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Blue Water, White Death

Play trailer Poster for Blue Water, White Death G 1971 1h 40m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Several years before Steven Spielberg made a generation of moviegoers afraid to venture into the water, filmmakers Peter Gimbel and James Lipscomb made this oceangoing documentary about their quest to photograph the elusive Great White Shark. Accompanied by Australian shark experts Ron and Valerie Taylor -- and, oddly, folksinger Tom Chapin, who performs several songs onboard the ship -- the crew travels the Indian Ocean between South Africa, Sri Lanka and Australia in search of their prey.
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Blue Water, White Death

Critics Reviews

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Vincent Canby New York Times 03/18/2020
The heart of the film is its action, recorded with immense technical skill, and it is so pure that it's as poetic as anything I've seen on the screen in a long, long time. Go to Full Review
Time Out Staff Time Out 03/18/2020
Still surprisingly unclichéd; a film definitely to get your teeth into. Go to Full Review
Derek Malcolm Guardian 03/18/2020
It's quite a documentary. Go to Full Review
Peter Martin ScreenAnarchy 03/18/2020
Blue Water, White Death may not be as outwardly thrilling as Jaws or its progeny, but respect must be paid to the daring team of divers/photographers for the challenges they faced and the risks they took. And it's all real, kids. Go to Full Review
Dilys Powell Sunday Times (UK) 03/18/2020
[There are] astonishing shots of the skin-divers swimming unprotected among a crowd of feeding sharks. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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03/09/2017 Fantastic footage of a bygone era. Never will the oceans team with Oceanic White Tips due to shark finning. The Great White footage is spectacular and raw, something no studio film could possibly replicate. Peter Gimbel is a gentleman / scholar / adventurer, an archetype that no longer exists in our society. He was the first man to dive the wreck of the Andrea Doria, just two days after she sank in July of 1956. He did it on compressed air, using a double hose regulator and little else. No BCD, no Tri-Mix, no recompression chamber aboard his vessel. Just curiosity and guts. This flick is a must see for those who love the ocean, and the human spirit. See more 06/06/2016 Blue Water, White Death (1971) C-99m. ??? 1/2 D: Peter Gimbel, James Lipscomb. Fascinating documentary on one of the sea's most dangerous creatures, the Great White shark; terrifying underwater footage in vivid, underrated movie. Also interesting to note this was the first "shark movie", even before Steven Spielberg's JAWS in 1975. See more 07/12/2015 Four years before Jaws was released we had this wonderful documentary. It's almost impossible to see nowadays but if you can get ahold of it it's highly recommended. Good stuff! See more 08/19/2012 Pioneers in shark research this quasi-doco-Steve Zissou film is an insight into 70s mindsets and aesthetics. The last 10 minutes really is worth waiting for. I envy their pioneering aquatic work captured on film, unfortunately not their musical shipmate nor their 70s ethics. See more 01/07/2012 Blue Water White Death is an amazing documentary that follows divers as they search for great white sharks. The footage of the great white sharks is remarkable and its easy to see why the Taylors were influential on Jaws. See more 04/30/2011 THIS is the template for JAWS and JAWS 2 . . . everything you see in JAWS and JAWS 2 (related to icthyology) is sourced from Ron and Valerie Taylor's great documentary directed by Gimble. I didn't like it 100% because the divers seemed like a bunch of doctors, lawyers, CEOs (Corporate Elected Officials), CPAs (Certified Public Accountants) out for a three week diving gig out for kicks to find the great white. Instead of playing golf for the weekend, they hit the high seas each "never having done a hard day's work in their lives." I'm watching it from Quint's perspective. (Quint is the shark-hunting feller in JAWS). The Divers weren't "real" . . . BUT THE GIANT SHARK FOOTAGE IS BREATHTAKING!!!!! and its in 2.35:1 ASPECT RATIO!!!! 70mm See more Read all reviews
Blue Water, White Death

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Movie Info

Synopsis Several years before Steven Spielberg made a generation of moviegoers afraid to venture into the water, filmmakers Peter Gimbel and James Lipscomb made this oceangoing documentary about their quest to photograph the elusive Great White Shark. Accompanied by Australian shark experts Ron and Valerie Taylor -- and, oddly, folksinger Tom Chapin, who performs several songs onboard the ship -- the crew travels the Indian Ocean between South Africa, Sri Lanka and Australia in search of their prey.
Director
Peter Gimbel, James Lipscomb
Producer
Peter Gimbel
Screenwriter
Peter Gimbel
Production Co
Cinema Center Films
Rating
G
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 29, 2016
Runtime
1h 40m
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