Atlantis
by Luc Besson
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DVD Cover Information
Director: Luc BessonDVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.40:1
Running Time: 78 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-04-29
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Atlantis
Movie Review: Work of art, not strictly a nature video
Summary: 5 Stars
"Forget one by one the everyday sounds, all these noises, all these symbols of a life that has become modern, urban, the everyday sounds of glass and metal environment. Forget this asphalt that every day takes us faster, farther. Welcome to the world of Atlantis, the original world. A world that is magnificent, mysterious, harmonious. Man was born there. Man grew up and matured there, as a prince heir. He trained his senses in this world with no gravity--this world free of all chaos. The love, the tenderness, the rhythm, the grace, the spirit. Many gifts offered forever by that sea, beautiful and generous. Forget one by one the memories of our numerous generations. Forget everything you know. Dive. Dive a few million years earlier when life, the wonderful idea, was about to become a reality. . . ."
So says the narrator (in French, subtitled) at the beginning of this beautifully filmed undersea documentary. Fortunately, that is the total dialogue in the film. The rest consists of 12 chapters, each of which is an undersea ballet set to atmospheric music (some electronic, some orchestral and choral) by Eric Serra. The action unfolds at a leisurely pace in cool shades of blue and green. It's a film that can provide instant stress relief. Except for the very end, all the photography is below the surface.
Creatures featured include dolphins, a sea serpent from New Caledonia, otters, iguanas, and penguins from the Galapagos, manta rays, a giant octopus, manatees, and sharks (including a great white and a whale shark).
My personal favorite part is titled "The grace" and features a trio of manta rays doing an underwater ballet to a live recording of Maria Callas singing "Ah! non credea mirarti" from Bellini's "La Sonnanbula." There is perhaps a tie-in with sleepwalking here, as the manta rays float by as in a dream. These are some of the finest images of these magnificent creatures I have seen. The next sequence features a giant octopus lazily floating through the seaweed. Again, highly unusual imagery with a telling effect.
It's best not to take the "message" of the opening narration too seriously. Better just to be carried away for a while into another world and marvel at some of the endless and wonderful forms that life has taken on planet Earth.
The DVD is in widescreen format (anamorphic), in French with English subtitles. Special features are minimal: Theatrical trailers only. Packaging and notes are likewise minimal. But the price is right. Recommended for lovers of underwater photography, soothing video, good cinematography, marine biology, and nature films in general.
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