A View From Below
Jul 31, 2010
in
Unique Gifts
Product Description
Pioneer into the deep-sea in the worlds most unique and innovative submarines with maverick submarine builder and underwater explorer Karl Stanley. Karl has never taken a back seat to his goals, particularly if they stand on the side of impossible. That was certainly the case at the age of 15, when he proclaimed to his parents that he decided to build a submarine. Soon after, Karl navigated a 15 foot steel pipe into the backyard of their suburban New Jersey home. Th… More >>
A View From Below
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5 comments
Mark Bidgood on July 31, 2010 at 9:14 am
Good film about a guy with a great and unique business.
Good if you are interested in personal submarines and aquatic adventure.
Pro seller with fast shipping. Rating: 5 / 5
Nathan Andersen on July 31, 2010 at 11:14 am
“A View From Below” explores the obsessive drive that led the young American, Karl Stanley, to begin construction on a homemade submarine in his backyard when he was just 14-years old. At the age of 24, he began taking tourists on deep water expeditions from Roatan Island, off the coast of Honduras – sometimes going as deep as 2600 feet. Undeterred by those who argue that only professionally-designed and certified submarines can possibly be safe, Karl created a unique underwater craft that allows him and his passengers to get up close and observe fascinating and in many cases undocumented deep sea creatures. His long track record, he argues, and his careful attention to the safety of his craft, more than makes up for his refusal to subject his submarine to the prohibitively expensive regulations of the professional certifying bodies – even while he insists that he is aware of the regulations and adheres to most of them.
The film is beautifully shot and presents a range of perspectives on Karl and his work – the opinions of other professionals in his field, those who know him well and those who find him to be a strange character. It doesn’t have the feel, though, of a merely informational television video – gorgeous undersea imagery, and impressive visuals dominate over talking-head style interviews. Plus, the interviews are interesting and above all Karl is a fascinating man, whose passion and drive is both inspiring and yet appears to border on obsession. Watching him, though, it’s hard to imagine a better life than one in which an unbridled devotion to dreams fulfills itself in a satisfying way of life.
I couldn’t help but wonder, for a moment, what Werner Herzog might have done with this material — since Karl strikes me as exactly the type of person Herzog likes to investigate in some of his documentary works (like Dieter Dengler in Little Dieter Needs to Fly or Timothy Treadwell in Grizzly Man). In some cases the film’s take on Karl may have been excessively literal, and didn’t go far enough for what Herzog calls “ecstatic truth,” but might have. There are moments – as when Karl discusses the occasion when his parents sent him to a strict boarding school in order to curb his impulsiveness, and his lingering resentment betrays itself. Or when, on a submarine dive, Karl tells his passenger that Bugsy committed suicide over a woman by diving too deep — and then, to the passenger’s surprise and ours, he reveals a skeleton in diving gear as Bugsy himself. Or when a gigantic shark, larger than the submarine, circles in slowly and devours meat that Karl had attached to his craft. I did like the balance in emphasis between the person and the undersea he explored, and think it wouldn’t have been as strong a film if the filmmakers had chosen to make it more about the underwater explorations than about the man who made them possible.
Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the ocean, or who ever had a dream and let it die because they were told or felt that it couldn’t possibly be practical. Rating: 4 / 5
Larry Bereuter on July 31, 2010 at 1:47 pm
I’ve been waiting for the availability of this DVD since before February of 2009 when my wife and I dove with Karl Stanley to 2000 ft in his submarine Idabel. This film does an excellent job of both telling the story of Karl Stanley and his submarines, and also showing what a dive on the Idabel can be like. Deciding to dive with Karl requires a personal risk/reward assessment and this DVD (in addition to the numerous articles that have been written about Karl) is an excellent resource for making that decision. As a documentary film, it is informative and entertaining. The editing is excellent, with neither too much nor too little time devoted to any single aspect of the film. Technically, the video and audio is also completely professional. As scuba divers and naturalists, the absolute highlights of the film for my wife and I were the incredible fish and other sea creatures that are found only at these depths. While we saw some of these on our dive with Karl, the majority of them we had only previously seen in still photos, if at all. As Karl points out, there’s a vast, mostly unexplored world down there. We would have preferred more such footage, but understand that this film isn’t meant to be solely a nature documentary. Karl has done what few have even attempted. This is his story. And this DVD tells that story very well. Rating: 4 / 5
Pond on July 31, 2010 at 3:41 pm
I thought for a couple months about writing this review.
I waited months for this video to be released because I had known about a sub on Roatan Island south of Honduras mainland. I was too cheap to admit interest in going on his sub. When I came back to the States I read and watched and looked at everything I could find about Karl Stanley and his sub, the glorious creatures I had missed seeing. I have the indescribable feeling that I might have done something really exciting in my life if I had just paid the money and taken the ride. I still don’t know exactly where on Roatan he is but I am pretty sure it is near where the collectivos( public vans) first enter West End. I wish I had known that then. I never even got to see the sub.
Some day I will go back . Karl Stanley will be my first stop.Buying this video is a great investment. For $12 you can see a little of what would cost $500,$800,$1200 (per person).He only takes 2 passengers and he can go down 2500 feet in about a 4 foot sub and visit 20 foot prehistoric sharks.
YOU have a choice to buy the movie on Amazon.com before or after you go to Roatan to visit Karl Stanley.You can also visit Stanley Submarine web page. I hope his previous customers get word of this video.They would be jealous of us. Rating: 5 / 5
M. Bermudez on July 31, 2010 at 3:58 pm
Karl Stanley is an amazing man with an incredible passion for underwater exploration. His remarkable energy and enthusiasm will make you realize that even your biggest dreams are not impossible to reach. After watching this movie, you will want to jump into his sub and see the mind-blowing view from below yourself (which is possible if you pay him a visit in Roatan). Rating: 5 / 5