The life of Commander Jean-Yves Cousteau is retraced in the biopic L’Odyssée, broadcast this Tuesday, January 11 on France 2. The opportunity to wonder why the famous navigator always wore a red cap.
This Tuesday January 11, France 2 broadcasts the film The odyssey by Jérôme Salle. In this feature film, released in theaters in 2016, Lambert Wilson slips into the shoes of Commander Jacques-Yves Cousteau who does not recover from the death of his son Philippe, who disappears in a seaplane accident. The biopic then follows the famous explorer who swam happily in the late 1940s with his two children and his wife, Simone Melchior, embodied on screen by actress Audrey Tautou. But this peaceful daily life in the South of France is quickly disrupted by his invention: an autonomous diving suit. The beginning of long adventures at sea for Cousteau who sacrifices his family life. A drama in which the dark side of the famous navigator is revealed which was distinguished by her famous red cap. An accessory that he never took off.
A beautiful tribute
If Jacques-Yves Cousteau only very rarely appeared without his headgear, it was not for a style effect but for another reason. It is a tribute to the convicts of Toulon. The latter, who wore a red cap with their uniform, served as a sort of guinea pigs to try out the first diving suits in the 19th century. While at the time the first inventions were unreliable, there was no question for navigators to risk drowning. They then used these detainees to carry out tests.
As the magazine’s website reminds us I’m interested, convicts also provided free labor for underwater work. A whole generation of sacrifices that marked the famous commander, who died on June 25, 1997 at the age of 87. His red cap was a way for him not to forget them, while having a distinctive sign. A real trademark.