For over 400 million years sharks have prowled the world's oceans, evolving into one of nature's perfect killing machines. This "shark and awe" documentary, produced and aired on the Discovery Channel, interviews shark bite survivors, including a scientist who in 2002 was mauled by a bull shark while standing waist deep in sea water (unlike most attacks, this one was captured on film). Ordinarily, however, humans aren't the shark's meal of choice, and shark attacks on man are rare. Using state-of-the-art animatronics, technical wizards create a mechanical shark to offer viewers a realistic look at the "choreography" of an attack (with dagger sharp teeth and cruising speeds of 25 miles per hour, an attack by a Great White, for instance, can be as devastating as taking a direct hit by a train). In addition, the program examines the famous mass tiger shark attack on sailors set adrift when Japanese torpedoes sank the USS Indianapolis in 1945. While Anatomy of a Shark Bite offers up some interesting facts, too much of the program is an uneasy blend of serious documentary and "I was attacked by a shark" reality television (suffice to say, some footage isn't recommended for squeamish viewers). DVD extras include a bonus episode from Discovery Channel's Shark Week and a “Shark Smarts Quiz.” Most libraries would be better served by Questar's Shark Island (from the Nature series, reviewed in this issue), PBS's Secrets of the Ocean Realm: The Great Whales/Sharks (VL-7/98), or National Geographic's The Sharks (VL-9/86). Not a necessary purchase. Aud: P. (S. Rees)
Anatomy of a Shark Bite
(2005) 88 min. DVD: $14.95. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. Closed captioned. ISBN: 1-4049-8623-5. January 2, 2006
Anatomy of a Shark Bite
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