ML137959
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Subject: (Interview). Subtitle: Luis Marden. Timecode In: 00:01:56. Timecode out: 00:16:55. Notes: Cousteau. Equipment Notes: Stereo=1; Dual-Channel Mono. Luis Marden on Jacques Cousteau National Geographic Century 00:02:10 When in 1961, Jacques Cousteau received the gold medal of the national Geographic Society from the hands of President John F. Kennedy it bore an inscription I wrote. "To earth bound man he gave the key to the solid world." Knowledge of a strange and wonderful world covering nearly three-fourths of our plant increased exponentially in 1943 with the appearance of Cousteau's aqualung the simple but indispensable instrument that allows man to take his breath with him beneath the waves. The poet Byron wrote " Man marks the earth with ruin, his control stops at the shore." But man has now extended his unbridled capacity for ruin to the sea itself. Having opened the door to the undersea world, Cousteau, the original Homoaquaticus, for more than half a century eloquently and tirelessly portrayed, described and defended the beauty, richness and fertility of that silent world for which he had become the voice. AC Very nice. LM It should have been in the past, you want it in the past? AC All right do just that last sentence again. LM 00:03:25 Having opened the door to the undersea world, Cousteau, the original Homoaquaticus, for more than half a century eloquently and tirelessly portrayed described and defended the beauty , richness and fragility of that silent world for which he became the voice. AC 00:03:47 Very good. When did you first go with him? 00:04:00 LM 00:04:00 1955. AC 00:04:04 In preparing a piece about him, I thought that its not just that he came up with the aqualung but that he was a great popularizer as well. 00:04:46 LM 00:04:48 I first sailed with Jacques Cousteau on the Calypso in 1955. We spent 4 mos. in the Indian ocean and the Red Sea. There were 25 people as I recall on board, 24 men and 1 woman, Madame Cousteau, Simone Cousteau. As you probably know, if you've ever sailed on a small vessel you get pretty much tired of seeing each other, the same people. We were four months at sea, touched a shore very little, merely to get diesel and water and I apologize for this voice, caused by tree pollen allergy. During those four months when we did touch occasionally, Madagascar (?), Cousteau was often invited to speak. So several times I heard him speak in French, (?) and English, extemporaneously, no notes and each time, I had been his ship mate for 4 months, I sat on the edge of the seat. His eloquence was astounding in both languages and his dedication to the sea and its causes, equally impressive. The great thing was that he not only made it possible for his crew and the great public to go down in the sea but he was able to transmit and pass on the sensations and the language that these expeditions and these excursions beneath the waves evoked. He was more eloquent and most dedicated to the cause of saving the earth in general and the sea in particular which encompassed 71 percent of the Earth's surface. And by the way, its always been a matter of remarkable, a remarkable matter to me that the human body's liquids percentages is 71 percent, exactly that of the planets I don't know if it's a coincidence or perhaps its Nature's plan. AC 00:07:10 Did he ever tell you how he figured out the aqualung? 00:07:19 LM 00:07:20 No, Jacques Cousteau never discussed the origin of the aqualung with me. Though I asked him one or two questions at a time. (Coughing) But he's put on record several places the facts. People, divers had wanted in those days, to hunt fish, to shoot fish had wanted to take air down with them so that they could stay underwater, almost from the beginning of their efforts. You could take a bottle of compressed air with a mou... (Notes truncated)
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- Cataloged
- 16 Oct 2008 - Ben Brotman
- Digitized
- 16 Oct 2008 - Ben Brotman
- Edited
- 16 Oct 2008 - Ben Brotman