The Original Mermaid

Feb 20, 2002

0h 52m

★ 0.0

Overview

Story of Annette Kellerman, the international swimming vaudeville and silent screen star whose life story inspired the MGM classic Million Dollar Mermaid starring Esther Williams, which featured lavish Busby Berkeley scenes.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Hilton Cordell Productions

The Original Mermaid Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Herself (archive footage)

Annette Kellerman

Himself

Anthony Slide

Himself

Frank Thompson

Herself (archive footage)

Esther Williams

Cold Refuge is about the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of full immersion in the natural world: how, though it may seem counter-intuitive, swimming in cold water helps mitigate some of life’s most serious challenges. The film’s diverse film subjects include a wheelchair-bound, paralyzed swimmer who faces fear by diving off a high pier; a Black man who was told by whites when he was 13 that “Black people don’t swim” (it took him 30 years to try); a blind man who tethers himself to a sighted swimmer; a woman with aggressive breast cancer who “swims to chemo;” a lawyer who reduces courtroom stress in the open water; and a young woman who communes with her late mother in San Francisco Bay, where they both swam together. Along with swimmers’ stories of adversity and resilience, the film’s marine mammals, birds, artwork, and a variety of open-water locations create a visual meditation on what it means to escape our abstract digital world in favor of what’s real.

6.5

Full Tilt Boogie

Jul 31, 1998

A documentary about the production of From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and the people who made it.

8.0

Touch the Wall

Nov 15, 2014

Swimming superstar Missy Franklin was destined for greatness at an early age, but it wasn't until the arrival of Veteran Kara Lynn Joyce that those sky-high expectations began to take shape.

6.8

To the Sea

Feb 1, 2010

Before leaving for Rome with his mother, five year old Natan is taken by his father, Jorge, on an epic journey to the pristine Chinchorro reef off the coast of Mexico. As they fish, swim, and sail the turquoise waters of the open sea, Natan discovers the beauty of his Mayan heritage and learns to live in harmony with life above and below the surface, as the bond between father and son grows stronger before their inevitable farewell.

7.3

Sydney 2000: Stories of Olympic Glory

Aug 26, 2001

A documentary covering the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

0.0

In the Company of Actors

Jun 10, 2007

Within the world of theatre the rehearsal room is a sacred space -- the private domain where boundaries are pushed, risks taken, mistakes made, vulnerabilities exposed and, at its very best, magic created. It's not a place into which the public is often, if ever, invited. Until now; In The Company of Actors features an ensemble of Australia's finest actors, including Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving, as they prepare to perform the Sydney Theatre Company's production of Hedda Gabler, at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. Opening night is just five weeks away and the pressure is on.

5.0

Whatever Happened To Green Valley?

Mar 31, 1974

Green Valley was a housing commission estate in western Sydney, much maligned by the media of the day. The residents were hurt by the criticism but lacked access to the media to respond. Supplied with equipment by Film Australia, they used this film to present a different image of themselves and their daily lives. In so doing, they answered the question of "Whatever happened to Green Valley?" The core of this film is the work of half a dozen residents, co-ordinated by acclaimed filmmaker Peter Weir in one of his earliest film projects. Weir also acts as the moderator at a public forum that is included in the film.

6.1

The Good Old Naughty Days

Jul 24, 2002

A series of 12 short movies from the start of the twentieth century. These movies were the first adult movies, and, according to the film-maker Michel Reilhac, show that "the modern porn industry did not invent anything – everything had already been filmed by our great-grandparents."

0.0

The Breath Connection

May 1, 2019

A portrait of free diver Kathryn Nevatt, former World Champion and current New Zealand record holder in all three disciplines.

8.0

The Pool

Nov 7, 2024

Bondi Icebergs is the most photographed pool in the world. This is where generations of children have learnt to swim, where the diehard have braved the frigid waters of one hundred winters, where the young and beautiful have come to bond and bake in the hot sun. THE POOL is a stunning cinematic experience with a soundtrack that harks back to the 1960s and a cast of characters who each have a story to tell. It speaks to the enduring power of community and our collective longing to find it. No matter your background or where you’re at – everyone is equal in their swimsuits.

0.0

Disappear Here

Jul 18, 2025

The vexed question of how to live an artistic life is illustrated in DISAPPEAR HERE, the story of Australian 90's alternative group Glide and founding songwriter William Arthur - in an atmospheric, texturally rich exploration of thwarted ambition in the independent music scene of 1990's Sydney. This extraordinary artist and the shifting sands of the music industry are revisited by band members as well as Aussie music industry luminaries including Tim Rogers (You Am I), Jamie Hutchings (Bluebottle Kiss), Peter Fenton (Crow) and Jane Gazzo (ABC's Recovery and Triple J). DISAPPEAR HERE is a completely independent production which was directed, shot, edited and written by Ben deHoedt.

0.0

FLOAT!

Jan 11, 2023

With depth, intimacy, and humor, FLOAT! captures filmmaker Azza Cohen's magnetic grandma’s life-affirming journey learning to swim at 82, inspiring audiences to defy societal expectations of aging and to boldly look forward at every stage.

8.5

Project Iceman

Oct 1, 2022

~ 3.9 km Swim ~ 180 km Bike ~ 42.2 km Run ~ The impossible journey to complete the first ever long-distance triathlon in Antarctica, The Iceman. To prove that limitations are perceptions.

8.0

Freeman

Sep 13, 2020

The story of a nation coming together around Indigenous athlete Cathy Freeman who delivered when it mattered on the greatest stage on earth. 20 years on, Freeman sheds light on one of Australia's proudest moments. In 49.11 seconds, Cathy Freeman's win at the 2000 Sydney Olympics brought Australia together as a nation.

0.0

The Re-Up

Nov 19, 2012

A backstage and on-stage look at Nicki Minaj's career during the Pink Friday Tour, festivals, and more.

7.3

Playboy's Girls Next Door - Naughty and Nice

Feb 18, 1997

Nothing beats the enticing appeal of those alluring girls next door. Now they're all grown up and ready to take you on a series of rousing rendezvous that are naughty... and oh so nice!

5.8

Playboy Wet & Wild: Slippery When Wet

Jul 25, 2000

Good clean fun has never been so sexy! See what happens when you bring together the world's most beautiful women and put them into one slippery scenario after another. They shed their inhibitions - and their teeny bikinis - in the hottest, wettest, wildest scenes yet.

5.5

Italia: Fire and Ashes

Mar 15, 2023

The epic and poetic tale of the early years of Italian cinema, from 1896 to 1930: how peplum was born, how the first stars shone, how many daring filmmakers were able to create an original style amalgamating literature, theater, painting and opera; a tale of splendor and decadence.

The Original Mermaid

Overview

Genres

Production Companies

The Original Mermaid Trailers