Into the Deep

Gr 9 Up—Whale oil was the fuel that propelled American prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries and funded much of the Westward movement. The fate of the whale and the progress of American industrialization are intricately intertwined. The complicated nature of the industry, with its poetic glorification of mass killing, the religious zeal of those profiting, and the courage of seamen facing the vast oceans, is explored. In the quiet but profound style of Ken Burns, his brother Ric Burns merges a study of the whaling industry and the resultant slaughter of much of the whale population with an analysis of Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Using period photographs, paintings, and text along with recreated scenes, Burns tells the story of the whaling ship, The Essex, which was sunk by a whale in the 1820s. Her surviving crew floundered at sea for three months, facing starvation and dehydration and being forced to resort to cannibalism before being rescued. Melville, having served on whaling ships in his youth, based his literary masterpiece on this tale. Careful analysis, thoughtful discussion, and powerful illustrations combined with appropriate music make this powerful and captivating film suitable for classes in American history, American literature, and science as well as a model for what constitutes an excellent documentary.—Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, formerly Trinity-Pawling School Library, NY