Year:
2005
Studio:
Warner Independent Pictures,
National Geographic
Feature Films,
Bonn Pioche
Feature:
4/5
DVD:
3/5
March of the Penguins
is probably the most successful documentary ever. It's a majestic tale
of the Emperor Penguins and their nine month breeding season. As
narrated by Morgan Freeman, it has an air of gravity and solemnity that
is hard to match. The stark Antartic landscape and the persistent and
at times anthropomorphicised penguins are captured beautifully by
the French scientific team that spent a year in the Antartic shooting
all the footage.
We start out with all the penguins coming out of the sea during the
start of winter. This particular group then marches 70 miles to the
breeding ground, which is somewhere where the ice won't melt in the
summer and is protected a little from the Antartic winter. Each penguin
picks a mate and they go at it.
An egg is layed and the moms trek back to the sea to feed. Sea lions
eat a few penguins but most of the moms feed and return back weeks
later. The chicks hatch just prior and since there is no food the moms
better arrive within a couple of days. Then the dads go off to eat and
more of them die on the way since they haven't eaten for four months.
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The pattern is repeated throughout
the weeks as the little penguins get stronger. The occasinal Antartic
Tern takes a young one and others die whenever a parent doesn't come
back from the sea. By the time it's summer the ice has melted almost to
where the breeding ground is so it's a short hop to the sea. The young
penguins fend for themselves a bit longer and then join their brethen
in the Antartic Ocean.
What makes this movie cinematically watchable -- besides Morgan Freeman
-- is that it doesn't try to overload you with information. You never
the camera crew, although once you see a shadow. Things are presented
with an appropriate sense of drama and pathos. It's like being there
without the cold. It's a really fine movie.
Extras
Of Penguins and Men -- this hour-long feature is more like a regular
documentary. The head French scientist narrates and the feature shows
more of the scientists and what they went through to film the penguins.
Plus you can see behind the scenes stuff and how close they got to the
penguins.
National Geographic's Crittercam: Emperor Penguins -- Apparently
National Geographic has a kids show where they put a camera on an
animal and we get to see how the animal does things "in the wild".
There are lots of interesting facts given though in a somewhat MTV
style which can be annoying for the older folks.
"8 Ball Bunny" -- A classic Bugs Bunny short where he tries to get a
penguin back home from Brooklyn to the Antartic.
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