Mysteries of the Deep (1959)

Though I thought Winston Hibbler's narration rather pedestrian and Oliver Wallace has rather intrusively scored this as if it were one of Disney's more famous animations, it's still quite an enjoyable dip in the deep with some fine oceanic photography. I can never see enough of whales - especially when they are breaching. They've even managed to capture some pictures of baby dolphin being born, too. The rest of this is all fairly standard fayre illustrating the whole concept of the survival of the fittest several hundred feet under the water. The squabbling jawfish could have inspired the gophers in "When the Dust Settles" (1997) and just about everything is trying to make an home or a snack - or both - out of everything else. The octopuses look so unnaturally ugly yet they glide about the ocean floor effortlessly (and dangerously) and the seahorse looks as if it's sneezing out it's newborn. Puffer fish live up to their name and the manta rays loom like something from the "Outer Limits". Indeed some of the excellent photography here readily explains why so much maritime folklore features magnificent beasts of all shapes and sizes - many of them do actually exist! It's cleverly stitched together with quite a bit of action photography and I thought it well worth twenty minutes.