Incredible Suckers (Documentary)

Reviewed by Nancy King
Incredible Suckers (Documentary)
Produced by Michael deGruy and Robin Brown
Photography by Michael deGruy

Oxford Scientific Films Production in association with Thirteen/WNET and the BBC, c1995

Available on video as part of the Nature Video Library. 60 minutes

Reviewed by Nancy King (Nancy)

Incredible Suckers is a documentary about cephalopods, their diversity and extraordinary abilities. It revolves around one man's quest to record these magnificent creatures. Michael deGruy is the photographer and also appears as the human star of the video, along with his colleague Dr. Bruce Carleson. Together they move through the range of cephalopods, beginning with some amazing scenes of the chambered nautilus in the wild, and then turning to cuttlefish, squid, and finally several species of octopus. The documentary touches on such topics as cuttlefish communication, ability to change color, and human interaction with large squid and octopuses.

In addition to superb underwater photography, this video features excitement (the research vessel suddenly takes on water and sinks, causing six months of research and filming to be lost), interesting computer animation, visits to various marine research centers, and interviews with marine biologists. Viewers are also given a glimpse of deep-water cephalopods filmed by a camera in an unmanned submarine.

Incredible Suckers can serve as an excellent introduction to the world of cephalopods. Given its stunning underwater photography and excellent coverage of many species, this documentary is also interesting and entertaining for people who already are familiar with cephs.
  • Published
    Feb 22, 2015
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