The Tale of the White Whale

The tale of the white whale could have originated from the imagination of Walt Disney authors. But it is true: in 1965, the Beluga whale 'Moby' was caught off the coast of Canada and put in a holding pool on board of a freighter. He was destined for a zoo in England. But one year later, Moby caught the attention of the world as he was discovered swimming into the European mainland through the Rhine River. The journey of this ambassador from the Arctic caused such an upheaval that he changed the course of German politics. Moby was washed off the freighter by a storm wave and fell into the North Sea. He eventually entered the highly toxic Rhine River and journeyed upstream. The appearance of a white whale so far South and also 300 km upstream in a river was a zoological sensation. The last Beluga whale, which reached the coast of Flanders, was shot in 1711. Dr. Gewalt, the director of Duisburg zoo did not want to miss the unique opportunity of catching the whale for his new dolphin pool. Rich with archive footage and newly shot underwater sequences, 'The White Whale' retraces the story of Moby and his legendary trip. The film recalls his strange persistence in swimming to Germany after facing numerous setbacks, it interviews the many people who encountered Moby, and confronts his main adversary, the zoo director, Dr. Gewalt.