Who but Jacques Cousteau could wander around the globe, stopping in at interesting ports of call to see the local sights, and poking into any interesting archaeological, historical, or environmental question that caught his eye... and get the whole thing made into a television series? In The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey, a 1978 television show made for PBS, the famous French explorer and inventor seems confident that whatever catches his fancy is sure to interest the viewer as well. And for the most part he's right, though this series isn't quite a typical documentary.

The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey is appropriately named, as it's much more about the process of exploration than the discoveries themselves. While the more typical documentary format is to present a topic and then explain it in detail, these episodes are structured to follow Cousteau's team as they investigate the location or problem that's the focus of that program. The narrator provides some background information about the subject as the episode moves along, but what we learn about and see is tied directly to what the team is discovering or exploring at any given moment.

When this exploratory format is matched up with a consistently slow, relaxed pacing for the material, the result is a style of documentary that's not as immediately engaging or as captivating as other formats, but certainly distinctive. I tend to prefer information-dense documentaries, and The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey doesn't fit that bill, but neither is it puffed out like some I've seen. It's in an odd middle ground, where a substantial chunk of the series' appeal lies not in the information presented, but in the experience of being, in a sense, a virtual explorer alongside the others on the Calypso, seeing what they see, even if it's not immediately relevant to the topic of the show.

In that sense, I think that The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey is an ideal program for children, assuming that they're not already completely jaded about the sophistication of their television shows. The sense of exploring strange new worlds, and the attention that the program pays to little details of the environment or human society, is something that's likely to appeal to the younger set. The topics introduced here are also at a good level for younger viewers; as an adult viewer, I wanted to get more details on things like Easter Island or Roman galleys, since I already know something about those topics, but the appeal of a vanished civilization or a long-lost shipwreck will likely intrigue viewers who aren't familiar with the material to begin with. Cousteau's respectful and thoughtful attitude about the environment is also most certainly something that kids would benefit from being exposed to.

Ten episodes (the complete series) of The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey are presented here. The series begins with two two-part episodes, "The Nile" and "Calypso's Search for Atlantis." The next four episodes all touch on underwater exploration in some way: a modern-day sunken cargo of toxic chemicals in "Time Bomb at 50 Fathoms," a consideration of the effects of industry on the Mediterranean coast in "Mediterranean: Cradle or Coffin?", the search for a sunken WWI Titanic-sized hospital ship in "Calypso's Search for the Britannic," and a diving expedition for archaeological finds in an ancient Roman galley in "Diving for Roman Plunder." The remaining four episodes handle varied topics. "Blind Prophets of Easter Island" takes a look at the mysterious island that was once populated by a civilization of sophisticated stone carvers, "Clipperton: The Island that Time Forgot" focuses on a historical drama that played out on an isolated island off the coast of Mexico, "Lost Relics of the Sea" takes a look at the varied discoveries from shipwrecks, and "The Warm-Blooded Sea: Mammals of the Deep" explores the evolutionary history of sea mammals.

The underwater and on-location footage isn't as impressive now as it was in 1978, but it's important to recognize Jacques Cousteau for his pioneering work in underwater photography and exploration. The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey has lost some of its impact over time, but if you don't mind its somewhat unfocused approach, it's still worth watching.

The DVD

The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey is a massive six-DVD set, with each disc in its own keepcase inside a glossy paperboard slipcase. The bulk of the set is really rather inconvenient; there's less than two hours of material on each disc, so the episodes could easily have been combined onto fewer discs, not to mention the fact that the discs could have been packaged in a more convenient (smaller) format. The packaging is attractive, in any case.

Video

It's a television show from 1978; we have to make some allowances for wear and tear. Unfortunately, we have to make a very generous allowance, because it doesn't look like these episodes were cleaned up at all before being transferred. The image is very grainy, with scratches, dirt, and flaws constantly appearing throughout the program. Overall, it's soft and tends to look a bit faded, although primary colors look surprisingly vibrant. It's watchable, but disappointing.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack does an adequate job. The voiceover narration generally sounds quite good, with a clear and natural sound, but anything that was recorded on location tends to sound rather flat and sometimes muffled or tinny. English, French, and Spanish subtitles are included for all the episodes. The program itself is in English (as it was originally filmed); it's fun to listen for the crew in the background, as they're usually speaking French. Theodore Strauss provides the voiceover narration most of the time, with Cousteau himself sometimes stepping in to do his own narration.

Extras

There are no special features.

Final thoughts

The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey is an interesting, varied collection of episodes dealing with natural history and various forms of underwater and above-water exploration. The pacing and structure feel a bit slow and meandering, but the footage and topics are interesting, and the episodes are interesting to watch. The image quality is hardly impressive, but it's watchable. I'll give this set a "recommended" rating.