The Cove

Ashley Mbualungu

English 105

Professor Timmons

11/15/2010

The Cove, a 2009 documentary film directed by Louie Psihoyos, is about the annual slaughter of innocent dolphins by Taiji fishermen in Japan. Along with the Americans traveling to Taiji to get the actual footages of the dolphins on tape, the Japanese were able to get footage on their side as to why they believe slaughtering the dolphins is important, however, their argument is not convincing. Although it was not a full perspective, it was a fair amount of footage and it was shown that the fishermen kill the dolphins primarily for their meat but also as a way of pest control. Dolphins eat fish because it is their food but to the Japanese 23,000 of them are killed annually and it’s the fishermen’s way of preserving the fish in the ocean. To me that sounds selfish and their arguments were not convincing at all.

The film shows more of the Japanese perspective and the issues only seemed to be getting worse.  The Japanese are clearly aware that if word of what they do gets out, there would be outrage, so they hide behind the government. The Japanese government had incorporated pilot whale meat to the children’s school lunch programs and the biggest problem with this is the fact that most of the dolphin meat that has been slaughtered is used as counterfeit whale meat. The dolphin hunters do not warn the town of this danger even when the meat contains mercury which isn’t meant for consumption.  The people of Japan have every right to know what’s going on with the dolphin slaughter. I, for one thing, would definitely want to know what is being fed to my children during school lunches and would not want their health at risk.

The airing of how the Japanese use dolphin meat is a way of them being heard but I feel like their footage and camera time is unnecessary mainly because I disagree with the fishermen’s whole idea of slaughtering especially when it’s for the wrong purpose. It’s obviously good to get both sides of the story, in terms of fairness, but the striking footages of how they grab the dolphins in preparation for a slaughtered blood bath is enough to just believe that what these fishermen are doing is wrong. The cries of these dolphins as they are being killed is enough to want to save them yourself and stop all the madness. It is unacceptable and I’m hoping the government, the citizens, and fishermen of Taiji are soon to realize that.

Ashley Mbualungu

November 6, 2010

English 105

Professor Timmons

Koyaanisqatsi, the 1983 film directed by Godfrey Reggio, was able to force me out of my ordinary viewing habits differently than any other film that is generally narrated. The images complimented with sound effects are so captivating that it is meant to tell a story that you follow visually. The film forced me to look at the beauty of it which I would not do for a narrated film. The puffy blue clouds acted as water and the scene of the sand dooms contrasted with light and dark, but it all looked like beautiful paintings to me. This film incorporated music that sped up with double timed scenes which to me implies emphasis, for instance, the scene with the cars that appear to be going hundreds of miles per hour is being challenged to music that seems to be going at the exact same speed of the cars. The sights similar to the cars, where the music speeds up as well as the images, were able to help me focus on the images forcing me to make a story of it.

This film had ways of requiring me to view it differently than narrated films. The picture motion and bright and colorful images presented in Koyaanisqatsi told a touching story of how people today have become technology. The scenes of the beautiful manmade lake, hard industrial life, and transitions from appealing sceneries to things like big ugly trucks tell us that we have been habituated with technology over nature yet we do not even notice it anymore. Several times the film included objects that were all the same, for example the twinkies scene. In the twinkies scene we are shown over and over again the work and packaging that is put into them indicating that we live in an environment where everything is the same, copies of copies. It is fascinating to me that a film without narration can be so emotive through its captivating images and I find these to be some of the ways this film required me to view it differently than most films.

                Koyaanisqatsi’s way of telling us that we are technology through sound effects, music, and striking scenes can be discomforting in a way mainly because I am used to narration and dialogue. I feel like the scene of the atomic bomb went into overtime and though I would watch the film again I would most likely fast forward the scene. I would recommend this film for its art and beauty and though it may be discomforting it still tells a story.