The Cove is an Oscar-winning documentary that was produced by director Louie Psihoyos and written by Mark Monroe. Together, they have been award-winning nominees in various prestigious awards as the academy awards, cinema eye honors, and many more of their trendsetting works in the area of documentary film making. The documentary film premiered on August 7th, 2099, and the plot of the story was influenced by the true- life experiences of Rick O'Barry, who lost his dolphin flipper, a famous show dolphin that "committed suicide because of depression brought about the captivity" (The Cove DolphinBay).

The film's back story about flipper shift the focus from dolphins' captivity to the gruesome killing of dolphins in Taji, Japan making it an animal rights documentary where fishers kill dolphins for their meat, and those that are young and teachable are sold off to various parts of the world as show dolphins.

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 The film's main character Rick O' Barry narrated the film's central themes alongside other cast members, where they give out painful details that depict the cruelty that dolphins go through. The film's cinematography also includes the piercing of live dolphins with a sharp iron rod on their back without any anesthesia, which leads to the dolphins' death due to massive bleeding. Some commentators of the film, such as the Japanese fisheries ministers, show no remorse for this cruel act but counters the argument of cruelty by saying that, "dolphin fishing is an economic acidity that provides jobs for thousands of people" (The Cove DolphinBay,2014).

​

 Dolphins all over the world are known for their intelligence and their showmanship. Rarely do we get the behind the scenes of what captative dolphins go through. The film's plot is centered on where we get to see images of distressed dolphins whose food is laced with ulcer medicine to control the wounds in their guts brought about by the stressful ordeals they go through.

The main cast Rick O'Barry was one of the original founding members of the dolphin show business but had now turned into a dolphin activist whose primary focus is spreading the message about dolphins' captivity.

 During the film, I was disturbed by the amount of animal cruelty that dolphins went through. Questions ran through my mind, such as is there any morality or law that guides the treatment or, better yet, protects dolphins' rights just like any other animal? I began doing some research and found out that the dolphin problem emanated from the international whaling commission (IWC) responsible for the dolphin's rights (Hoyt, 2014). Even though dolphins are not considered whales, they belong to the whale, and therefore the IWC is responsible for them, but they fail to protect dolphins since they regard dolphins as "small whales" (Hoyt, 2014). Therefore, fishers are allowed to fish them. In most countries, you can fish and sell most dolphins. 

Japan has been making headlines with its unregulated fishing dolphins, which pass off as whale meat and is accepted in many japan markets.

The lack of laws and regulations that speak against the cruel act causes fishers and owner of entertainment show to use dolphins as a means to an end, which is money, rather than to let them be for they are a part of nature. The yearly rate of dolphin killings has been raising throughout the years, reaching a staggering number of almost 33,000 dolphin deaths a year to supply the meat industry (The Cove DolphinBay, 2014). These numbers speak volumes of the industry's lawlessness and the unregulated market that is a hub for rogue fishers.

​

 Although coming up with laws and regulations between the international communities on the safeguarding of dolphin rights is difficult, the most fundamental reasons as to why a dolphin needs to live should speak volumes in "how we ought to treat the sea creatures" (Bearzi, 2017). Firstly, dolphins are more social animals and, as such, do not need to be killed since it affects not only the dead dolphin but also the social family. Dolphins live in the open ocean and live with their families, something that water tanks do not offer. The fact that dolphins have intelligence and emotions makes them unique animals that require special animal rights. Dolphins have been known to bond with humans better than any known sea creature and have been known to have a personality and express emotions such as happiness and disappointment. These reasons are sufficient enough to stop the killing of dolphins and protect them from any form of fishing or capture.

​

 In conclusion, the movie's emotions in the viewer are enough to call in action everyone passionate about animal rights, specifically dolphin rights, to speak against the fishers' cruel acts against dolphins. Laws and regulations need to pass that are so cruel, just like the fishers are to the dolphins. Dolphins need to be protected by any means necessary, even if it means sanctioning countries that still hunt dolphins or hold them captive. I highly recommend watching this film to anyone curious about the life of a dolphin far away from home!

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References:  

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• I used APA CITATIONS BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT I NEED TO USE FOR MY MAJOR. 

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Haworth, J. (2019, January 9). Dolphin hunting season begins again in a Japanese cove made famous by the bloody documentary. Retrieved December 14, 2020, from https://abcnews.go.com/International/dolphin-hunting-season-begins-japanese-cove-made-famous/story?id=65341312

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Psihoyos, L., Diamond Docs (Firm), & Skyfish Films. (2009). The cove. Toronto: Distributed in Canada by Maple Pictures.

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Staff, F. (2019, August 26). Dolphin Fishing; How To Catch Dolphin For Dinner. Retrieved December 14, 2020, from https://floridasportfishing.com/dolphin-fishing-how-to-catch-dolphin-for-dinner/

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Rachel lucas

October 30th, 2020

In this film review, I reviewed The Cove: Dolphin for Dinner? 

 

The Cove is an Oscar-winning documentary that was produced by director Louie Psihoyos and written by Mark Monroe. Together, they have been award-winning nominees in various prestigious awards as the academy awards, cinema eye honors, and many more of their trendsetting works in the area of documentary film making. The documentary film premiered on August 7th, 2099, and the plot of the story was influenced by the true- life experiences of Rick O'Barry, who lost his dolphin flipper, a famous show dolphin that "committed suicide because of depression brought about the captivity" (The Cove DolphinBay).

The film's back story about flipper shift the focus from dolphins' captivity to the gruesome killing of dolphins in Taji, Japan making it an animal rights documentary where fishers kill dolphins for their meat, and those that are young and teachable are sold off to various parts of the world as show dolphins.

​

 The film's main character Rick O' Barry narrated the film's central themes alongside other cast members, where they give out painful details that depict the cruelty that dolphins go through. The film's cinematography also includes the piercing of live dolphins with a sharp iron rod on their back without any anesthesia, which leads to the dolphins' death due to massive bleeding. Some commentators of the film, such as the Japanese fisheries ministers, show no remorse for this cruel act but counters the argument of cruelty by saying that, "dolphin fishing is an economic acidity that provides jobs for thousands of people" (The Cove DolphinBay,2014).

​

 Dolphins all over the world are known for their intelligence and their showmanship. Rarely do we get the behind the scenes of what captative dolphins go through. The film's plot is centered on where we get to see images of distressed dolphins whose food is laced with ulcer medicine to control the wounds in their guts brought about by the stressful ordeals they go through.

The main cast Rick O'Barry was one of the original founding members of the dolphin show business but had now turned into a dolphin activist whose primary focus is spreading the message about dolphins' captivity.

 During the film, I was disturbed by the amount of animal cruelty that dolphins went through. Questions ran through my mind, such as is there any morality or law that guides the treatment or, better yet, protects dolphins' rights just like any other animal? I began doing some research and found out that the dolphin problem emanated from the international whaling commission (IWC) responsible for the dolphin's rights (Hoyt, 2014). Even though dolphins are not considered whales, they belong to the whale, and therefore the IWC is responsible for them, but they fail to protect dolphins since they regard dolphins as "small whales" (Hoyt, 2014). Therefore, fishers are allowed to fish them. In most countries, you can fish and sell most dolphins. 

Japan has been making headlines with its unregulated fishing dolphins, which pass off as whale meat and is accepted in many japan markets.

The lack of laws and regulations that speak against the cruel act causes fishers and owner of entertainment show to use dolphins as a means to an end, which is money, rather than to let them be for they are a part of nature. The yearly rate of dolphin killings has been raising throughout the years, reaching a staggering number of almost 33,000 dolphin deaths a year to supply the meat industry (The Cove DolphinBay, 2014). These numbers speak volumes of the industry's lawlessness and the unregulated market that is a hub for rogue fishers.

​

 Although coming up with laws and regulations between the international communities on the safeguarding of dolphin rights is difficult, the most fundamental reasons as to why a dolphin needs to live should speak volumes in "how we ought to treat the sea creatures" (Bearzi, 2017). Firstly, dolphins are more social animals and, as such, do not need to be killed since it affects not only the dead dolphin but also the social family. Dolphins live in the open ocean and live with their families, something that water tanks do not offer. The fact that dolphins have intelligence and emotions makes them unique animals that require special animal rights. Dolphins have been known to bond with humans better than any known sea creature and have been known to have a personality and express emotions such as happiness and disappointment. These reasons are sufficient enough to stop the killing of dolphins and protect them from any form of fishing or capture.

​

 In conclusion, the movie's emotions in the viewer are enough to call in action everyone passionate about animal rights, specifically dolphin rights, to speak against the fishers' cruel acts against dolphins. Laws and regulations need to pass that are so cruel, just like the fishers are to the dolphins. Dolphins need to be protected by any means necessary, even if it means sanctioning countries that still hunt dolphins or hold them captive. I highly recommend watching this film to anyone curious about the life of a dolphin far away from home!

​

Rachel Lucas 

October 3rd, 2020 

In this film review, I reviewed The Cove: Dolphin for Dinner? 

​

The Cove is an Oscar-winning documentary that was produced by director Louie Psihoyos and written by Mark Monroe. Together, they have been award-winning nominees in various prestigious awards as the academy awards, cinema eye honors, and many more of their trendsetting works in the area of documentary film making. The documentary film premiered on August 7th, 2099, and the plot of the story was influenced by the true- life experiences of Rick O'Barry, who lost his dolphin flipper, a famous show dolphin that "committed suicide because of depression brought about the captivity" (The Cove DolphinBay). The film's back story about flipper shift the focus from dolphins' captivity to the gruesome killing of dolphins in Taji, Japan making it an animal rights documentary where fishers kill dolphins for their meat, and those that are young and teachable are sold off to various parts of the world as show dolphins.

​

 The film's main character Rick O' Barry narrated the film's central themes alongside other cast members, where they give out painful details that depict the cruelty that dolphins go through. The film's cinematography also includes the piercing of live dolphins with a sharp iron rod on their back without any anesthesia, which leads to the dolphins' death due to massive bleeding. Some commentators of the film, such as the Japanese fisheries ministers, show no remorse for this cruel act but counters the argument of cruelty by saying that, "dolphin fishing is an economic acidity that provides jobs for thousands of people" (The Cove DolphinBay,2014).

​

 Dolphins all over the world are known for their intelligence and their showmanship. Rarely do we get the behind the scenes of what captative dolphins go through. The film's plot is centered on where we get to see images of distressed dolphins whose food is laced with ulcer medicine to control the wounds in their guts brought about by the stressful ordeals they go through. The main cast Rick O'Barry was one of the original founding members of the dolphin show business but had now turned into a dolphin activist whose primary focus is spreading the message about dolphins' captivity.

​

 During the film, I was disturbed by the amount of animal cruelty that dolphins went through. Questions ran through my mind, such as is there any morality or law that guides the treatment or, better yet, protects dolphins' rights just like any other animal? I began doing some research and found out that the dolphin problem emanated from the international whaling commission (IWC) responsible for the dolphin's rights (Hoyt, 2014). Even though dolphins are not considered whales, they belong to the whale, and therefore the IWC is responsible for them, but they fail to protect dolphins since they regard dolphins as "small whales" (Hoyt, 2014). Therefore, fishers are allowed to fish them. In most countries, you can fish and sell most dolphins. 

​

Japan has been making headlines with its unregulated fishing dolphins, which pass off as whale meat and is accepted in many japan markets. The lack of laws and regulations that speak against the cruel act causes fishers and owner of entertainment show to use dolphins as a means to an end, which is money, rather than to let them be for they are a part of nature. The yearly rate of dolphin killings has been raising throughout the years, reaching a staggering number of almost 33,000 dolphin deaths a year to supply the meat industry (The Cove DolphinBay, 2014). These numbers speak volumes of the industry's lawlessness and the unregulated market that is a hub for rogue fishers.

​

 Although coming up with laws and regulations between the international communities on the safeguarding of dolphin rights is difficult, the most fundamental reasons as to why a dolphin needs to live should speak volumes in "how we ought to treat the sea creatures" (Bearzi, 2017). Firstly, dolphins are more social animals and, as such, do not need to be killed since it affects not only the dead dolphin but also the social family. Dolphins live in the open ocean and live with their families, something that water tanks do not offer. The fact that dolphins have intelligence and emotions makes them unique animals that require special animal rights. Dolphins have been known to bond with humans better than any known sea creature and have been known to have a personality and express emotions such as happiness and disappointment. These reasons are sufficient enough to stop the killing of dolphins and protect them from any form of fishing or capture.

​

 In conclusion, the movie's emotions in the viewer are enough to call in action everyone passionate about animal rights, specifically dolphin rights, to speak against the fishers' cruel acts against dolphins. Laws and regulations need to pass that are so cruel, just like the fishers are to the dolphins. Dolphins need to be protected by any means necessary, even if it means sanctioning countries that still hunt dolphins or hold them captive. I highly recommend watching this film to anyone curious about the life of a dolphin far away from home!

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