On board with Steve Zissou

Talk about a ship that has every conceivable amenity locked down to near-perfection. Sure, Goldblum’s yacht and research sea-lab are arguably better as it concerns the technology involved, but the Belafonte is the one that gets the screen-time in “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.”

Among other things, the Belafonte has a sauna, massage tables, helicopter and launch pad, mini-sub, editing room, dolphin storage, a safe, and a healthy side-arm complement. In the hands of a capable, if occasionally stoned captain, the vessel gets its crew through a whole host of traumas including a shark attack, maritime theft mission, pirate raid, and documentary film.

Also, much like Director Wes Anderson’s universe, the ship exists as a slightly-skewed safe haven from reality – that place where the real world collides with the fantastic.   This ship, like the fantasy of life we engage in when we watch Wes Anderson’s pictures, can never be capsized or overcome, the safety it provides both a shield and weapon to combat the incursions of a world fighting against the wonderfully absurd.

On a side note: The film is dedicated to Jacques-Yves Cousteau; Cousteau’s ship was The Calypso. Zissou’s ship is called the Belafonte; Harry Belafonte became famous singing commercialized calypso songs.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 3:35 pm and is filed under The Daily Muze and tagged with Boats, Movies.