'Océans' Film Washes Over France - Oceana USA
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February 2, 2010

‘Océans’ Film Washes Over France

As Time reports this week, according to box office figures, the oceans have eclipsed George Clooney in popularity this week — at least in France.

More than 100,000 people went to see Jacques Perrin’s new documentary, Océans, in its first 48 hours in French theaters, which is double the number that went to see Clooney’s Up in the Air. (They opened the same day).

Océans is the culmination of two years of planning, four years of filming, which included 70 expeditions to 54 shooting locations. The film banks on the beauty of the oceans (plus the skill of the crew and some fancy equipment) to convince viewers that ocean conservation is paramount. Not surprisingly, the technique works, say the critics.

Perrin produced the 1996 documentary, Microcosmos, which followed insects at close range, and 2001’s acclaimed Winged Migration.

As a documentary buff and ocean lover, I’m marking my calendar: the film opens in the U.S. on Earth Day, April 22.