March of the Penguins (21 January 2005)
directed by Luc Jacquet
starring Morgan Freeman
|
MPAA rating: Studio: Bonne Pioche, Buena Vista Pictures, Canal+, National Geographic Script: Luc Jacquet, Jordan Roberts Music: Emilie Simon, Alex Wurman Running time: 85 minutes Tags: Antarctica; birds; Documentary; eggs; Family Film; mating rituals Tactical strength: [5/10]
|
The penguins waddle slowly from the shore to the inland breeding ground. We watch them mate and later pass the developing egg from the mother to the father. The herd of fathers huddle together for warmth as the mothers waddle or sled back to the shore to eat. We watch as the elements torment the fathers and their attempts to protect the eggs. The mothers return in time for the hatching and to feed the newborn chicks -- if the eggs survived. The fathers waddle or sled back to the shore for their first food in months. Eventually the mothers and the surviving hatchlings make their way back to the shore. And the cycle starts all over again.
Two aspects of this film create wonder and awe. First, the amazing ability of the penguins to survive in the Antarctic environment. The penguins march to the same breeding ground each year, they choose a mate, and even after separation for months, the mates find each other to continue the care and feeding of their offspring. These birds show uncanny staying power and determination that outclass almost any human endeavor, which leads us to the second amazing aspect of this film: Two human beings spent months in the Antarctic filming the penguins breeding rituals. I can't imagine the tedium of dressing in multiple layers of frost-resistant clothing, driving or hiking from the scientific base station to the penguin's breeding ground, filming all day in freezing conditions, making the trip back to the base station, and repeating this ritual daily for nine months. I watched the "Movies that Pop" version of March of the Penguins, which provided all sorts of interesting additional details about the filming. At one point, the two-man film crew got lost in a blizzard and almost froze to death. These men really did risk as much making the film as the penguins did to reproduce.
Apparently, the original French version of the film had a script giving voices to the characters instead of a dramatic monologue by Morgan Freeman. Although Freeman does a good job at adding to the drama of the penguins' lives, I do feel a bit insulted that the original version just wasn't good enough for Americans. It seems to me that with the success of so many foreign films over the past few years, that we probably don't need a special Americanized version to suit the sensibilities of the American public. I thought the pacing of the film dragged a bit with the Freeman monologue, and I could have used some comic relief through personified voices. I guess I could buy or rent the DVD to heard the French soundtrack, but I already paid $3.99 for pay-per view, and that's about as much as I want to invest in March of the Penguins at this point.
