'DEEP WATER' A PROFOUND EXPLORATION OF THE DEPTHS OF MAN.Byline: GLENN WHIPP WHIPP WhiteWater Head Impact Protection Project >FILM CRITIC A year before Neil Armstrong blasted through space to take that giant leap for all mankind, nine yachtsmen attempted an equally perilous voyage, looking to become the first person to make a nonstop HP's brand name for its fault-tolerant servers, which range in size from four CPUs to 4,000 CPUs. The NonStop line was created by Tandem Computers, which was acquired by Compaq, which later became part of HP. , solo trip around the world's oceans. That great 1968 race is captured in the absorbing documentary "Deep Water." The focus isn't on the event as much as its most intriguing participant, Donald Crowhurst Donald Crowhurst (1932–1969) was an English businessman and amateur sailor who died while competing in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, a single-handed, round-the-world yacht race. , a 36-year-old father of four who saw the race as a means to win financial security for his family. It wouldn't be giving much away to say that Crowhurst got a little more than he bargained for. The race was overshadowed by world events, so its outcome is largely unknown to most people today. Do yourself a favor, and let it stay that way. The story's twists and turns are extraordinary, and it's all captured here through Crowhurst's own movies, tape recordings and log entries. Crowhurst wasn't a sailor. He owned a marine electronics business and was convinced that a fast ship equipped with the latest gadgetry gadg·et·ry n. 1. Gadgets considered as a group. 2. The design or construction of gadgets. Noun 1. gadgetry - appliances collectively; "laborsaving gadgetry" could overcome his lack of experience. But he wasn't a fool, either. Seeing him kiss his wife and four young children goodbye, you can feel his trepidation trepidation /trep·i·da·tion/ (trep?i-da´shun) 1. tremor. 2. nervous anxiety and fear.trep´idant trep·i·da·tion n. 1. An involuntary trembling or quivering. , emotions confirmed by his eloquent wife and son, Simon, in compelling new interviews. Crowhurst didn't know if his boat would hold together. He was even less certain about the stability of his own mind during what would be a grinding, 10-month journey. As the race unfolded, Crowhurst paints himself into a corner through a series of bad decisions. Directors Louise Osmond and Jerry Rothwell do a superb job of sketching out Crowhurst's family history, showing how a financial disaster in his past influenced his judgment. Ultimately, he was faced with a no-win choice -- continue and commit suicide Verb 1. commit suicide - kill oneself; "the terminally ill patient committed suicide" kill - cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly; "This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank"; "The farmer killed a pig for the holidays" , go back and face bankruptcy, embarrassment and ruin. Crowhurst, however, was smart enough to devise a third option. Could he pull it off? The humane and haunting "Deep Water" answers that question in a way that might surprise, bestowing upon Crowhurst a tragic dignity that's hard to forget. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672. glenn.whipp@dailynews.com DEEP WATER - Three stars >PG: thematic elements, mild language. >Directors: Louise Ormond, Jerry Rothwell. >Running time: 1 hr. 33 min. >Playing: Landmark's Nuart in West Los Angeles
>In a nutshell nut·shell n. The shell enclosing the meat of a nut. Idiom: in a nutshell In a few words; concisely: Just give me the facts in a nutshell. Adv. 1. : Yachtsman battles elements, isolation in this fine doc about the first solo attempt to sail around the world. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: "Deep Water" focuses on the effort of Donald Crowhurst to gain financial security for his family by winning a nonstop solo trip around the world. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion