Two IMAX Films Focus On The Life Journeys Of Man And Of Dolphins

SOUTH NORWALK - The Maritime Aquarium is presenting three IMAX movies this summer, two of which are new to Connecticut audiences. Dolphins and Cirque du Soleil™ Journey of Man are both being presented daily at the 10 North Water Street theatre, while Everest continues through the summer on a weekends-only basis.

Strap on your mask and flippers to join scientists, including Connecticut native Kathleen Dudzinski, as they study everyone’s favorite marine mammels in the new IMAX movie Dolphins.

The film is by MacGillivray Freeman, the same makers of Everest. It features narration by the actor Pierce Brosnan and music by Sting.

Intelligent, curious, playful and social, dolphins have inspired the imagination of humans for centuries. Dolphins goes beyond the romanticized images of water-world performances and TV’s Flipper to show how scientists are slowly gaining an understanding into these creatures’ complex world.

The lead scientist featured in the film is Dr Kathleen Dudzinski, a native of Meriden who is doing unique research into dolphin communication. Using an underwater video/acoustic array she designed, Dr Dudzinski has recorded hundreds of dolphins off the Bahamas and Japan.

Back in the lab, she is able to study the tapes to determine which dolphin is vocalizing and which is reacting to the vocalization.

Dolphins have been around for more than 15 million years and are believed to be the smartest animal on earth. Dr Dudzinski calls the animals, who rarely move their mouth, “ventriloquists.”

Dolphins introduces audiences to other scientists, including Dr Dudzinski’s mentor, Dr Bernd Wursig, and their research into dolphin behavior and physiololgy. The film also explores a unique and stirring human-dolphin bond between the naturalist Dean Bernal and JoJo, a rare lone dolphin in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

Dolphins is meant to be enjoyed by all ages, but there is one scene that should be mentioned in advance that could be frightening to youngsters and disturbing to any age. In presenting the story of tuna fishers in the open sea, there is a 20-second sequence of original video documentation that shows dolphins being caught and even killed in tuna nets.

Aside from these disturbing moments, the film is fully enjoyable.

From the dazzling coral reefs of the Bahamas to the wind-swept seas off Patagonia, Dolphins offers larger-than-life encounters with

inquisitive spotted dolphins, acrobatic dusky dolphins, the familiar bottlenose dolphin and other fascinating species.

Showings of Dolphins are daily at 11 am, and 1 and 3 pm through September 28.

In the second IMAX film being featured daily this summer, Cirque du Soleil™ Journey of Man, a celebration of the human spirit combines the unique artistry and music of the world-famous performance troupe Cirque du Soleil™ with the grandeur that has become the trademark of an IMAX film. Cirque du Soleil’s live performances have been enjoyed by more than 20 million people worldwide. The Montreal-based organization currently has eight shows in production, either on tour or at permanent theatres in Europe, Asia and North America.

Unlike the majority of IMAX films, Cirque du Soleil™ Journey of Man is a fictional tale rather than an entertaining documentary. Colorful costumes and exotic settings across the globe add to the film’s spellbinding magic.

The fictional tale brings together performers from Cirque du Soleil’s global acts in telling the story of one man’s life, from birth to maturity. Protective instincts, soaring wonders, the bonds of love and the power of memories are all interpreted through the performers’ unmatched blend of physical grace, strength and acrobatics. “Because it features artists from all their various shows, the film is really the ultimate Cirque du Soleil performance,” says Marcia Bittner, the marketing director of The Maritime Aquarium.

Cirque du Soleil™ Journey of Man opens to heartbeat-like drumming rhythms in a womb-like cave. A small boy appears and the scene plunges underwater, where synchronized swimmers celebrate the miracle of birth.

The film then leaps to important stages in the boy’s life, including how, as a child, he is first guided and then protected by two clown-like “instincts,” and then introduced to joy, fear and wonder by high-flying characters called “Bungees.

“ As an adolescent, he is inspired to become strong and daring. As a young man, the character becomes intrigued by the love between man and woman. It is during this sequence that one of the film’s highlights occurs, when two stone statues come to life to balance individual strength with delicate harmony.

Finally, as a wizened old man, the character casts aside his fortune and is reunited with his childhood instincts.

Cirque du Soleil™ Journey of Man boasts exotic settings that burst off the giant IMAX screen. Performances were filmed on a coral reef in the Bahamas, among the redwoods of Big Basin State Park in California; in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada; Severance Hall in Cleveland; and The Brandenberg Gate in Berlin.

Cirque du Soleil™ Journey of Man is being presented, also through September 28, at 2 and 4 pm daily. Double features of Dolphins and Cirque du Soleil™ Journey of Man are offered at 7 pm on Saturdays and Sundays through September 24.

The theatre’s third current offering, Everest, is screened at 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday. The film offers breathtaking views of an ascent and descent up the fabled mountain.

Tickets for an IMAX movie are $6.75 for adults, $5.75 for seniors, and $5 for ages 2 to 12. Double feature tickets are $10, $9 and $8 respectively. The IMAX Theatre is part of The Maritime Aquarium complex, but admission to the aquarium is under separate ticket purchase; call 203/852-0700 for further information.