Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story

Mel Fisher is the sole inspiration for me becoming a SCUBA diver. I idolized him. I watched this movie so many times as a kid and decided to become certified. Mel used to say "Today's the day." every single day for over twenty years while he searched for Nuestra Señora de Atocha. One day, finally, it was the day. He found it. Rest in peace, Mel.

The message of "Dreams of Gold" is to never, ever, give up, when you believe in something. Cliff Robertson as Mel Fisher comes across as part treasure hunter, and part salesman, as he steadfastly pursues investors to finance his quest for the Atocha treasure. This pursuit is not without continuous legal battles and personal tragedy. Character development is marginal for Robertson and Switt, and non existent for the remaining cast. All of their children look like surfer's recruited off a nearby beach, and telling who is who is next to impossible. Other than the capsizing calamity, and the actual finding of the treasure, the film has very little substance. - MERK

I loved this movie. It is really well cast with Cliff Robertson playing the real Mel Fisher. The underwater scenes for television are terrific. I love the music and the boat tipping over sequence is great. Also great is a speech Mel makes about the liberties we have in America which we can't have taken away from us. Go Mel, I agree with you and think you are a great American.

I really become engrossed in films that encompass treasure hunters and even more so when they take place in the deep blue sea. So when I read this film was actually a true story my interest was piqued. The film is a true story about the discovery of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha which was a Spanish treasure galleon and the most widely known vessel of a fleet of ships that sank in a hurricane off the Florida Keys in 1622. More than three and a half (3 and a 1/2) centuries later, with the advancement of marine equipment along comes a treasure and salvage hunter named Mel Fisher.

My summary title "sink or swim" was intended to be a pun but in fact after watching this film about a sunken ship the film spent more time on the various Fisher family members trying to convince themselves that their 16 year sea adventure was fun and after eating peanut butter sandwiches almost every day they were still delicious.

If the film was to have been developed into a ten (ten) part, ten (10) hour mini series rather than a 95 minute dullsville than maybe we the audience would have had the opportunity to dig a lot deeper under the Florida keys sea bed and into the Fisher families individual lives highs and lows than I think the film would have been much more interesting.

I just didn't get the feel that the faceless Fisher family (especially all the adult children and their spouses/partners) played any part in this incredible discovery. I half expected them all to be seen smoking dope and drinking beer as they sang along to the hired minstrel that was also on board. Nor did the film delve into the aftermath of bringing up from the bottom of the sea some of the many historical treasures that were buried under the Florida Keys ocean for more than 350 years as eerie as it must have been to retrieve so much incredible history and forget about the sheer wealth of the gold and jewels that were retrieved.

My two cents is the film could have been so much more and our treasure hunt adventure just never materialized with this made for TV movie starring Loretta Swit and Cliff Robertson. I give it only a passable 6 out of 10 IMDB rating.