In June of 1979, Phillippe Cousteau died during a high speed taxi of his PBY sea plane, the Calypso II. His death is one of the opening scenes of this film. After that, things rewind to Phillippe’s childhood, and we follow his life until the inevitable funeral.
It’s likely that many of the people reading this blog don’t even know who Jacque Cousteau is. That’s one of the problems with history, how quickly people are forgotten. But this movie is full of history that you probably never knew!
Never knew, that is, unless you’ve seen The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. The Life Aquatic was a comedy written and directed by Wes Anderson, starring Bill Murray and the whole gang, and was released in 2004. The Odyssey is a “serious” version of that previously “funny” film. The Odyssey does not make fun of Jacque Cousteau’s catering to investors, or his obsession with churning out underwater films at a staggering rate, or his high volume of womanizing, or his forcing the Calypso’s crew to wear red, stocking hats all of the time.
Amélie plays Jacque’s wife, and she’s bitter.
Venue: Seattle International Film Festival, 2017
Country: France
Language: French
Genres: Drama, Biopic