Movie of the Week: “The Odyssey”
It is curious how the image of an idol ends up being so solid that it is difficult to imagine that there is a real person behind it, and like all human beings, subject to defects and qualities, strengths and weaknesses, successes and disappointments.It is about this that deals the film “The Odyssey” (“L’Odyssée”, France, 2016) who portrays the unforgettable Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
Being one of the pioneers in scuba diving, and after a brilliant performance in World War II, Jacques-Yves Cousteau (Lambert Wilson) noticed the interest of people in unknown places, and began a series of filming at sea, in order to show this environment so close, and at the same time so mysterious.
Encouraged by his wife, Simone (Audrey Tautou), who even sold the family’s jewelry to cover the expenses, Cousteau rented an old ship named Calypso, to venture around various corners of the world, always with the intention of filming underwater environments .
The adventurer enjoyed great public success in a time when the deep sea attracted people’s curiosity as space travel, when both were on the rise. This new life, however, had a bad side for the Cousteau family, since the two boys of the couple were forced to study in boarding schools.
Years later, the family reunited again, and the sons Philippe (Pierre Niney) and Jean-Michel (Benjamim Lavernhe) began to take up activities at the Cousteau companies.Philippe, who had always been very attached to his father, wanted to make movies, and began to devote himself intensely to family films and documentaries.
But, not everything was easy for the family. With all the activities strongly centered on Jacques Cousteau, both Simone and her children began to feel left out of everything. It also did not help the frequent affairs of Cousteau, although this one affirmed that Simone would always be his wife.
In addition to his father’s narcissism, Philippe also worried about Jacques’s lack of concern on nature conservation. In the early 1970s the young man was one of the first to observe the degradation of the seas and the consequent effect on the environment. This difference of vision led him to abandon Cousteau and create his own company, making environmental education films.
Cousteau began to have serious problems with the various companies he had created, as the interest of the public was no longer the same, and financial difficulties led to the dismissal of a large number of employees and the abandonment of countless extremely fanciful projects.
Subsequently, he and Philippe joined forces to fight for the preservation of nature. Without official resources or major sponsors, they made a lot of talks where they warned about the degradation of the seas and asked for the help of the people. Gradually, membership increased, and they were able to make several important documentaries. A personal tragedy, however, threatened to destroy everything they had battled so much.
This film is far from being an official biography of Jacques Cousteau, and was the result of a large number of interviews and documents of all kinds.Certainly these egocentric, exhibitionist, megalomaniac, and womanizing sides of Cousteau are aspects that no family member or friend would want to be exposed.However, they are human characteristics that certainly contributed to consolidate the image of one of the greatest idols of the twentieth century.
The performance of the cast is exceptional, not only Lambert Wilson, who characterized Cousteau very well, but also Audrey Tautou, who played magnificently the suffering Simone. Exceptional was also the performance of the young actor Pierre Niney as Philippe. Niney had previously shone in “Frantz” (2016), “Yves Saint Laurent” (2014) and “The Snows of Kilimandjaro” (2011).
Technically the film is very well done, with an impeccable editing, soundtrack with several songs from the 1950s, 60s and 70s (the California Dreaming version is delightful), and an exceptional photograph. In fact, much of the film is composed of fantastic underwater scenes.The film won the César (the French Oscar) for Best Sound in the 2017 awards.
“The Odyssey” is an important film about the human face of a myth, as well as bringing a beautiful message of hope and alertness about the conservation of the world in which we live.
Original Title: “L’Odyssée”