Orcas-Victim of Entertainment

Nguyen 1
Hanh Duyen Nguyen

Professor Haas
Writing 37
22 February 2015
Orcas: Victims of Entertainment
Part of the intangible magic of a documentary film is the ability to generate a plethora of
emotions within its audience. According to Albert Maysles, a US documentary filmmaker,
Watching a documentary can feel like a serendipitous journey, on which the real lives of
strangers unfolds before an audiences eyes. The use of emotions in documentaries can create a
great fuel for actions that can facilitate major changes in a societys viewpoints, values, and
practices. A particular documentary that effectively allows its audience to identify as well as
connect emotionally with the subjects of the film is Gabriela Cowperthwaites Blackfish.
Blackfish, a documentary featured at Sundance in 2013, opened the audiences minds to the
destructive behaviors orcas can develop in while being kept in captivity. The documentary
mainly tells the story of a bull orca named Tilikum, whom incidentally killed three people, two
of which were trainers, while being held in captivity. Nikki Baughan, reviewer for Movie Scope,
describes the documentary as similar to a crime thriller that shows Tilikum as the star of the
show, while behind the scene has killed several people. The documentary starts off with a 911
call reporting the graphic details of Dawn Brancheaus, a senior trainer at SeaWorld Orlando,
death done by Tilikum. The coverage of Tilikum includes his capture in 1983 off the coast of
Iceland, his frustrations and psychosis caused by 20 years of confinement, to his present life at
SeaWorld. Not only does the documentary showed terrifying aspects of these marine animals, but
it also showed them as intellectual beings that are cognizant of their surroundings. Gabriela
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Cowperthwaite utilizes the appeal of pathos by compiling various archival footages of violent
whale attacks as well as touching anecdotes from former trainers to persuade the audience that
orcas are sentient beings who should not be imprisoned and forced to perform for the
entertainment of humans.
A common way to present fact in a documentary is through the use of archival footages;
however, depending on how it is edited, it can also be use to stir the emotions of the audience. In
Blackfish, chilling archival footages featuring aggressive whale attacks allow the viewers to
experience a sense of fear of these natural predators. Many of these footages are very painful to
watch: a trainer crushed in between two orcas with only his wetsuit holding his body together,
another trainer being dragged repeatedly to the bottom of the pool until he manages to escape,
another with her arm bent due to the unbreakable grasp of a whale, and most importantly, the
footage showing Dawn Brancheau moments before her death. Accompanying these video clips
were eerie background music that help foreshadow and also intensify the unfortunate events that
is about the happen. Although many of these shots were short, by repeatedly playing the clips
over, Gabriela Cowperthwaite was able to effectively stir indignation, horror, and outrage in the
viewers. While the clips of Dawn Brancheaus death were not explicitly shown, the quick
snippets of splashes in the water, frantic running of trainers around the pool, and shaky camera
work really create a suspenseful feeling that induces genuine terror to whoever is watching. Greg
Wetherall agrees that it was fitting for Direct Cowperthwaite to add, [a lot] of ghoulish
emphasis on the archive footages of mishaps and attacks because it is a necessary reveal to stir
strong emotions within the respective audience. These archival footages also show how
conscious the orcas are at the time of their attack. In the clip featuring Dawn Brancheau and
Tilikum, one can sense the change in attitude within Tilikum moments before the attack. This
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awareness can also be seen during the events of Ken Peters. It almost seem as if the orcas have
planned the attack, and this further instill fear in the viewers.
Listening to personal, heartbreaking anecdotes from former SeaWorld trainers who were
personally involved with Tilikum or any other orcas pulled at the heartstrings of the audience and
allow them to sympathize with not only the trainers, but also with the orcas. During these
interviews, numerous of ex-trainers speak fondly about their deep affection for the orcas, but
visible guilt and profound conviction about having helped exploit the orcas for human
entertainment can be detected (Chang). To further describe the bond the trainer had with the
orcas, one trainer says, When you look into their eyes, you know somebody is home.
(Blackfish) This personification create a sense of sympathy for the orcas because it shows that
they are intelligent creature, and are ill suited to be confined in dark concrete pens at theme
parks. Many of the ex-trainers anecdotes have one thing in commonthe reoccurring
misinformation and cover-ups told by SeaWorld. According to many of these former trainers,
SeaWorld completely hides all the truth regarding the violent attacks that orcas have done, and
instead puts all the blame onto the shoulders of the trainers if anything ever mishaps (Blackfish).
This withheld truth creates a feeling of anger in the audience, and put SeaWorld in a less credible
position. Not only that, but SeaWorld also insists based on a study of killer whales in wild
waters that 23% of wild male orcas have fin that bent over. (Scherstuhl) The ex-trainers refute
this statement, by stating that SeaWorld only based their study on the orcas held at their
institution. These exaggerations of the orcas natural frequency alarms the viewers and also make
them question SeaWorlds ethics.
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Gabriela Cowperthwaite successfully utilizes the appeal to pathos through various uses of
techniques such as terrifying archival footages of whale attacks as well as touching anecdotes.
These methods supports the documentarys argument by persuading the audience that whales are
sentient beings that should not be confined in dark, concrete pens for the entertainment of
humans. According to the Linda Wolfe of the Born Free Organization, Keeping wild animals in
captivity for human amusement is inherently cruel, as it deprives them of the ability to freely
engage in instinctual behaviors in their natural environment. It seems that SeaWorld forgets one
true aspect of the killer whale, and that is the fact that they are natural predators. Confining orcas
in a pen does not make them an obedient animal; it generates frustrations that can lead to
psychotic behaviors. New York Times critic, Jeannette Catsoulis, ponders, If you were in a
bathtub for 25 years, dont you think youd get a little psychotic? After watching the
catastrophes Tilikum has caused, the answer is yes, and its the time to stop all these attacks by
fixing the problem at the rootkeeping orcas in their natural habitat, where they could prosper
and live their life in peace.
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Work Cited
Catsoulis, Jeannette. "Do Six-Ton Captives Dream of Freedom?" The New York Times. The New
York Times, 18 July 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2015.
Chang, Justin. "Blackfish." Variety. 26 Jan. 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2015.
Cowperthwaite, Gabriela, Manuel V. Oteyza, Eli Despres, Jonathan Ingalls, Chris Towey, and
Jeff Beal. Blackfish. 2013.
Scherstulh, Alan. "Blackfish: A Vital Look at Orcas in Captivity." Villagevoice.com. 17 July
2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2015.
Wetherall, Greg. "Sundance London: A Diary - Day 1." The Huffington Post UK. 4 Apr. 2013.
Web. 21 Feb. 2015
Wolfe, Linda. "Get The Facts: Captive Orcas and Dolphins." Bornfreeusa.org. Web. 21 Feb.
2015.
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