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Dr. Hans Hass, Viennese underwater scientist, and members of his expedition spent six eventful months in daily exploration among the coral reefs of the Red Sea. He was especially interested in finding out whether fish made sounds and how they reacted to noise. He used the cine camera to record the results of his research, and took more film with the object of selling it to help defray his expenses.
Sol Lesser Productions (who released Kon-Tiki in 1951) acquired Dr. Hass's film and have prepared it for general release. The result is a unique and fascinating study of submarine life. Besides being a scientific record it illustrates the exotic grandeur of underwater mountain ranges and countless varieties of beautiful and terrifying marine life, ranging in size from a 50 ft. baby whale-shark to microscopic coral polyps which by gradually choking harbour entrances have dealt devastating ruin to many once-important trading centres.
From the introductory sequence of preparations at Port Sudan, the location moves to an ancient how, the expedition's ocean headquarters. The remainder of the film is largely spent under water relating day-to-day incidents including encounters with vicious manta-rays, pyramid crabs, glamorous fire fish, pert perch, and the wreck of the Turkish slave trader "EI Basra", which, so far as records disclose, sank in 1850, presumably with its human cargo chained in the holds.
An unimaginative narrative mars this otherwise inspired record of a journey into unknown territory.