- Cousteau, Jacques-Yves
- (June 11, 1910, St.-André-de-Cubzac, Gironde, France - June 25, 1997, Paris, France)The son of an international lawyer, he entered the naval school of Brest in 1930 and became a gunner officer. He became interested in the exploration of the underwater world in 1936, taking part in the invention of the Aqua-Lung, a portable breathing apparatus and perfecting a waterproof 35-mm camera for underwater diving in 1939. After the scuttling of the French navy in Toulon in November 1942, he returned to civilian life and shot his first documentary on the seabed. Then he conceived a new camera and a diving suit. After World War II, he founded the Group of Underwater Researches and the Club of Underwater Alpinism in 1945. In 1950, he leased a ship, La Calypso, from brewer Thomas Loel Guinness for a symbolic franc. The movie he co-directed with Louis Malle (Le Monde du Silence / Il mondo del silenzio / UK and USA: The Silent World, France / Italy) won the 1956 Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm and the Hollywood's Academy Award for best documentary. Le Monde sans Soleil / Il mondo senza sole / USA:Jacques-Yves Cousteau's World Without Sun / World Without Sun earned him the Academy Award for best documentary in 1965. By 1966, the movies he directed were mainly gathered as episodes of TV series (1966-1968 The World of Jacques-Yves Cousteau; 1968-1976 The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau; 1977 Oasis in Space; 1977-1981 Cousteau's Odyssey's Series; 1982-1984 Cousteau's Amazon Series; 1985-1991 Cousteau's Rediscovery of the World I; 1992-1994 Cousteau's Rediscovery of the World II). He appeared in and narrated most of them. From 1946 (Par Dix-Huit Mètres de Fond, co-authored with Philippe Tailliez, Editions Durel) to 1998 (L'Aventure de l'Equipe Cousteau en Bandes Dessinées, in collaboration with Dominique Serafini, seventeen volumes from 1985 to 1998), he wrote or co-wrote several books, including Le Monde du Silence (in collaboration with James Dugan and Frédéric "Didi" Dumas, Editions de Paris, 1952) and L'Homme, la Pieuvre et l'Orchidée (Editions Robert Laffont, 1998). He was elected at the Académie Française in 1988.Filmography◘ Par Dix-Huit Mètres de Fond (documentary; also producer)◘ Epaves (documentary; also producer)◘ Paysages du Silence (documentary; also producer)◘ Les Phoques du Sahara (documentary; also prod)◘ Autour d'un Récif (documentary; also producer)◘ Une Plongée du Rubis (documentary; also producer)◘ Carnet de Plongée (documentary; co-director with Marcel Ichac; also producer)◘ La Fontaine de Vaucluse (documentary; co-director with Louis Malle)◘ La Mer Rouge (documentary; also producer)◘ Un Musée dans la Mer (documentary; also producer)◘ Station 307 (documentary)◘ Récifs de Coraux (documentary)◘ Le Monde du Silence / Il mondo di silenzio / UK and USA: The Silent World (documentary; co-director with Louis Malle; also screenwriter, cinematographer; France / Italy)◘ La Galère engloutie (documentary; co-director with Jacques Ertaud)◘ Histoire d'un Poisson rouge / USA: The Golden Fish (documentary; co-director with Edmond Séchan; also producer)1960 ◘ Vitrines sous la Mer (documentary; co-director with Georges Alépée)◘ Prince Albert I (documentary)1964 ◘ Le Monde sans Soleil / Il mondo senza sole / USA: Jacques-Yves Cousteau's World Without Sun / World Without Sun (documentary; also producer; France / Italy)1965 ◘ Précontinent III (documentary; also producer)1967 ◘ Les Requins / USA: Sharks (documentary; co-director with Philippe Cousteau, Jack Kaufman; also producer)◘ La Jungle de Corail / USA: Savage Worlds of the Coral Jungle (documentary; co-director with Philippe Cousteau, Patrick Watson; also producer)◘ Le Destin des Tortues de Mer (documentary; also producer)1968 ◘ Baleines et Cachalots / USA: Whales (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Voyage surprise de Pépito et Cristobal / USA: The Unexpected Voyage of Pepito and Cristobal (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Trésor englouti / USA: Sunken Treasure (documentary; also executive producer)◘ La Légende du Lac Titicaca (documentary; co-director with Marcel Ichac; also executive producer)◘ Les Baleines du Désert / USA: The Desert Whales (documentary; co-director with Philippe Cousteau, Warren Bush; also executive producer)◘ La Nuit des Calmars / USA: The Night of the Squid (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Retour des Eléphants de Mer / USA: The Return of the Sea Elephants (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Ces Incroyables Machines plongeantes / USA: Those Incredible Diving Machines (documentary; also executive producer)◘ La Mer vivante (documentary; also executive producer)◘ La Tragédie des Saumons rouges / USA: Tragedy of the Red Salmon (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Lagon des Navires perdus / USA: Lagoon of Lost Ships (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Les Dragons des Galapagos (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Cavernes englouties (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Sort des Loutres de Mer / USA: The Unsink-able Sea Otter (documentary; also executive producer)1971 ◘ Les Dernières Sirènes / USA: The Forgotten Mermaids (documentary; also executive producer)1972 ◘ Pieuvre, petite Pieuvre / USA: Octopus, Octopus (documentary; co-director with Philippe Cousteau; also executive producer)◘ Le Chant des Dauphins / USA: A Sound of Dolphins (documentary; also executive producer)1973 ◘ 500 Millions d'Années sous la Mer / USA: 500 Million Years Beneath the Sea (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Sourire du Morse / USA: The Smile of the Walrus (documentary; co-director with Philippe Cousteau; also executive producer)◘ Hippo! Hippo! / USA: Hippo! (documentary; also executive producer)◘ La Baleine qui chante / USA: The Singing Whale (documentary; co-director with Philippe Cousteau; also executive producer)1974 ◘ La Glace et le Feu (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Vol du Pingouin (documentary; also executive producer)◘ La Vie sous un Océan de Glace (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Blizzard à Esperanza / USA: Blizzard at Hope Bay (documentary; also executive producer)1975 ◘ Voyage au bout du Monde (documentary; also executive producer)◘ La Vie au Bout du Monde (documentary; also executive producer)◘ L'Hiver des Castors (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Les Fous du Corail (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Les Requins dormeurs du Yucatan (documentary; also executive producer)1976 ◘ Coups d'Ailes sous la Mer (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Au Cœur des Récifs des Caraïbes (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Poisson qui a gobé Jonas (documentary; also executive producer)◘ La Marche des Langoustes (documentary; also executive producer)◘ L'Enigme du Britannique (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Butin de Pergame sauvé des Eaux (documentary; also executive producer)◘ A la Recherche de l'Atlantide (two-episode documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Testament de l'Ile de Pâques (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Ultimatum sous la Mer (documentary; also executive producer)1979 ◘ Le Sang de la Mer (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Nil (two-episode documentary; also executive producer)◘ Fortunes de Mer (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Les Pièges de la Mer (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Clipperton: Ile de la Solitude (documentary; also executive producer)1982 ◘ Sang chaud dans la Mer (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Du Grand Large aux grands Lacs / USA: St. Lawrence: Stairway in the Sea (documentary; co-director with Jacques Gagné; also executive producer; France / Canada / West Germany)◘ Objectif Amazone: Branle-Bas sur la Calypso (documentary; also executive producer)1983 ◘ Au Pays des Mille Rivières (documentary; also executive producer)◘ La Rivière enchantée (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Ombres fuyantes: Indiens de l'Amazonie (documentary; also executive producer)1984 ◘ La Rivière de l'Or (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Tempête de Neige sur la Jungle (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Un Avenir pour l'Amazonie (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Message d'un Monde perdu (documentary; also executive producer)◘ L'Equipe Cousteau au Mississippi (documentary; also executive producer)1985 ◘ Un Allié récalcitrant: Le Mississippi (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Jacques-Yves Cousteau: Les premiers 75 Ans (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Alcyone, Fille du Vent (documentary; also executive producer)◘ A la Redécouverte du Monde (documentary; also executive producer)1986 ◘ Haïti: L'Eau de Chagrin (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Cuba: Les Eaux du Destin (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Cap Horn: Les Eaux du Vent (documentary; also executive producer)◘ L'Héritage de Cortez (documentary; also executive producer)1987 ◘ Iles Marquises: Les Montagnes de la Mer (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Les Îles du Détroit: Les Eaux de la Discorde (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Les Iles du Détroit: A l'Approche d'une Marée humaine (documentary; also executive producer)1988 ◘ Tahiti: L'Eau de Feu Mururoa (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Les Requins de l'Ile au Trésor Cocos (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Au Pays des Totems vivants (documentary; also executive producer)◘ La Rose et le Dragon (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Au Pays du long Nuage blanc (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Péché et la Rédemption (documentary; also executive producer)1989 ◘ Australie: L'ultime Barrière (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Bornéo: le Spectre de la Tortue (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Crépuscule du Chasseur en Alaska (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Thaïlande: Les Forçats de la Mer (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Bornéo: La Forêt sans Terre (documentary; also executive producer)◘ La Machine à remonter le Temps (documentary; also executive producer)◘ La Rivière des Hommes Crocodiles (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Centre du Feu (documentary; also executive producer)1990 ◘ Iles Andaman: Les Iles invisibles (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Australie: A l'Ouest du Bout du Monde (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Scandale à Valdez, Anatomie d'un Accident (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Lilliput en Antarctique (documentary; also executive producer)1991 ◘ Australie: Le Peuple de la Mer desséchée (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Australie: Le Peuple de l'Eau et du Feu (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Les Vergers de l'Enfer (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Cœur de la Mer (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Palawan: Le Dernier Refuge (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Australie: Les Trésors de la Mer (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Tasmanie: Une Ile s'éveille (documentary; also executive producer)1992 ◘ Le Grand Requin blanc: Seigneur solitaire des Mers (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Nauru: Ilot ou Planète (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Lever de Rideau (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Le Rêve de Charlemagne (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Les Cris du Fauve (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Les Débordements du Fleuve (documentary; also executive producer)1993 ◘ Les Sociétés secrètes des Cétacés (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Mékong: Le Don de l'Eau (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Mékong: Le Rêve et les Fusils (documentary; also executive producer)1995◘ Madagascar: L'Ile des esprits (two-episode documentary; also executive producer)◘ La Légende de Calypso (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Profond, loin, longtemps (documentary; also executive producer)◘ La Mer illuminée (documentary; also executive producer)1996◘ Diamants du Désert (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Sanctuaires pour la vie (documentary; also executive producer)◘ A travers la Chine par le Fleuve jaune (documentary; also executive producer)◘ Les Promesses de la Mer (documentary; also executive producer)1997 ◘ Derrière le Miroir: Lac Baïkal (documentary; also executive producer)
Encyclopedia of French film directors . Philippe Rège. 2011.
