first came out and have waited years to see it again. I have been a diver for 20 years. This is one of those movies that started it all. The stars of the movie, Stan Waterman, Peter Gimbel, and the Taylor's are icons in the diving and underwater film making business. This is the first movie of Great White sharks and the lengths to which these people went to film them are astounding. These adventurers went out in the middle of the Indian Ocean, parked themselves next to a sperm whale carcass, and got up close and personal with large oceanic sharks at feeding time. They also went to the Hermes wreck at 180 feet and off the coast of Dangerous Reef in the Sourthern Ocean.- no dive computers, no DAN to evac you out, and never quite knowing what to expect. This is a true life adventure caught on tape when diving really was by the seat of your pants. If you are a diver or adventurer you must see this film. If you like the film buy the book that documents the adventure - Blue Meridian - The Search for the Great White Shark by Peter Matthiessen

Remember seeing this movie back in '72 at the 183 Drive-in in Irving, Texas when I was a child. I remembered this movie for many years (until JAWS came along and took 'the bite' out of it). Never thought I as a child would be so facinated with a documentary. After viewing this DVD, it brings a smile to my face. I don't remember the widescreen framing like the DVD, but it really uses the frame from far left to far right in the 2.35 frame. Makes me go back to yesteryear like never before! This is an awesome documentary film. The video image is nice and clean (for a doc) and the mono sound does its job. A few special features are included (a really good making of).This movie (with its widescreen) puts Shark Week on Discovery Channel to shame! They just don't make movies like they used to. And by the way, it's G-rated. That's the cherry on top!Enjoy this classic, before it becomes out of print. It seems it took forever to come out on DVD. And love that cover!!

Having waited a long time for this DVD to come out, I was knocked out by the quality of the transfer, fantastic, all the scenes came flooding back from the first time that I had seen it, it is very informative for its time, as only one person at the time had filmed great whites, Rodney Fox, the voyage to find them, from south Africa to South Australia, the Taylors really show there understanding for these creatures, even getting out of the cage to swim with them, the extras are great, showing the young Taylors and Fox, then more recent footage, how they have aged over the years, see the movie that inspired Jaws, get an understanding of these sea creatures, no change in 300 million years, still perfect.

In 1969 Peter Gimbel set off on the First ever Expedition to Film The Great White Shark. His Team included other World famous underwater Photographers: Stan Waterman, Ron & Valerie Taylor, and also Shark Attack Survivor Rodney Fox.Their search for the Great White lasted for 9 months and it took them from South Africa to South Australia. The tension, the drama, the setbacks... of a long journey, plus the first ever awesome underwater photography make this documentary an all time classic and a living tribute both to the team and the sharks.A lot of the footage that was Filmed had never been seen before. Some highlights like the dives with the feeding Oceanic Whitetips, and the final encounter with the Great White Shark are simply awesome.Peter Gimbel and his team were the first to introduce me to SHARKS with this Documentary when I first saw it in 1971 and Since then, my life has never been the same again.A True Masterpiece!!

Blue Water, White Death is a wonderful blend of action, suspense and historical underwater cinematography.The shark encounters might seem a bit tame by today's standards, especially if you are used to watching leaping Great Whites on NG's Shark Week and other wild-life shows. But the movie was shot in the innocent pre-Jaws early 70's, when few people knew much about sharks or shark behavior.Watching the divers fend off schools of circling Oceanic White-tip sharks off South Africa is intense as it gets. Later, in Australian waters, you feel the adrenelin pumping as the divers film from inside cages while Great Whites rake their razor-sharp, serrated incisors along the bars.A special treat is watching legends Stan Waterman, Valerie and Ron Taylor, Rodney Fox, and the late Peter Gimbel, diving in their prime, and then seeing them today and listening to them reprise their exciting experience.The movie is unique and belongs in every ocean lover's collection.

Sophisticated videography and innumerable platforms for its delivery in the 21st century have rendered this documentary per se a relic, but if you're a shark enthusiast it's worthwhile.

Ordered this movie because I thought it might bring back a little nostalgia. My Dad took me to this movie when I was about 8 years old. I remember it scared me way back when. What I DIDN'T remember, was the sickening whale hunting mentality off the coast of Durban, South Africa. And these so-called scientists trying to photograph great white sharks are happily cheering on the whaling boats. "Hopefully they'll get a nice shot at that one!" and so forth. Having just returned from Southeastern Alaska on a small boat cruise where we saw many magnificent, beautiful, harmless whales, I was particularly nauseated by these scenes. I know very well that that was then and this is now, but I happily threw this garbage into the trash can with no regrets.

This movie directed by Peter Gimbel and Stan Waterman has more sharks than shark week. Filmed back in the 60s when there were still sharks in the ocean. Totally a great movie and would recommend to anyone.

This is definitely a great documentary, from a time when sharks weren't really on film. The ending scenes are pretty intense. A different perspective on filming sharks, compared to how it is done today.

Something to see , some folks must LOVE their work.

I heard that this was the best documentary ever on the Great White Shark. I heard rave reviews from the author of Jaws, Peter Benchley, as well as the creators of the movie Jaws. I was so pumped when it finally came out on DVD. This was shot in 1969/1970, but amazingly the quality is still great.HOWEVER:The "filmakers" follow around whaling ships and the viewer watches in horror as helpless whales are harpooned time and time again. You see the whales suffering and you can hear them moan. The "filmakers" dont care. In fact they want to see more whales killed just because a dead whale carcus attracts sharks. So in essence the "filmakers" are endorsing whaling. One time they let the whalers harpoon a whale and just have them leave it there. It's disgusting.THEN:When they are swimming with sharks, one of the divers shoots a shark right in the head for no reason at all other than for the viewer to see how a shark dies. This made me sick.I stopped the movie after 40 minutes. It is pure disgusting. These people dont care anything about the life of mammals or fish. It is rated G but I would never show it to anyone young or who loves animals.

The quality of the sumptuous wideangle cinematography, both above and below the surface, has stood the test of time, despite being locked in a distributor's vault for 30 years. The shot of Sperm Whale carcasses being carried behind a locomotive is memorable. Stan Waterman is still fit and well. I was diving with him in Fiji last month, one week after his 85th birthday. His hunger for the oceans and a good cine shot is undiminished