First underwater movie (Colour)

First underwater movie (Colour)

Last updated: December 13, 2019 at 15:22 pm

1948 — Carnet de plongées, directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau (France), was the first underwater movie filmed in colour, with a runtime of 10 min 43 sec. The documentary was filmed at a depth of 40 m (130 ft) in July 1948, during the first-ever archaeological excavation of a shipwreck on scuba off the coast of Mahdia, Tunisia. Cousteau was assisted by Frédéric Dumas, Philippe Tailliez, Jean Alinat, and Marcel Ichac as they recovered artefacts and filmed the remains of a Roman wreck carrying a cargo pillaged in Greece.

1954 — Sesto Continente, directed by Folco Quilici (Italy), was the first full-length, full-colour underwater documentary, with a runtime of 1 h 36 min (96 min).

PACCALET, Yves. 1997. Dans l’océan de la vie. JC Lattès. pp. 98-100.

Screenshot from Carnet de plongées (1948)(Fair Use)

Sesto Continente, directed by Folco Quilici (Fair Use)

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