The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Coming Out at 25 December 2004 in theaters.
Action, Adventure, Comedy
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is comedy-drama film directed, co-written, and co-produced by Wes Anderson. It is Anderson’s fourth feature-length film and was released in the United States on December 25, 2004. It was written by Anderson and Noah Baumbach and was filmed in and around Naples, Ponza, and the Italian Riviera.
The film stars Bill Murray as the eponymous Steve Zissou, an eccentric oceanographer who sets out to exact revenge on the “jaguar shark” that ate his partner Esteban. Zissou is both a parody of and homage to French diving pioneer Jacques Cousteau (1910–1997), to whom the film is dedicated. Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston, Owen Wilson, Seu Jorge, and Bud Cort are also featured in the film.
While oceanographer Steve Zissou is working on his latest documentary at sea, his best friend and chief diver, Esteban du Plantier, is eaten by a 10-meter-long, luminescently-spotted creature Zissou describes as a “jaguar shark.” For his next project, Zissou is determined to document the shark’s destruction.
The crew aboard Zissou’s aging research vessel Belafonte includes his estranged wife Eleanor, chief strategist and financial backer; Pelé dos Santos, a safety expert and Brazilian guitarist who sings David Bowie songs in Portuguese; and Klaus Daimler, the German first mate who views Zissou and Esteban as father figures. Minor crew members include Vikram Ray, cameraman; Bobby Ogata, frogman; Vladimir Wolodarsky, physicist and soundtrack composer; Renzo Pietro, sound man; and Anne-Marie Sakowitz, script girl. Also included is a recent group of unpaid interns from the University of North Alaska. However, the “Team Zissou” venture has hit a decline; they have not released a successful documentary in nine years.
Director: Wes Anderson
Writers: Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach
Stars: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, Jeff Goldblum, Seu Jorge, Bud Cort
Cast:
| Bill Murray | … | Steve Zissou |
| Owen Wilson | … | Ned Plimpton |
| Cate Blanchett | … | Jane Winslett-Richardson |
| Anjelica Huston | … | Eleanor Zissou |
| Willem Dafoe | … | Klaus Daimler |
| Jeff Goldblum | … | Alistair Hennessey |
| Michael Gambon | … | Oseary Drakoulias |
| Noah Taylor | … | Vladimir Wolodarsky |
| Bud Cort | … | Bill Ubell |
| Seu Jorge | … | Pelé dos Santos |
| Robyn Cohen | … | Anne-Marie Sakowitz |
| Waris Ahluwalia | … | Vikram Ray |
| Niels Koizumi | … | Bobby Ogata |
| Pawel Wdowczak | … | Renzo Pietro |
| Matthew Gray Gubler | … | Intern #1 |
| Seymour Cassel | … | Esteban du Plantier |
| Antonio Monda | … | Festival Director |
| Isabella Blow | … | Antonia Cook |
| James Hamilton | … | Festival Photographer |
| Melanie Gerren | … | Mandeeza |
| Nazzareno Piana | … | Elderly Man |
| Rudd Simmons | … | Man in Yellow Shirt |
| Leonardo Giovannelli | … | Werner |
| Henry S.F. Cooper Jr. | … | Talk Show Host |
| Pietro Ragusa | … | Academic |
| Eric Chase Anderson | … | Air Kentucky Pilot |
| Robert Wilson | … | Air Kentucky Pilot |
| Don McKinnon | … | Air Kentucky Pilot |
| Alessio Santini | … | University of Alaska Intern |
| Paolo Sirignani | … | University of Alaska Intern |
| Andrew Weisell | … | University of Alaska Intern |
| Niccolò Senni | … | University of Alaska Intern |
| Andrea Guerra | … | University of Alaska Intern |
| Christiano Irrera | … | University of Alaska Intern |
| Vincenzo Recchia | … | University of Alaska Intern |
| Marco Ciarlitto | … | University of Alaska Intern |
| Tony Shafrazi | … | Larry Amin |
| Noah Baumbach | … | Phillip |
| Stefano Maria Ortolani | … | Italian Man in Audience |
| Sylvie Genin | … | French Woman in Audience |
| Jacques Henri Lartigue | … | Lord Mandrake (archive footage) |
| Muzius Gordon Dietzmann | … | Javier |
| Gangyuan Xu | … | Cedric |
| Robin Scott | … | Hugo |
| Guglielmo Casciaro | … | Carl |
| Alessandro De Angelis | … | Hennessey Sailor |
| Andrea Bertone | … | Hennessey Sailor |
| Andriy Kachur | … | Hennessey Sailor |
| Roberto Salvi | … | Hennessey Sailor |
| Stefano Masciolini | … | Hennessey Sailor |
| Robert Sommer | … | Party Guest |
| Anna Orso | … | Party Guest |
| Ettore Conti | … | Party Guest |
| Robert Graham | … | Venezuelan General |
| Hal Yamanouchi | … | Chief Pirate |
| Conrado Mendoza Dolor | … | Pirate |
| Eduardo Bautista Grantuza | … | Pirate |
| Simeon Maragigak Agelion | … | Pirate |
| Walter Cajapao Casapao | … | Pirate |
| Honorato Ilao Reyes | … | Pirate |
| Roderick Magbay | … | Pirate |
| Demetreo Castillo | … | Pirate |
| Thomas Carwgal de la Peña | … | Pirate |
| Edwarren Bantungon | … | Pirate |
| Levi Mickael de Ramon | … | Pirate |
| Aries Corales | … | Pirate |
| Aries Dolor Ilagon | … | Pirate |
| Joseph de los Reyes | … | Pirate |
| Dennis Rayos Martinez | … | Pirate |
| Taiyo Yamanouchi | … | Pirate |
| Wai Tung Wong | … | Pirate |
| Ging Fang Zhu | … | Pirate |
| Francis Dokyi | … | Water Taxi Driver |
| Begni Bok Dong | … | Young Ogata |
| Daniel Acon | … | Former Team Zissou, Antarctica |
| Alexander Hamilton | … | Former Team Zissou, Antarctica |
| Leica | … | Cody |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia