Life's a Dive

I had the opportunity to watch the award-winning documentary film Life's A Dive, directed by Hawaiian filmmaker John Taschner. The documentary focuses on World War II in the Pacific, and in particular, the work of the filmmaker's grandfather, who worked for CBS Hollywood as a radio engineer and was hand-picked for a top secret Navy intelligence program at Harvard and MIT.

Life's A Dive is well made and the images, which include spectacular underwater and archival footage, transitions nicely from one to the other, making the viewing-listening experience that is characteristic of a superbly directed documentary. There are many documentaries on the subject of World War II, but what makes this one stand out is the personal connection that the filmmaker has to the story. His grandfather was one of the many brave men who answered the call of duty when our nation became involved in the Second World War. The filmmaker provides fascinating tidbits about the war effort, and Hollywood radio history, with great respect for the sacrifices made by his grandfather and other veterans. Stories are frequently told better when the person has a passionate reason for telling it, and Taschner's passion certainly translates. The film's excellent use of archival footage combined with shots of the ocean and personal home movies of Hawaii during the war make it easy to see why Life's A Dive is now a part of the permanent collection at the National Museum of the Pacific War.

I'm sure we'll see more from this filmmaker in the future, and I certainly hope we do, since he's extremely talented. I enjoyed this documentary, and would suggest it to anyone looking to see World War II from a personal angle.

Source credit: Carries Tempke (author)