Product: The Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations
Rating: 5.0
A Great Documentary On The Life And Death Of The "Edmund Fitzgerald"
Ric Mixter is a Great Lakes shipwreck researcher, and in "The Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations" has produced an excellent documentary on the history of the "Fitzgerald" from design, through construction, operation, and ultimately, of course, her sinking. To me the amazing thing about this DVD is the amount of motion picture film that Mixter uncovered of the "Fitzgerald". I was especially interested in her modular construction, and found the details of the boiler installations fascinating in particular. There is no doubt that the "Fitzgerald" was an impressive freighter, and the DVD really brings her to life, although footage of the bridge would have been welcomed.Mixter details the multiple investigations into the accident and their varying conclusions, interviewing people on all sides of the issue with fairness and respect. Although Mixter doesn't offer a definitive conclusion about the cause of the sinking, he does allow the chief proponents of each to clearly state their case. The interviews with Great Lakes sailors, and especially former "Fitzgerald" crewmembers are very enlightening, as are the interviews with shipyard workers who built and launched the "Fitzgerald".The documentary reports on all the expeditions to the "Fitzgerald", with some truly amazing underwater photography of the wreck. Mixter also details the memorials and museum displays dedicated to the lives of the 29 men who died in one of the worst storms in Great Lakes history, while setting it in the context of the crew being 29 of an estimated 30,000 sailors to have perished on the Great Lakes.This is a special "50th Anniversary Edition" (so designated because it was updated for the 50th anniversary of the "Fitzgerald" being launched), that has loads of additional footage and extras. These are particularly strong, showing details about all the expeditions to the "Fitzgerald" and the submersibles involved, the bell recovery and preservation effort, the memorials, a five minute piece filmed on a modern Great Lakes freighter showing what onboard life is like (and interviewing the freighter's Captain, whose first Third Mate job was on the "Fitzgerald"), and previews from other Mixter documentaries.This is a great DVD for anyone interested in the "Edmund Fitzgerald", Great Lakes shipwrecks, or maritime engineering and failures. This documentary does what it set out to do, it both educates and entertains: I learned a lot about the "Fitzgerald" and Great Lakes freighters in general, and I was captivated by the footage that Ric Mixter uncovered and edited together so skillfully: I certainly look forward to future Mixter efforts.