Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The Cove - 3 1/2 smiles

“The Cove” is a documentary with an agenda. It wants you to be outraged over the slaughter of dolphins, over the secrecy, over the government cover-up. It wants you to be aware and, more, take an active role in trying to stop it. Early on, director Louie Psihoyos lets you know that dolphin slaughter is going on in the picturesque village of Taiji, Japan. And soon, “The Cove” turns into a combination horror picture and espionage thriller as the filmmaker and his team go to great lengths to capture on film what really happens in the heavily secured Taiji cove. Under the cover of night, they hide microphones in the water and plant cameras hidden in fake rocks. The main on-screen voice is Richard O’Barry, who bears the guilt over having caught and trained dolphins for the Flipper TV show, which resulted in the ongoing capture of dolphins for entertainment around the world. O’Barry’s battle to stop the annual slaughter of thousands of dolphins has been futile, but now he has proof.

The IWC (International Whaling Commission) could end this needless destruction of what is arguably the world’s smartest species. But the Japanese government has blocked it, buying the support of poor Caribbean and African nations that have no interest in this issue. However, backed by two courageous Taiji town councilors, the film has already one positive outcome: mercury-laced dolphin meat is no longer served in school lunches in Taiji. I read recently in the LA Times that “The Cove” is not doing well at the box office. I’m guessing that’s because some choose not to expose themselves to the heart-breaking scenes of barbaric butchery. As hard as it is to watch these scenes, “The Cove” is a gripping documentary and deserves to be seen. 8/13/09

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This documentary makes me wonder about the scruples and sense of right and wrong that seems to be absent in Japan. The Bottle Nose Dolphin is an animal whom the world has grown to love for its intelligence and beauty. Why these fisherman want to massacre these mammals into extinction is beyond me. It’s almost as though they believe it is their right to do this thing and how dare the rest of the world complain. The Japanese Governments cover-up of this horrible deed baffles me even more and I hope this film changes some minds and behaviors.

Anonymous said...

I just read over the weekend That the fishermen in Taiji, Japan have no intention of stopping the slaughter of bottle-nose dolphins in "The Cove" so I guess no lessons have been learned or behavior modifications perceived by Japan as the world continues to cringe over this issue. This is a crime against nature and the world!