Blue Water, White Death

This see-worthy 1971 documentary was ahead of its time: five years before Jaws and more than a decade before the Discovery Channel's ratings-chum Shark Week (or the Discovery Channel, itself, for that matter). Underwater photographer Peter Gimbel, the first to capture images of the sunken Andrea Doria, heads an eight-month expedition to be the first to film the elusive Great White Shark underwater. Along the way, the Great White—described as "the most dangerous, cold-blooded predator" and "credited with more attacks on boats and man than any other shark"—is given an impressive build-up (with harrowing photographs of captured sharks and unsettling stories of men bitten in two or swallowed whole) before his terrifying climactic appearance. The filmmaking itself is solid if a little staid (although one is tempted to toss crewmember Tom Chapin, the folk singer, overboard), but the footage of Gimbel venturing outside the protective aluminum cage to interact with the sharks is still quite thrilling. The Great White grips the imagination like few other creatures: for shark-ophiles, this pioneering documentary will be irresistible bait. DVD extras include an audio commentary featuring crew members, as well as a retrospective featurette. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)