Grand Angle Productions

This film is based on the famous painting by Géricault, on show at the Louvre, "The raft of the Medusa". The ship sank off the coast of Africa in the 19th century; the passengers and crew escaped in several small vessels and on a raft, which remained adrift in harsh conditions. Its rescue became a phenomenon that profoundly affected French society. The documentary recreates the event as far as reconstructing the raft and setting it afloat to find out details of life on board.

The “Lune” was shipwrecked offshore around Toulon in November 1664, on its return from an expedition to the coast of North Africa, with a thousand men on board. Under pressure from Louis XIV, the Sun King, and his entourage, the tragedy was covered up and the boat was forgotten about. It was discovered in 1993 at a depth of 90 metres, thus making the work of archaeologists extremely difficult. But now, 20 years on, new technologies have meant the ship can finally be explored through a combination of scientific knowledge and amazing technological devices.