By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Dan Stone | Patrick Gambuti Jr.
Country: united_states
Year: 2008
Running time: 96
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1286499/
Bruce says: “In 1986 an international ban on whaling was initiated. Most countries have honored the ban but a few – Iceland, Japan and Norway, to be specific – are continuing their whaling unapologetically. Japan found a loop hole in the agreement they signed: a country may kill whales for scientific research. Japan does much of its illegal whaling around Antarctica particularly in the Ross Sea of the Southern Ocean.
“AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD begins with the Farley Mowat, an old ship manned by the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, gracefully navigating huge iceberg formations which look quite similar to archways carved from the rocks off the Normandy coast near L’Etretat. Sea Shepherd realized that to catch the Japanese whalers, a faster ship was needed and they bought a new ship, the Robert Hunter. Paul Watson, formerly a prominent figure in Greenpeace, captains the Farley Mowat and calls the shots for the entire anti-whaling project. He spots the Nisshin Mara, a notorious Japanese whaler, and the word is soon out that it is one of six Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean. The whaling fleet typically will kill one thousand whales in a season and boast of killing over 18,000 whales since the 1986 treaty was signed.
“Once the Japanese are sighted, the film becomes more of an action film than a documentary. The directors dispatched seven cameramen to ride the whale-busters, the helicopters that are used for the reconnaissance missions, and the zodiacs (Small pontoons with twin motors) that are used to drop nets that can tangle and severely damage the Japanese whaler propellers. While clearly the mastermind, Watson also knows how to manipulate the press. He is captured on the phone throughout the film, talking to Reuters, the Australian Herald, BBC, Australian broadcasting and the Associated Press. Through these conversations he reveals many necessary facts.
“The Robert Hunter, captained by Alex Cornelisson finally captures the Kaiko Mora, ramming it while the zodiac crew snares the propeller with its nets after three daring attempts. This is exciting stuff, much more so than the average documentary. However, in the excitement of the chase the cause is lost.
“Later the Nisshin Mara goes up in flames. The Japanese retaliate by filing arrest warrants claiming the Farley Mowat and Robert Hunter are pirate ships. Considering the Japanese already employ satellite tracking for the whale busters, their commitment to whaling in the Southern Ocean is quite clear. This film was scripted after the footage was shot and suffers from it. Serendipity often lends character to a film; it is not a great backbone for a documentary. 3 cats
“AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD screened at the 2008 Woodstock Film Festival.”