Jacques Cousteau is a legend in the world of marine science. He was a pioneer and an innovator, capturing many of his expeditions on film. The title character of Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is based upon Cousteau, and if you want to hear something really amusing, check out the Oscars episode of the Movie Meltdown podcast in which Fred discusses how as a child he misheard Cousteau's name, thinking it was “Jacques Who Stole”; he was convinced that this was a man who had been a pirate or something and was exiled to the seas and given this moniker.

Cousteau's best-known film is The Silent World, co-directed by legendary French filmmaker Louis Malle. The film won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 1956, as well as the Palme D'or at the Cannes Film Festival (the only documentary to do so until 2004 when it was given to Fahrenheit 9/11). The Silent World follows Cousteau and his crew aboard the ship Calypso as they traverse the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean over the course of two years.

The Clifton Center presents The Silent World as the next installment in the Wild and Woolly film series. The night includes a very special bonus: Bob Braunbeck, who was Cousteau's helicopter pilot and aerial photographer just happens to live in New Albany, and will be in attendance to tell stories of their expeditions as well as to show film reels.

It all happens this Sunday at 7:00 at the Clifton Center, located at 2117 Payne Street. Admission is free for Friends of the Clifton Center and $5 for the general public. Tickets can be purchased at either Carmichael's location, online at the Clifton Center website, or at the door the night of the show.

Image: Wikipedia