K-Rae
Guest
Disclaimer: Jill Heinerth and Robert McClellan are among my very dearest friends in this world. That said, those who know me well know that I try to be objective, and I don't say I like something if I don't truly like it.
That said, Ben's Vortex is outstanding.
The video is billed as a documentary, and it does just that- Heinerth and McClellan go to great lengths to objectively investigate a convoluted and cryptic story that quite honestly would fit the bill of a best-selling novel were it not based on actual events. They present testimony from acknowledged experts (and one or two who aren't really experts but who have insights to contribute nonetheless) and have done the legwork to present multiple angles and possibilities about what may have happened.
The fact that Heinerth and McClellan included family and close relations of Ben's makes this documentary all the stronger. The relationships that Ben had are clearly relevant to the story and contribute to the intrigue of it all. And, let's face it- intrigue is a good thing when trying to sell DVDs. Heinerth and McClellan appear to deal gently and respectfully with the family, which is appreciated from a human standpoint, yet they do ask some hard questions and present some startling findings regarding the death of Paul McDaniel.
The reenactments and underwater footage are, as always, top-notch. Christian Clark does a great job of "playing" Ben in underwater scenes, and the other divers in the production represent safe, responsible cave diving in a positive light. Much has been made on various forums about McClellan's statement that cave diving is the most dangerous pastime in the world- the jury on the veracity of that statement is still out, but regardless, the statement adds to the intrigue. This review will not get into the statement's impact on landowner relations or other potential snags that have been proposed. This post is an attempt at an objective review of the documentary, not an invitation for heated debate (though comments and insights are of course welcome!).
The only potential "snags" in the video are technical in nature. Once in awhile, the audio seems to be a hair off from the video during interviews, and there are a few minor typos in the text (mostly in the credits). But, these issues are so minor as to be negligible in light of the high quality and investigatory integrity of the production overall.
I highly recommend this DVD.
-Kristine Rae Olmsted
That said, Ben's Vortex is outstanding.
The video is billed as a documentary, and it does just that- Heinerth and McClellan go to great lengths to objectively investigate a convoluted and cryptic story that quite honestly would fit the bill of a best-selling novel were it not based on actual events. They present testimony from acknowledged experts (and one or two who aren't really experts but who have insights to contribute nonetheless) and have done the legwork to present multiple angles and possibilities about what may have happened.
The fact that Heinerth and McClellan included family and close relations of Ben's makes this documentary all the stronger. The relationships that Ben had are clearly relevant to the story and contribute to the intrigue of it all. And, let's face it- intrigue is a good thing when trying to sell DVDs. Heinerth and McClellan appear to deal gently and respectfully with the family, which is appreciated from a human standpoint, yet they do ask some hard questions and present some startling findings regarding the death of Paul McDaniel.
The reenactments and underwater footage are, as always, top-notch. Christian Clark does a great job of "playing" Ben in underwater scenes, and the other divers in the production represent safe, responsible cave diving in a positive light. Much has been made on various forums about McClellan's statement that cave diving is the most dangerous pastime in the world- the jury on the veracity of that statement is still out, but regardless, the statement adds to the intrigue. This review will not get into the statement's impact on landowner relations or other potential snags that have been proposed. This post is an attempt at an objective review of the documentary, not an invitation for heated debate (though comments and insights are of course welcome!).
The only potential "snags" in the video are technical in nature. Once in awhile, the audio seems to be a hair off from the video during interviews, and there are a few minor typos in the text (mostly in the credits). But, these issues are so minor as to be negligible in light of the high quality and investigatory integrity of the production overall.
I highly recommend this DVD.
-Kristine Rae Olmsted
