Free | 23/6
Posted: 1/1/0001
Ever since man ventured out to sea, stories about bizarre marine life have filled our folklore and literature. From tales of ancient sea monsters to Melville's Moby-Dick, from purported sightings of the Loch Ness Monster to films such as 2007's The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep and 2009's Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus, the depths of the ocean are nothing compared to the depths of our fear. Why bother with the attempts at authenticity in a movie like 1975's Jaws when you can watch truly entertaining trash like Shark Attack III: Megalodon?
From ancient tales of the lost city of Atlantis to Jules Verne's 1870 classic, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, life under the sea has been a never-ending source of fear and fantasy. Recently, plans were announced heralding the construction of the new Water Discus Underwater Hotels in Dubai.
If we examine how images of marine life are sprinkled throughout our culture, the results are often surprising:
And what about 2012's fishy comedy gorefest, Piranha 3D.?
Professional animators (like those associated with Pixar and the Walt Disney Animation Studios) usually take a more benign approach to depicting life under the sea. Full-length features like 1940's Pinocchio, 1989's The Little Mermaid, and 2003's Finding Nemo hit pay dirt when they turned their attention toward depicting marine life.
This year's San Francisco International Film Festival included two shorts with strong images of fish, whales, and other seagoing creatures.
I especially liked the imagination on display in Julia Pott's 8-minute short entitled Belly.
Not all creatures that swim are as terrifying as great white sharks, giant squid, and plesiosaurs. Freshwater fish are decidedly less fearsome and may nibble at bait and lures instead of taking giant, lunging bites.Often found in mountain lakes and streams, trout have intrigued and fed people for hundreds of years. Until recently, few would assoc