A film blog for students of my classes at Santa Clara University. Use this blog to discuss the films we are studying, classic films, current releases or production issues you encounter while making your own films.
Monday, September 28, 2015
The Cove documentary part I
What is the story of this film? What is the theme? How do they relate to each other?
"The Cove" is an activist documentary aimed at exposing the corrupt and inhumane dolphin trade and slaughter in a small fishing village in Japan. While the villagers claim that it has cultural precedent and their government hides their crimes from the world, there is no avoiding the repercussions. This documentary, does a very good job of showing the destructive nature of ocean theme parks and ties it all back to the villages who sell wild dolphins to these parks. This documentary uses emotion backed up by solid evidence to drive it's argument home.
The Cove is a documentary that raises awareness about the inhumane treatment and slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. The story follows activist Richard O'Barry on his journey along with fellow colleagues and dolphin lovers as they try to unveil and discover what happens to the dolphins in Taiji. The theme of the film is animal cruelty and preservation of animal life. Together, the theme and story provide a compelling emotional motivator for the audience to make a change and take action against dolphin capturing and dolphin killing for meat as well as dolphin display shows.
The Cove is a documentary that calls for action against the dolphin trade by exposing the brutal slaughtering and capturing of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. The theme of this documentary is dolphin conservation. The story follows a group of activists lead by Ric O'Barry (known for training the dolphins on Flipper) and their suspenseful mission to expose the truth. The story of these activists is brilliantly worked into the theme in a way that captivates the audience and leaves them emotional, angry, and ready to take action.
The Cove is a documentary that aims to expose the cruel and secretive treatment of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. The documentary does a great job grasping the audience's attention with the use of emotion and compassion, as well as relating it to us by displaying these dolphins in the shows we watch at common theme parks like Sea World. It describes the torturous process of getting the dolphins from Japan to other dolphin captivities across the world, what they do with the remaining dolphins who are not chosen, and how much effort is put into covering up this act of cruelty. The theme of film is dolphin cruelty. By using various resources, interviews, and live footage, the story supports the theme of the film and carries out its message.
The story of "The Cove" is that of Ric O'Barry's quest, along with a film crew, to unearth the truths of the dolphin capturing and killing practices of Japanese fishermen in Taiji. The story also goes into O'Barry's past, working on the television show Flipper and how that affected the dolphin hunting industry today. On a quest to right his wrongs, he and a crew sneak into an area of Taiji illegally to capture on footage the dolphin killing practice to show it to the world. The theme of this film is the protection of wildlife especially through the portrayal of dolphins as innocent and intelligent creatures worthy of our protection. The film uses O'Barry's personal story as well as the story of the difficulties of the crew to capture the footage to outline this theme by highlighting the heartless practices of the fisherman. It also uses O'Barry and other's personal stories to reveal how intelligent dolphins are and how they are different from other creatures. Through these moments in the story the theme shines through and becomes apparent.
The story of The Cove conveys the massive capturing and killings of dolphins in Taji, Japan and a group of people working together to expose the truth and stop the capturing of so many creatures that belong in the ocean. The theme is rescuing the innocent and bringing to justice those who keep selling the dolphins to the animal water parks or selling them as whale food with unknown high levels of mercury. Rick O’ Barry place a central part in this documentary with his life devotion to undo the wrong he did. Once Flipper died, he knew dolphins didn’t belong in a tank. The theme of “justice for the innocent” pushes the story and bring people the emotion to help change the circumstance in Japan, to expose the fisherman and hopefully bring about an end to the secrets, covering up and cruelty.
The Cove is a documentary film about the slaughtering of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. Ric O'Barry is the main activist in this film, who will do whatever it takes to tell his story and show the the world what Taiji is up to. In the past, Ric worked with and trained dolphins, but later realized that they were never meant to be in captivity. He now risks his life every day to save and set free any dolphin he can. The fishermen in Taiji do everything possible to prevent Ric from entering and filming footage of where the massacre of dolphins takes place. Instead of fighting the battle, Ric assembles a team to illegally set camouflaged cameras to obtain footage of the killings. He and his team succeed in doing just this. The theme of this film would be animal cruelty and partly redemption. Ric feels responsible for the capturing and training of dolphins, since he was the first person to do so. He feels a moral obligation to undo his wrong and in turn, hopefully prevent and permanently stop dolphin captivity and slaughtering around the world.
The Cove is a documentary about dolphins in Japan. The filmmaker and activists work together to secretly expose the people who capture and kill these dolphins. The Japanese people who are killing these dolphins say that they do it because it is a tradition and their people eat dolphin meat. After doing some questioning in the city, the filmmakers found out that dolphins are not normally eaten in Japan. They are basically killing innocent dolphins for no reason. Needless to say, they make more money on dolphins that are alive than ones that are dead. I would say that the theme of this film is saving the dolphins or killing dolphins. O'barry, who starred in the show Flipper, was once a trainer and worked closely with the dolphins. When he witnessed a dolphin committing suicide from the stress of being in a tank, he decided that dolphins should not be captured and set out to save as many dolphins as he can. He continues to try and save the dolphins and getting arrested for the most part. Thus the reason he was involved with this documentary. The story and theme relate to each other because the story is about people trying to expose and save the dolphins being captured in Japan and the theme is saving dolphins. Audri Whiting
The Cove is a heart-wrenching documentary about a particular area in Taiji, Japan where fisherman brutally slaughter dolphins by the masses and the group of badass activists who do everything they can to expose the injustice. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the theme is actually how greed completely corrupts. Obviously, the main component to this film is the discussion of wildlife conservation, but I think the theme of how greed basically destroys benevolence plays a huge role in the overall story because half of the outrage comes from the fact that these fisherman have absolutely zero reason to brutally slaughter these innocent creatures. There is discussion about how the fisherman sell the dolphins to sea park attractions, how they kill the rest to sell the meat (which they oftentimes disguise as other kinds of fish meat because the mercury in dolphins is toxic), how they want to sell toxic dolphin meat TO SCHOOL CHILDREN, and how Japan basically buys the votes from poorer nations in the IWC to keep their operation going. Not only that, but a good portion of the film is about Ric O'Barry and how as a dolphin trainer for Flipper, helped build a multi-billion dollar industry that is undeniably unethical. He even says at one point that if he had known then what he knows now, he would've used the money to buy the dolphins and set them free but instead he was buying himself new cars. I think though this is completely a film about wildlife conservation and the disgustingly brutal slaughter of innocent animals, I believe the narrative within the doc has a theme that exposes how greed can make people completely devalue life in general.
The Cove is a documentary film about the dolphin killings that occur in Japan, specifically the cove of Taiji, where most of the world's aquatic animal parks and attractions get their dolphins from. The film shows a group of activists led by Rick O'Barry and they try to gain footage of the horrifying massacres that occur in this cove. We are led on the journey of the group as they try to gain access unsuccessfully, running into protesters, police and government official left and right who continue to deter their efforts. The group ends up resorting to drastic measures and eventually take matters into their own hands, sneaking military-grade cameras disguised as rocks and vegetation into the country and eventually placed in the cove in order to gather footage of the dolphin killings. The footage is truly graphic and extremely hard to watch, but helps the documentary get its theme across, which is to raise awareness about these senseless cruelties. This documentary has been out for 6 years now, and this is the first time I have seen it. However, I have been urged by many people over the last few years to watch this film, and this itself is a testament to the connection between the film and the theme.
The Cove is a documentary film providing awareness about the slaughtering of dolphins in a cove of Taiji, Japan's coast. Unfortunately this is where most of the world's zoos and marine animal parks are buying their dolphins, from fisherman illegally catching these animals. The lead activist, Ric O'Barry, goal in life is to save dolphins from being hunted and slaughtered after he had once been apart of working with captured dolphins and realized how wrong it was. The main target of his goal is to take down "The Cove" in Taiji. To do this he takes a team of activist and filmmaker to capture the unseen footage of what is truly happening in this cove so they can show the rest of the world and get the ball rolling to end this once and for all. Ric has been to the cove many times and it is known whenever he is in town, he is followed by fisherman trying to prevent him from interrupting their "work" space and filming what they are doing. Ric and his team would illegally set up hi definition cameras in camouflage to capture the massacres of dolphins, and they would go on to successfully show the world what the Japanese fisherman are doing in "The Cove." The theme of this documentary is animal cruelty and him redeeming himself after feeling responsible for creating this "dolphin craze" by working with the once famous dolphin, Flipper. He and his team were able to do this by saving thousands and thousands of dolphins due to this courageous act of him and his team.
The Cove follows the story of a group of activists and filmmakers focused on stopping the inhumane slaughter of Dolphins at a hidden cove in Taiji, Japan. In addition to killing these dolphins for the seafood market, Taiji is the leading seller of show dolphins to sea-parks around the world- with each show dolphin selling for as much as $150,000. The dolphin meat and show dolphins are deeply engrained in the Taiji and Japanese economy, so the government actively has been covering up the dolphin trade to protect this profitable business. It is also a deeply political issue, and the Japanese government is trying to legalize and legitimize what they are doing by essentially paying of other less-profitable countries on the International Whale Committee (IWC) so that they can get more votes in favor of their practices. The film delves into this deep issue from the POV of the activists, lead by former dolphin trainer (trained the dolphins from "Flipper") Ric O'Barry. A major theme found in the film is how economy, entertainment, and politics is destroying the dolphin and whale populations in nature. There is a sense of sadness and urgency for action found throughout the film that is found in the frantic editing style during the activist's operations, the visuals and information about dolphins and their intelligence, and the shocking and revealing footage of the slaughter of thousands of dolphins.
The story of "The Cove" is how a a team of activists try to expose the killing of dolphins in the Japanese finishing town of Taiji. Beyond the slaughter that occurs in a hidden cove of the town, the film tries to show that the captivity and slaughter of dolphins and other whales is unethical. Activist Ric O'Barry is seen as the protagonist of the film as he strives to uncover the dolphin killing operation, as well as raising awareness to the issue, which he feels is caused in part by his role in training dolphins in the 1960s TV show, Flipper. The documentary follows Ric and a team of activists/filmmakers as they go on a covert mission to film the actual killing of the dolphins in the cove. The team runs into all sorts of obstacles, as they are physically blocked from entering the site as well as running into trouble with local authorities and figures. The theme of the documentary is animal rights and conservation. The film delves into explaining how dolphins are intelligent animals and how the way they are killed is cruel, which many Japanese citizens aren't even aware is occurring. Also, dolphin meat contains high levels of mercury, which is toxic. The film has a redemptive quality to it since Ric is trying to right his wrongs and show people that dolphins are much more than for entertainment and consumption. In addition to the various obstacles the team faces, the film also uncovers the corruption in the International Whaling Committee and how that affects the killing of dolphins.
The Cove is a documentary that follows a former dolphin trainer, Ric O'Barry, and his efforts in trying to tear down the industry he spent a decade trying to build up. The film builds up to the uncovering of a secret cove in Taiji, Japan and the Japanese fishermen who viciously murder tons of dolphins in its waters. Along the way, we learn about Ric's past as the trainer of the famous dolphin from the TV show Flipper, where he eventually learns about the horrific mistreatment of dolphins kept in captivity that cause him to flip his stance. For 35 years, he has gone through being yelled at, scorned upon, and even arrested multiple times for fighting for a cause he believes so strongly in. The theme of The Cove is fighting for highly intelligent creatures that cannot fight for themselves, and fighting against those that are corrupt and seemingly cold-hearted. The film highlights how dolphins care for their young, surf the waves, protect each other and people, much as us humans do. Killing them is wrong in so many ways, especially when most of the Japanese people aren't even aware that it's going on. The story and theme relate to one another because the whole time, we see the struggle Ric and the other activists face in Japan as they try to do what is right. The footage taken from their heist-like planting of the hidden rock cameras exposes the secret cove and, while graphic, hopes to spark the fire in viewers to go out and make a change themselves.
The Cove is a documentary exposing the industry of commercial dolphin killing and capture in Taiji Japan. The film follows Ric O'Barry, whose admitted contribution to the rise of dolphin captivity via the show Flipper led to his commitment to tear down the very same industry over 35 years. The documentary slowly reveals the entangled web of corporate and government interests spanning across nations that stand to gain from the perpetuation of these killings. An elite group of activists from different walks of life unites to expose the horror of the annual mass killing of dolphins in a small unassuming fishing community. The theme of this film is the consequence human greed and the reach of this industry from poisonous school lunches to shady business dealings with bankrupt countries in exchange for support. The theme as it relates to the story truly lies within the emotional experience of the film. As the film begins to pull the thread, so to speak, of the web of corruption we uncover more and horrific realities of the cost of this business.
The story of the Cove documentary is to get a message across to not only the Japanese people, but the whole world. It is bringing awareness to the people that there is dolphin killing that is going on and it is cruel and unnecessary. It tells us the risks mass killings from the Japanese fishing practices and say that it increases the chance of getting mercury poisoning. I feel that theme expresses and gained from this film can be responsibility and power. Responsibility because the film does its job by making people aware, now it wants the people's support to bring it to a halt. Power is another theme because this film shows what people can do when they all come together and try to make a change for the good of each other. The story and the them co-exist because by the movie bringing awareness to the people, it is automatically putting a sense of responsibility on the people. Also with the movie telling us there is a problem, they give the people a sense of power and make us realize that we can do something about it.
“The Cove” is a documentary where the filmmakers and crew takes a journey to expose the killing of dolphins in the Japanese finishing town of Taiji. They expose the truth and helped stop the selling and the slaughter of this beautiful creature supposed to be living in the ocean and not in the cove. The theme is bringing Justice to these animals by the filmmakers showing what is really happening. Not only are they making money from it, they are also endangering the life of many humans by selling the meat of the slaughtered dolphins, which we learn has a dangerously high levels of mercury. O’Barrys’ crew had a difficult time to capturing some of the footage after they were denied the access of going in the cove.
18 comments:
"The Cove" is an activist documentary aimed at exposing the corrupt and inhumane dolphin trade and slaughter in a small fishing village in Japan. While the villagers claim that it has cultural precedent and their government hides their crimes from the world, there is no avoiding the repercussions. This documentary, does a very good job of showing the destructive nature of ocean theme parks and ties it all back to the villages who sell wild dolphins to these parks. This documentary uses emotion backed up by solid evidence to drive it's argument home.
The Cove is a documentary that raises awareness about the inhumane treatment and slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. The story follows activist Richard O'Barry on his journey along with fellow colleagues and dolphin lovers as they try to unveil and discover what happens to the dolphins in Taiji. The theme of the film is animal cruelty and preservation of animal life. Together, the theme and story provide a compelling emotional motivator for the audience to make a change and take action against dolphin capturing and dolphin killing for meat as well as dolphin display shows.
The Cove is a documentary that calls for action against the dolphin trade by exposing the brutal slaughtering and capturing of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. The theme of this documentary is dolphin conservation. The story follows a group of activists lead by Ric O'Barry (known for training the dolphins on Flipper) and their suspenseful mission to expose the truth. The story of these activists is brilliantly worked into the theme in a way that captivates the audience and leaves them emotional, angry, and ready to take action.
The Cove is a documentary that aims to expose the cruel and secretive treatment of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. The documentary does a great job grasping the audience's attention with the use of emotion and compassion, as well as relating it to us by displaying these dolphins in the shows we watch at common theme parks like Sea World. It describes the torturous process of getting the dolphins from Japan to other dolphin captivities across the world, what they do with the remaining dolphins who are not chosen, and how much effort is put into covering up this act of cruelty. The theme of film is dolphin cruelty. By using various resources, interviews, and live footage, the story supports the theme of the film and carries out its message.
The story of "The Cove" is that of Ric O'Barry's quest, along with a film crew, to unearth the truths of the dolphin capturing and killing practices of Japanese fishermen in Taiji. The story also goes into O'Barry's past, working on the television show Flipper and how that affected the dolphin hunting industry today. On a quest to right his wrongs, he and a crew sneak into an area of Taiji illegally to capture on footage the dolphin killing practice to show it to the world. The theme of this film is the protection of wildlife especially through the portrayal of dolphins as innocent and intelligent creatures worthy of our protection. The film uses O'Barry's personal story as well as the story of the difficulties of the crew to capture the footage to outline this theme by highlighting the heartless practices of the fisherman. It also uses O'Barry and other's personal stories to reveal how intelligent dolphins are and how they are different from other creatures. Through these moments in the story the theme shines through and becomes apparent.
The story of The Cove conveys the massive capturing and killings of dolphins in Taji, Japan and a group of people working together to expose the truth and stop the capturing of so many creatures that belong in the ocean. The theme is rescuing the innocent and bringing to justice those who keep selling the dolphins to the animal water parks or selling them as whale food with unknown high levels of mercury. Rick O’ Barry place a central part in this documentary with his life devotion to undo the wrong he did. Once Flipper died, he knew dolphins didn’t belong in a tank. The theme of “justice for the innocent” pushes the story and bring people the emotion to help change the circumstance in Japan, to expose the fisherman and hopefully bring about an end to the secrets, covering up and cruelty.
The Cove is a documentary film about the slaughtering of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. Ric O'Barry is the main activist in this film, who will do whatever it takes to tell his story and show the the world what Taiji is up to. In the past, Ric worked with and trained dolphins, but later realized that they were never meant to be in captivity. He now risks his life every day to save and set free any dolphin he can. The fishermen in Taiji do everything possible to prevent Ric from entering and filming footage of where the massacre of dolphins takes place. Instead of fighting the battle, Ric assembles a team to illegally set camouflaged cameras to obtain footage of the killings. He and his team succeed in doing just this. The theme of this film would be animal cruelty and partly redemption. Ric feels responsible for the capturing and training of dolphins, since he was the first person to do so. He feels a moral obligation to undo his wrong and in turn, hopefully prevent and permanently stop dolphin captivity and slaughtering around the world.
The Cove is a documentary about dolphins in Japan. The filmmaker and activists work together to secretly expose the people who capture and kill these dolphins. The Japanese people who are killing these dolphins say that they do it because it is a tradition and their people eat dolphin meat. After doing some questioning in the city, the filmmakers found out that dolphins are not normally eaten in Japan. They are basically killing innocent dolphins for no reason. Needless to say, they make more money on dolphins that are alive than ones that are dead. I would say that the theme of this film is saving the dolphins or killing dolphins. O'barry, who starred in the show Flipper, was once a trainer and worked closely with the dolphins. When he witnessed a dolphin committing suicide from the stress of being in a tank, he decided that dolphins should not be captured and set out to save as many dolphins as he can. He continues to try and save the dolphins and getting arrested for the most part. Thus the reason he was involved with this documentary. The story and theme relate to each other because the story is about people trying to expose and save the dolphins being captured in Japan and the theme is saving dolphins.
Audri Whiting
The Cove is a heart-wrenching documentary about a particular area in Taiji, Japan where fisherman brutally slaughter dolphins by the masses and the group of badass activists who do everything they can to expose the injustice. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the theme is actually how greed completely corrupts. Obviously, the main component to this film is the discussion of wildlife conservation, but I think the theme of how greed basically destroys benevolence plays a huge role in the overall story because half of the outrage comes from the fact that these fisherman have absolutely zero reason to brutally slaughter these innocent creatures. There is discussion about how the fisherman sell the dolphins to sea park attractions, how they kill the rest to sell the meat (which they oftentimes disguise as other kinds of fish meat because the mercury in dolphins is toxic), how they want to sell toxic dolphin meat TO SCHOOL CHILDREN, and how Japan basically buys the votes from poorer nations in the IWC to keep their operation going. Not only that, but a good portion of the film is about Ric O'Barry and how as a dolphin trainer for Flipper, helped build a multi-billion dollar industry that is undeniably unethical. He even says at one point that if he had known then what he knows now, he would've used the money to buy the dolphins and set them free but instead he was buying himself new cars. I think though this is completely a film about wildlife conservation and the disgustingly brutal slaughter of innocent animals, I believe the narrative within the doc has a theme that exposes how greed can make people completely devalue life in general.
The Cove is a documentary film about the dolphin killings that occur in Japan, specifically the cove of Taiji, where most of the world's aquatic animal parks and attractions get their dolphins from. The film shows a group of activists led by Rick O'Barry and they try to gain footage of the horrifying massacres that occur in this cove. We are led on the journey of the group as they try to gain access unsuccessfully, running into protesters, police and government official left and right who continue to deter their efforts. The group ends up resorting to drastic measures and eventually take matters into their own hands, sneaking military-grade cameras disguised as rocks and vegetation into the country and eventually placed in the cove in order to gather footage of the dolphin killings. The footage is truly graphic and extremely hard to watch, but helps the documentary get its theme across, which is to raise awareness about these senseless cruelties. This documentary has been out for 6 years now, and this is the first time I have seen it. However, I have been urged by many people over the last few years to watch this film, and this itself is a testament to the connection between the film and the theme.
The Cove is a documentary film providing awareness about the slaughtering of dolphins in a cove of Taiji, Japan's coast. Unfortunately this is where most of the world's zoos and marine animal parks are buying their dolphins, from fisherman illegally catching these animals. The lead activist, Ric O'Barry, goal in life is to save dolphins from being hunted and slaughtered after he had once been apart of working with captured dolphins and realized how wrong it was. The main target of his goal is to take down "The Cove" in Taiji. To do this he takes a team of activist and filmmaker to capture the unseen footage of what is truly happening in this cove so they can show the rest of the world and get the ball rolling to end this once and for all. Ric has been to the cove many times and it is known whenever he is in town, he is followed by fisherman trying to prevent him from interrupting their "work" space and filming what they are doing. Ric and his team would illegally set up hi definition cameras in camouflage to capture the massacres of dolphins, and they would go on to successfully show the world what the Japanese fisherman are doing in "The Cove." The theme of this documentary is animal cruelty and him redeeming himself after feeling responsible for creating this "dolphin craze" by working with the once famous dolphin, Flipper. He and his team were able to do this by saving thousands and thousands of dolphins due to this courageous act of him and his team.
The Cove follows the story of a group of activists and filmmakers focused on stopping the inhumane slaughter of Dolphins at a hidden cove in Taiji, Japan. In addition to killing these dolphins for the seafood market, Taiji is the leading seller of show dolphins to sea-parks around the world- with each show dolphin selling for as much as $150,000. The dolphin meat and show dolphins are deeply engrained in the Taiji and Japanese economy, so the government actively has been covering up the dolphin trade to protect this profitable business. It is also a deeply political issue, and the Japanese government is trying to legalize and legitimize what they are doing by essentially paying of other less-profitable countries on the International Whale Committee (IWC) so that they can get more votes in favor of their practices. The film delves into this deep issue from the POV of the activists, lead by former dolphin trainer (trained the dolphins from "Flipper") Ric O'Barry. A major theme found in the film is how economy, entertainment, and politics is destroying the dolphin and whale populations in nature. There is a sense of sadness and urgency for action found throughout the film that is found in the frantic editing style during the activist's operations, the visuals and information about dolphins and their intelligence, and the shocking and revealing footage of the slaughter of thousands of dolphins.
The story of "The Cove" is how a a team of activists try to expose the killing of dolphins in the Japanese finishing town of Taiji. Beyond the slaughter that occurs in a hidden cove of the town, the film tries to show that the captivity and slaughter of dolphins and other whales is unethical. Activist Ric O'Barry is seen as the protagonist of the film as he strives to uncover the dolphin killing operation, as well as raising awareness to the issue, which he feels is caused in part by his role in training dolphins in the 1960s TV show, Flipper. The documentary follows Ric and a team of activists/filmmakers as they go on a covert mission to film the actual killing of the dolphins in the cove. The team runs into all sorts of obstacles, as they are physically blocked from entering the site as well as running into trouble with local authorities and figures. The theme of the documentary is animal rights and conservation. The film delves into explaining how dolphins are intelligent animals and how the way they are killed is cruel, which many Japanese citizens aren't even aware is occurring. Also, dolphin meat contains high levels of mercury, which is toxic. The film has a redemptive quality to it since Ric is trying to right his wrongs and show people that dolphins are much more than for entertainment and consumption. In addition to the various obstacles the team faces, the film also uncovers the corruption in the International Whaling Committee and how that affects the killing of dolphins.
The Cove is a documentary that follows a former dolphin trainer, Ric O'Barry, and his efforts in trying to tear down the industry he spent a decade trying to build up. The film builds up to the uncovering of a secret cove in Taiji, Japan and the Japanese fishermen who viciously murder tons of dolphins in its waters. Along the way, we learn about Ric's past as the trainer of the famous dolphin from the TV show Flipper, where he eventually learns about the horrific mistreatment of dolphins kept in captivity that cause him to flip his stance. For 35 years, he has gone through being yelled at, scorned upon, and even arrested multiple times for fighting for a cause he believes so strongly in. The theme of The Cove is fighting for highly intelligent creatures that cannot fight for themselves, and fighting against those that are corrupt and seemingly cold-hearted. The film highlights how dolphins care for their young, surf the waves, protect each other and people, much as us humans do. Killing them is wrong in so many ways, especially when most of the Japanese people aren't even aware that it's going on. The story and theme relate to one another because the whole time, we see the struggle Ric and the other activists face in Japan as they try to do what is right. The footage taken from their heist-like planting of the hidden rock cameras exposes the secret cove and, while graphic, hopes to spark the fire in viewers to go out and make a change themselves.
The Cove is a documentary exposing the industry of commercial dolphin killing and capture in Taiji Japan. The film follows Ric O'Barry, whose admitted contribution to the rise of dolphin captivity via the show Flipper led to his commitment to tear down the very same industry over 35 years. The documentary slowly reveals the entangled web of corporate and government interests spanning across nations that stand to gain from the perpetuation of these killings. An elite group of activists from different walks of life unites to expose the horror of the annual mass killing of dolphins in a small unassuming fishing community. The theme of this film is the consequence human greed and the reach of this industry from poisonous school lunches to shady business dealings with bankrupt countries in exchange for support. The theme as it relates to the story truly lies within the emotional experience of the film. As the film begins to pull the thread, so to speak, of the web of corruption we uncover more and horrific realities of the cost of this business.
The story of the Cove documentary is to get a message across to not only the Japanese people, but the whole world. It is bringing awareness to the people that there is dolphin killing that is going on and it is cruel and unnecessary. It tells us the risks mass killings from the Japanese fishing practices and say that it increases the chance of getting mercury poisoning. I feel that theme expresses and gained from this film can be responsibility and power. Responsibility because the film does its job by making people aware, now it wants the people's support to bring it to a halt. Power is another theme because this film shows what people can do when they all come together and try to make a change for the good of each other. The story and the them co-exist because by the movie bringing awareness to the people, it is automatically putting a sense of responsibility on the people. Also with the movie telling us there is a problem, they give the people a sense of power and make us realize that we can do something about it.
“The Cove” is a documentary where the filmmakers and crew takes a journey to expose the killing of dolphins in the Japanese finishing town of Taiji. They expose the truth and helped stop the selling and the slaughter of this beautiful creature supposed to be living in the ocean and not in the cove. The theme is bringing Justice to these animals by the filmmakers showing what is really happening. Not only are they making money from it, they are also endangering the life of many humans by selling the meat of the slaughtered dolphins, which we learn has a dangerously high levels of mercury. O’Barrys’ crew had a difficult time to capturing some of the footage after they were denied the access of going in the cove.
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