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Blackfish (2013)

Nada

TS Member
Has anybody heard of this, seen it or are planning to?


Here's a brief synopsis:

[size=1em]Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale that killed several people while in captivity. Along the way, director-producer Gabriela Cowperthwaite compiles shocking footage and emotional interviews to explore the creature’s extraordinary nature, the species’ cruel treatment in captivity, the lives and losses of the trainers and the pressures brought to bear by the mulit-billion dollar sea-park industry.[/size]

[size=1em]This emotionally wrenching, tautly structured story challenges us to consider our relationship to nature and reveals how little we humans have learned from these highly intelligent and enormously sentient fellow mammals.[/size]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2vG_Ifu4zg#ws


SeaWorld's reaction


I'll likely go and see it or watch it online. I thought this would make for a good discussion because, if you were to see it and agree with the ethos, how would that change your perception of SeaWorld and could you reconcile an enjoyment of their coasters/theme park with a dislike of the animal shows; especially those containing orca?

I've watched dolphin shows a couple of times. Once in Spain and at Parc Asterix.
Never have I seen a killer whale in real life though and I must say it seemed like they were an odd choice of animal to have doing tricks because they are real brutal predators in the wild. I know dolphins are predators too but they are more like apes to me than an orca which I've always considered to be more shark-like...even though they too are technically dolphins.
 
I saw the trailer for this the other day - I would like to go and see it if our local cinema shows it, failing that I will get hold of it on DVD/Blu-Ray. I am just hoping they tell it from both sides rather than sensationalising it as a "they shouldn't be doing this, of course it killed her because that's what animals do" kind of thing.
 
It's on VERY limited release, there is a list of cinemas showing it on the website. Unfortunately it's only showing near me for two days when I'm on holiday. You can pre-order the DVD on Amazon, it's out on the 26th of August I think. I'm very much looking forward to watching it, I've read some very good reviews.
 
Oh, and I really don't like the Shamu show at SeaWorld. I am not particularly an animal lover, but the show actually made me cry because I hated the way these creatures were made to perform, with the trainers climbing on them etc. It just seemed very very wrong to me. I was worried that people would think I was crying because I was emotionally 'touched' by the show (it is very cheesy!)

(Sorry for double posting :/ )
 
Pixie-Ro said:
I was worried that people would think I was crying because I was emotionally 'touched' by the show (it is very cheesy!)

[size=1em]That made me snort![/size]
[size=small]I just imagined Americans rolling their eyes at the melodramatic [/size][size=small]Brit[/size][size=small].[/size]

[size=small]But you make a good point. That they surf on them etc is different even from the dolphins, I suppose. Though they hold onto their fins and get pulled around. [/size]
 
Since the incident in 2010 they no longer get in the water with them, so the killer whales are no longer required to act like performing monkeys in that manner at least.
 
I have just spent literally hours sat at the laptop reading about the incident at SeaWorld and the way they tried to cover up what happened and blame it on mistakes made by the trainer who was killed. They initially tried to say it was accidental drowning (the autopsy report shows massive head injuries, the trainer was scalped and had her arm ripped off), then blamed it on the trainer letting her pony-tail get in the whale's mouth, even though the trainer was scalped some time after the initial take-down and when she had already died. The whale in question had already been involved in two deaths and trainers weren't allowed in the water with him.

Fascinating but also quite disturbing stuff, well worth a Google!
 
With regards to the issue on the film being biased, Sea World have wanted nothing to do with it and have consistently declined the filmmaker's wishes to interview officials. It's only been recently that the Vice President of Communications, Fred Jacobs, actually sent off 50 emails to professional reviewers.

You can read it here.
 
This is something that I feel I need to watch.

I've seen several Shamu shows, and as much as I love Sea World, it's always been something that I've felt inherently guilty in enjoying. Seeing the whales is impressive, but you always get the impression that their enclosure can't be big enough. It's also quite strange that you normally only see them when they perform - unlike other marine mammals at Sea World like dolphins and sea lions, there aren't any observation points to just watch them doing their thing, and as I believe zoos can be great educational tools I always think it's better to watch an animal be itself rather than just perform for people's amusement. You don't learn anything about a creature by what tricks it can perform.

As orcas are huge creatures, it does seem quite wrong to keep them in captivity. I love seeing them up close, but I cannot justify them performing. Orcas are very impressive creatures in the wild, especially their hunting techniques. I'd rather learn more about these fascinating animals than only see them perform corny feel-good shows where the way they act is incredibly far removed from what they are really like.
 
When I was young, the Killer Whale show at Marine World in California (now Six Flags Discovery Kingdom) was an annual fixture of our holiday so I have some very fond memories of watching orcas and dolphins perform.

However, more recently, I've come to realise that keeping such large, powerful and social animals that in the wild migrate thousands of miles in such confinement is probably wrong. Seeing an orca show in Tenerife a few years ago confirmed my thoughts as the show was quite uncomfortable viewing for me.

I think that in general, attitudes towards whale shows are changing and regulations are tightening up on marine parks. I believe it's now illegal to take whales from the wild. I suspect in 20 years' time, orca shows may be a thing of the past.

Going off on a bit off a tangent here, but possibly as offensive as the treatment of the Whales is how cringe-inducingly saccharine these shows tend to be. It's one thing that I really dislike about the Sea World parks and similar attractions. They don't allow the wonders of nature to speak for themselves, instead they feel the need to Hollywood everything up with corny music and a light show. The very fact that the orca show is called "Believe" is somewhat infuriating and their new Antarctica penguin attraction comes across as a bit ridiculous. All this might seem strange coming from a theme park fan but I think it sends children away with a very sanitised and inaccurate view of the natural world.
 
I was at a toss up as to whether see this or Only God Forgives at the local indie cinema, In all honesty it will probably be this. Ive followed it for a while, its had great reviews and should be well worth a watch.
 
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