Shadow Divers -- The Movie

[pgdive]

Yeah, those guys are old school, natural divers, definitely more experienced and competent than anybody with a newly minted Trimix card. That being said I don't know how well the book will transform into a movie. A lot of what what is interesting to divers is boring to non-divers. I suspect they will take a lot of libertys with the story to make it more mainstream.


Paul

 

[DaFireMedic]

what would you consider a good diving movie? havent seen any.

The Abyss

 

[H2Andy]

Doubtful. I've never seen a movie that was as good as the book it was based on.

with the exceptional exception of The Godfather (parts I and II), this
has pretty much been my experience too

 

[GrierHPharmD]

If you take out the stupid diving maneuvers (a few people die on air over 200 feet), it's really just about finding out which sub it is...Sorta boring... I felt they were desecrating the remains of those German submariners. But they were seeking FAME, and look now, they have a movie!! I guess everything is working out well!!!

Sean

Not a big reader, eh Sean?

I have to agree that Shadow Divers was anything but boring!

 

[GrierHPharmD]

what would you consider a good diving movie? havent seen any.

I like The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. It's a great film to watch when you're doing a fish ID class.

Seriously, there's a great thread here somewhere (I think it's in the Non-diving stuff forum) about diving films. You can make your own assessment regarding quality. (I'm a big b-movie and indie film fan, so I probably have different expectations from some folks.) Here are a few highlights:

The Big Blue
The Deep
The Abyss
Open Water (Hey, I liked it, if only because it caught the cattle boat mentality perfectly.)
Beneath 12-Mile Reef
Donovan's Reef
Thunderball
For Your Eyes Only
Das Boot (not diving, but it's a great U-boat film)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The
Sea
Jaws

As far as documentaries go, try these
Blue Planet
Jacques Cousteau's Odyssey
Imax Coral Reef Adventure
Imax Journey to Amazing Caves
Water's Journey - Hidden Rivers of Florida

Oh, and Andy, I think they chose Wes Craven to direct. The working title is Dive of the Living Dead...

 

[H2Andy]

Oh, and Andy, I think they chose Wes Craven to direct. The working title is Dive of the Living Dead...

:11:

well, then, i'm there, dude!

(i said this in a different thread, but Ridley Scott is about perfect for this project)

 

[Scubagolf]

Ice, we're discussing the book. If he wants to read my post, he's more than welcome.
I could email George Bush if I wanted to, but really what's the point? Do you think Chatterton was so interested in The Lock Ness Monster that he and the History Channel went over and dove in the Lock? If he's getting paid, more power to him.

I enjoyed the book as a diver since it was a dramatic account of some beginning-intermediate tech divers finding a fresh sub. It was something attainable and meaningful to me in the context of diving. I think to a non-diver its not going to be interesting at all. All the historical parts would be a sleeper to many audiences out there.

Sean

Don't be so sure. My wife (age 50 non-diver) and my father (age 89 and not even a swimmer) both loved the book.

 

[pt40fathoms]

Cool. There hasn't been a "good" diver movie made in quite some time.

Men of Honor
Starring: Robert De Niro, Cuba Gooding Jr.
Directed by George Tillman Jr.
Released in 2001

Great movie, historically as accurate as you can get, considering Carl Brashear was on set and a consultant on the filming of his life story. Naturally some license was taken in the telling of the story in order to make it viewer freindly, but a must see movie all the same.

I hope this proposed movie will be as "technically" accurate as Men of Honor. The rest I leave up to hollywood to decide how best to entertain.

 

[GrierHPharmD]

Men of Honor
Starring: Robert De Niro, Cuba Gooding Jr.
Directed by George Tillman Jr.
Released in 2001

Great movie, historically as accurate as you can get, considering Carl Brashear was on set and a consultant on the filming of his life story. Naturally some license was taken in the telling of the story in order to make it viewer freindly, but a must see movie all the same.

I hope this proposed movie will be as "technically" accurate as Men of Honor. The rest I leave up to hollywood to decide how best to entertain.

Funny you should mention that. It's a very good film - I accidentally omitted it.

I remember reading an interview with Carl when the film came out where he talked about his consultant role on the set. It was funny, in that the interviewer asked about the racial issues that the movie raised, and Carl said that yes, they picked on him about his race, but that they picked on everybody and were good at finding their sensitive spots. At least they didn't add some sort of Hollywood conspiracy story to the plot.

(BTW, I predict a conspiracy subplot in ShadowDivers. Probably with Donald Sutherland as the corrupt general...)

 

[KidK9]

Good for John and Ritchie risking it all for history and everything else they received. I doubt the people that criticize them even remotely know them.