The people of the oceans

Our friend and accomplice René Heuzey, Underwater chief operator for 18 years for Thalassa, for the programs Carnets de Plongée and Carnets d'Epéditions and also for the latest film by Jacques Perrin ” Océans ”Gives us this gift to start the holidays off right.

Find this new series of 4 documentaries on the “Grandeur Nature” program on Sunday September 4, 11, 18 and 25 at 17:00 p.m. on France 2.

With the series « THE PEOPLE OF THE OCEANS ", Developed from 490 hours of unpublished images, the filmmakers wish to satisfy the appetite for knowledge of the general public by focusing on species. The characters in the series are marine species in their specific environments.
Series " THE PEOPLE OF THE OCEANS »Intends to understand the relationships that each one forges with other species and, also, the physical environment: that is to say the whole ecosystem in which the animal lives. Thanks to this new ecosystem approach, the series provides keys for understanding the interactions between species in their respective environments: the deep blue, sand, marine forests, reefs.

It is the story of the blue whale and the great white shark, hordes of yellowfin tuna and billfish. It is the story of all the nomads and all the marauders who haunt the great oceanic desert in search of a trace, a clue, a scent carried by the currents that would lead them to a meal. It is the story, endlessly repeated, of their primitive and savage feasts, and of their interminable journey through the liquid and blue immensity to give life.

It is the story of the inhabitants of the sandy plains who hide where there is nowhere to hide, no relief behind to hide. The plain swarms apparently deserted swarms: there eyes which seem to have no body watch around; here an eruption of sand reveals the strange merry-go-round of the shrimp and its associate, the goby; a fry disappears, brutally swallowed up by the monstrous jaws of the stone fish. A bed of eels seems to be growing from the ground. Because the inhabitants of the sand have a secret that unites them beyond the oceanic borders: they know how to burrow between the grains as in a fluid to escape the predator, or to surprise the inattentive prey.
In the great underwater forests, the inhabitants do not have this problem. Well protected from large predators in the interweaving giant algae, sea lions and sea otters can play and twirl at their leisure.

It is the story of tiny and ridiculous animals, the coral polyps, which built underwater mountains, which built islands, which changed the geography of our planet. They created, for thousands of fish, shellfish, crustaceans, shelters where there was nothing! It is the story of these species of all sizes, shapes and colors that live, collaborate, communicate, sleep, and share day and night the most sumptuous of underwater gardens. Finally, it is the story of the travelers of the deep blue, turtles, dolphins, whales who take shelter from the fury of the ocean behind the ramparts raised by the corals. In the calm of the lagoon, the whale has given birth. She accompanies the awkward breathing of her calf. Thus, the tiny coral builders welcome the first breath of the future giants of the ocean.

It is the story of whales and dolphins, iguanas and penguins, all animals which do not breathe in water like fish and which, however, rule the oceans. Their distant terrestrial ancestors, who returned to seek their food at sea, left them a very serious handicap: they have to breathe "full lung" in the open air! Cetaceans have taken this return to the ocean to the extreme. They had to re-invent new forms. They have swapped their paws for fins, giving up at the same time the comfort of dry land… and when they sleep, it is only with one “eye” and half a brain because the other is watching to breathe. Absolute paradox, some come to hunt, out of the water, on the beach. They thus take the mortal risk of returning to a world that is no longer theirs ...

The series seeks to reveal these oceanic worlds through strong visual sequences accompanied by a rich commentary without being omnipresent. The information provided by the commentary is there less to transmit knowledge to the spectator than to decode with him the hidden face of ecosystems, and translate the language of behavior. The series is not a course in natural sciences, it does not teach the lesson, but offers the right information which allows viewers to understand why an animal is exceptional, why such and such seemingly insignificant behavior is essential for life. of the species; she points to the detail that illuminates the scene in order to begin another journey through the provinces of the ocean.