The Silent World

"Out of an uncharted universe comes an experience of unearthly beauty"

1956 1h 26m FR

👍

6.5

SOLID

⭐

6.9

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 49★6.9IMDB · 1,883

DocumentaryAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Join renowned explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau as he investigates aquatic habitats worldwide, showcasing whales, sharks, and diverse marine life. The film highlights the brutal realities of nature while capturing the wonder of underwater exploration, as the team ventures into previously unseen ocean depths.

“Out of an uncharted universe comes an experience of unearthly beauty”

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Cast

Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Writers: Jacques-Yves Cousteau, James Dugan
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

70 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, shot by Louis Malle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Yves Baudrier. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Georges Alépée shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Out of an uncharted universe comes an experience of unearthly beauty".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0049518 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jacques-Yves Cousteau directs. Louis Malle behind the camera. Yves Baudrier scores. Georges Alépée cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
270 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, shot by Louis Malle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Yves Baudrier. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Georges Alépée shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Marketing tagline: "Out of an uncharted universe comes an experience of unearthly beauty".
8IMDB entry: tt0049518 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 49 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "diving", "ocean", "whale", "coral reef".

The technical file

Cinematography: Louis Malle
Original score: Yves Baudrier
Editing: Georges Alépée
Runtime: 86 min · 1h 26m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: The Silent World (1956)
IMDB rating: 6.9/10 · 1,883 votes

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 5 wins & 1 nomination total

Palme d'Or
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-05-05
★ 7/10
As he travels aboard his floating laboratory "Calypso", we follow the exploration of renowned marine adventurer Jacques Cousteau as he and his crew travel the world exploring the depths of the sea. He takes his kit to the deepest part of the water where neither man nor camera have ever been before, nowhere near the bottom but still as black as pitch and only slightly illuminated by their bright lamps. The photography would have offered many their first glimpse of whales, porpoises, giant turtles, sharks - and many in a natural environment that isn't always so easy to watch. Neither, it has to be said, are some of his methods. "In the name of science" would have been a defence for dynamiting fish so they can count the species, or leaving many on the beach to suffocate to death before they are photographed or dissected for the specimen jar. Whilst there can be no doubting this team had a respect and admiration for the natural world, they still had that superiority complex of mankind towards it and at times I simply didn't like the man nor his approach. That said, it was made at a time when the quest for knowledge was more along the lines of the end justifying the means and doubtless some of his astonishing discoveries will have informed a more enlightened touch to investigation in later years. Cousteau was a ground-breaker, no doubt, and his adaptation of technology to take us deeper and deeper in safer ways delivers us an fascinating look at what has long existed without the intervention of man. By no means how Sir David Attenborough would make it now, but of it's time it is an interesting and cleverly photographed look into the unknown.

Production companies