THE SEA AROUND US

Movie Documentary

Year: 1953

Director: Irwin Allen

US Premiere: 30 June 1953

Copyright 1953 RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.

Plot Summary

Academy award winning (Best documentary feature of 1952) documentary narrated by Don Forbes, based on Rachel Carson's study of the history of the sea. The film explores the great advances made in oceanography and examines both the science and the poetry of the sea. Irwin combined film from a number of undersea expeditions which included natural phenomena such as tidal waves and storms, together with deepsea footage of the wild life on the sea bed.

Production Crew

Continuity and Commentary Written by - Irwin Allen
Based on the book by Rachel L. Carson
Music - Paul Sawtell
Musical Director - C. Bakaleinikoff
Assistant to the Producer - George E. Swink
Supervising Film Editor - Frederic Knudtson, A.C.E.
Film Editor - Dean Harrison
Photographic effects - Linwood Dunn, A.S.E
Narration - Don Forbes and Theodore Von Eltz
Produced by - Irwin Allen

Grateful acknowledgement is given to the following for their cooperation in making this film possible:

Australian News and Information Bureau
Noel Monkman, F.R.M.S
Crawley Films Limited
Fouke Fur Company
Allan Hancock Foundation University of Southern California
Imperial Oil Limited
National Federation of American Shipping, Inc.
Marine Studios, Marineland, Florida
William Harold Oliver, Jr.
Standard Oil Company of California
George Tahara
Union Pacific Railroad Company
Wakefield's Deep Sea Trawlers, Inc.
William Francis Whitman
Dudley A. Whitman

Trivia

• Irwin Allen collected the Academy Award for Documentary Feature on 19 March 1953 (covering productions from the year 1952). The award was presented by Danish actor Jean Hersholt. The other nominees were The Hoaxters and Navajo.
• Irwin Allen wrote to thousands of marine organisations, biologists and universities in his quest for research and footage for this movie.
• He collected over 1.6 million feet of 16mm footage and spent endless hours reviewing it to find the scenes we see in the final movie.
• Introduces the "Barton Ball", a spherical steel diving ball invented by Otis Barton. Perhaps a forerunner of the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Diving Bell.
• The end of the movie warns of global warming, long before it became a regular topic for discussion and concern.

Awards

Won the 1953 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The award was collected by Irwin Allen.

Alternative Titles

Belgium: De Zee die ons Omringt
Finland: Meren Ihmeitä
France: Cette Mer Qui Nous Entour
Greece: Ypovryhios Apostoli
Italy: Il Mare Intorno a Noi
Spain: El Mar Que Nos Rodea

Collectibles

Spanish Lobby Card - El Mar Que Nos Rodea

The Sea Around Us Collectibles Gallery

DVD

This Academy Award winning documentary is now available on DVD for the first time (#ad).

The Sea Around Us - Book by Rachel Carson

The book upon which this movie documentary is based is still available both in hardback and paperback formats (#ad).