Cousteau, the Captain and His World: The Captain and His World

Every year at the Oscar ceremony they show brief clips of those who were involved in the film industry and who have died during the previous 12 months. Most of those attending stand and clap their way through the few minutes it takes to show either a film clip or photograph of those now deceased. At the ceremony following Cousteau's death it was no different until they actually came to a photograph of the man himself. Below that photograph was written Jacques-Yves Cousteau - Film maker. What was so memorable for me was that the tempo of the applause increased quite markedly for as long as his photograph was on the screen and then decreased to it's former level when the next person was portrayed. The same thing did not happen whenever any of the truly great Hollywood stars were portrayed in the same manner. Cousteau brought the underwater world into our homes - on both sides of the Atlantic. I still refer to his books on matters of research and often regret I do not have a copy of every single one. "Cousteau - The Captain and His World" by Richard Munson is an excellent account of the life and times of this great man. It does not portray Cousteau as an angel - but describes the man exactly as he was. Some people will be surprised at some of the personal traits and aspects of his private life. Others will think differently. Arguably, the greatest Frenchman of the 20th Century, this is a book worth reading. NM

Every year at the Oscar ceremony they show brief clips of those who were involved in the film industry and who have died during the previous 12 months. Most of those attending stand and clap their way through the few minutes it takes to show either a film clip or photograph of those now deceased. At the ceremony following Cousteau's death it was no different until they actually came to a photograph of the man himself. Below that photograph was written Jacques-Yves Cousteau - Film maker. What was so memorable for me was that the tempo of the applause increased quite markedly for as long as his photograph was on the screen and then decreased to it's former level when the next person was portrayed. The same thing did not happen whenever any of the truly great Hollywood stars were portrayed in the same manner. Cousteau brought the underwater world into our homes - on both sides of the Atlantic. I still refer to his books on matters of research and often regret I do not have a copy of every single one. "Cousteau - The Captain and His World" by Richard Munson is an excellent account of the life and times of this great man. It does not portray Cousteau as an angel - but describes the man exactly as he was. Some people will be surprised at some of the personal traits and aspects of his private life. Others will think differently. Arguably, the greatest Frenchman of the 20th Century, this is a book worth reading. NM