Educational Media Reviews Online

There aren’t many films on Steinbeck and Ricketts’ voyage to the Sea of Cortez. This one covers the topic in docudrama format and attempts to weave in a variety of topics—the Dustbowl, World War II, marine biology and marine ecology. The film contains some stunning underwater footage as well as a lot of information, but the clips are not spliced together in a way that presents a clear story. Footage jumps from Nazi soldiers to marine animals tangled in fishing nets. The music is sinister in tone and overly loud. Viewers will learn about the impact man has had on fishery stocks and marine habitats, as well as a bit about oceanographic phenomena and marine ecology, but the story does not unfold cleanly and becomes confused when interspersed with WWII footage. This film is appropriate for middle-school through adult audiences, but separate films about the WWII political situation and the ecology of Sea of Cortez may be a better alternative.