The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey: The Complete Series

The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey includes all 12 episodes of the 1978 television series featuring the research adventures of Cousteau, a celebrated documentarian and the public conscience of humankind's stewardship of our oceans. Alongside his son Philippe Cousteau, Jacques's adventures begin with "The Nile," an ambitious expedition (on Cousteau's famous Calypso ship and a seaplane called the Catalina) following the course of the great river from Central Africa to the Mediterranean, investigating the historic, cultural, and social impact the 4,000-mile waterway has had on numerous peoples and animals. In true Cousteau fashion, the two-part program also looks at the ways in which human changes and developing technology are having a profound (often negative) effect on the Nile's ecosystem. "Calypso's Search for Atlantis" is an equally unforgettable episode in which Cousteau tackles an ancient mystery: was there really an Atlantis, or was it a folk legend or allegory passed along by Plato? Whatever the answer, Cousteau's team turns up some startling evidence of advanced stone formations lost beneath the sea off islands near Crete. Also worth watching are "Time Bomb at 50 Fathoms," about pollutants in the ocean; "Search for the Britannic," a stirring piece about the mystery behind the enormous, British passenger ship sunk during World War I; the fantastic "Blind Prophets of Easter Island"; and the weird "Clipperton: The Island Time Forgot," a sensational story of human isolation and abuse in a desolate place. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (T. Keogh)