The making of "The Cave"

PeteHall

Moderator
One of my brothers friends was a producer on "The Cave", so I was invited to the premiere in London last week.

I was very skeptical that it would be over dramatised and unfaithful to the facts.

As it was, I thought it was very well made and so far as I could judge it, pretty close to reality.

There were a number of characters in the film who were really involved and were able to show what happened from a perspective that was never shown in the media. These included Jim Warny from the diving team, who told the underground story, as well as a rice farmer, who's fields were flooded by pumping water away from the cave and a pump manufacturer, who travelled right across the country with his high volume pumps, only to be turned away as he didn't have a government permit!

The death of the Thai diver was respectful and not over dramatised. The film helped viewers share the loss felt by his friends, colleagues and family.

There were a few very funny moments, some more subtle than others. One particular scene was, I'm sure, a nod towards an "in joke" in the caving community and would have easily been missed by the average viewer, but I shan't spoil that here!

The only negative comment any of us had was the fact that very little time was given to the cave survey. In various briefings, it can be seen in the background and people point to it, but I think giving it a little more focus would have helped viewers to better understand what was happening where.

Some of the lookalike actors were slightly distracting, but this is hardly a criticism and they were generally very passable to anyone who had just seen events in the media at the time.

Overall, I was glad I made the trip to London to see it and would recommend it to other cavers as an insightful and moving tribute to the heroes in our midst.  (y)
 
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