Journey into Amazing Caves, an IMAX® theatre film from Everest producers MacGillivray Freeman Films, premieres in giant screen theatres beginning March 6, 2001. With NSS cavers Dr. Hazel Barton and Nancy Holler Aulenbach as guides, audiences explore an ice cave in Greenland, a cenote in Quintana Roo, Mexico and a canyon cave in Little Colorado River Gorge. The 40-minute film is produced in association with Cincinnati Museum Center with major funding provided by National Science Foundation and The Endeavors Group, LLC.

Several educational outreach components that compliment the film were developed with Carol Zokaites and Project Underground, including a Teacher's Guide, Family Fun Sheet and Museum Resource Guide. The next issue of NSS News will feature a behind-the-scenes article on the making of the film and articles written by Barton and Aulenbach.You can track opening dates in your area and learn more about the film at www.amazingcaves.com.

Most cavers regard publicity about caves as a two-edged sword - they enjoy seeing films and articles about their favorite activity but are concerned about showing off caving to the general public. Publicity can have the benefit of drawing new members into the caving community, but it is just as likely to tempt inexperienced people to go out on their own without experienced leadership, knowledge of safe caving practices, or awareness of conservation issues. The result is more caves closed by owners who are fed up with discourteous visitors, and more damage (often wanton vandalism) to caves. The latter is irreversible, and the former takes years or decades to resolve.

To cavers, a film's scientific and historical accuracy is far less important to them than the general message it conveys about caving. Caves and caving are being featured in an increasing number of films, television documentaries, and magazine articles, most of them produced and edited by non-cavers. It is appropriate that cavers make their services available to nudge these productions in an appropriate direction - i.e. toward conservation, safety, and caving ethics.

How does this relate to the MacGillivray Freeman film Journey into Amazing Caves? First, the film company actively sought out cavers and cave scientists to help guide the production. They selected two experienced, highly regarded cavers to star in the show, and the entire script was geared toward the positive benefits of cave science. They recruited extremely capable people for field support. Considering the tight budget and time constraints, I think the producers have done a remarkable job of conveying the serious goals of caving, as well as delivering a strong message about safety and conservation. In fact, there is a conscious effort to avoid the purely sensational in favor of serious messages. The "adventure" aspect of the film is understated.

The film producers listened carefully to input from the NSS. They held a general-interest meeting at the 2000 NSS Convention in Elkins, West Virginia, to explain the goals of the film and their desire to work with the caving community. This kind of outreach is rare in a commercial venture. And they took the cavers' advice seriously. They were steered away from sensitive caves and those that have become over-saturated with publicity (e.g. Lechuguilla). The first featured cave is in Arizona, of all places-justifiably the focal point of tight-fisted cave management - and yet the cave selected for the sequence is dull enough to give the impression that Arizona has no caves to speak of. The surrounding scenery steals the show, and the cave serves as a mere backdrop for the scientific mission of microbiology.

This is followed by a stunning sequence in the deep fissures of the Greenland Ice Cap. Any inexperienced viewer who is tempted to run off to the nearest ice-field with a rope will have second thoughts. There are strenuous safety messages galore. Even though these fissures are highly transient, here today and gone tomorrow (geologically speaking), the issue of conservation is stressed nevertheless.

The third sequence features the underwater caves of Yucatan. The dangers of cave diving are emphasized, and safety issues are stressed. Once again the purported goal is scientific, and little is said about the lure of pushing through miles of underwater cave for the sheer thrill of it.

Because the film focuses on remote places, an Arizona canyon closed to the general public, Greenland, and Yucatan, viewers are unlikely to see caving as a sport that can be taken up on a weekend by anyone with a flashlight. Cavers emerge as serious-minded individuals who are not seeking thrills, but who are willing to put up with a lot of discomfort to achieve their goals. Cavers should enjoy the opportunity to see caving portrayed as a noble quest for truth, larger than life on a 70-foot-high screen. And the scenic shots are awesome!