The March of the Penguins (2005)

[tabuno]

This little film shot under extremely difficult conditions and apparently not edited until after the shooting had taken place over a period of a year is somewhat overrated. This music/narrative driven movie while commendable for its sheer effort under sometimes terrible climatic conditions compares well with other National Geographic productions, but doesn't seem to have anything most of the others don't. My closest comparison lately would be Touching the Void (2003), though a rough one at that (in that the Touching the Void was acted out, recreated), where the editing and the pacing were almost always in-sync. With The March of the Penguins, the anthropomorphic element is always close at hand and the consequences of a the loss of a mother, father, or young one isn't always played out to the end. There are long periods of nothingness - except experiential meditation on some of the scenes that become "almost" uncomfortably unbearable. What is most amazing however is the number of young children who seems to have either fallen asleep in this movie or become completely enraptured in it. A congratulations is in order nonetheless and the ability of the story itself to capture the attention of the movie-going public says more about the public and bio-evolution than it does about the quality of the movie.

[Howard Schumann]

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS (La Marche de L'Empereur)

Directed by Luc Jacquet (2005)

The story of the emperor penguins of Antarctica has all the elements of classical drama: romance, tragedy, loss, and the struggle for survival against heavy odds. Yes, I know these are just birds but the powerful documentary March of the Penguins, directed by Luc Jacquet, allows us to see a little bit of ourselves reflected in their instinctive rituals. What it takes for a penguin family to survive is little different than what it takes for us: partnership, communication, joint risks, and shared goals. The film, which opened in limited release on 132 screens, was seen on 1500 screens by the first week in August, having grossed $16.7 million. It is that rare film that will entertain all members of the family and even spark an interest in science.

Originally shown at Sundance, the French version was a cutesy mixture of talking penguins and pop songs performed by Emile Simon. In the American release, however, the penguins only chirp and the only one who talks is narrator Morgan Freeman - in a tone of subdued awe. Penguins are birds that swim but cannot fly. They walk upright like man, but there the resemblance ends, though some of us have been known to waddle a bit as we get older. Although they have been around a long time, 40 million years to be exact, most of us know very little about their mating rituals and how they survive in the minus 80 degree Antarctic winters. The film tells us that each year they must leave their home in the ocean and march single file to their breeding ground seventy miles away, the place where each of them was born.

When they are tired they simply flop on their bellies and slide along the ice. They have fortified themselves for the treacherous journey through snow and heavy winds by feeding in the ocean for the past three months. Like couples on a dance floor, when they arrive at the breeding ground that is thick with ice, they choose their partner and pair off. What qualities they look for in a mate is not known but there is no lengthy courtship and no need for dinner and a movie. They huddle together in the thousands for protection during the frigid winter as they await their egg. When the egg arrives, they perform a delicate transfer from the female to the male so that "she" can return to the ocean for food.

Any exposure to the cold even for a split second and the embryo will freeze to death. The eggs are held on the tops of their feet protected by a flap of skin and the fathers go without food for up to four months as they huddle together for warmth until the females return. The filming crew, consisting of director Luc Jacquet, cinematographer Laurent Chalet and Jerome Mason and composer Alex Wurman spent a total of thirteen months filming in the Antarctic and has given us an experience of breathtaking beauty. The footage of the penguins swimming in 1700 feet of water looking for food is little short of amazing as they hold their breath for fifteen minutes and do everything to avoid the predator leopard seals who see them as a meal.

If they survive the ocean, they return to their hungry spouses who by now have lost half of their body weight but somehow have enough strength in reserve to go back to the sea for food. Unfortunately some of the older ones will die along the way. When the father returns, he finds his chick instinctively through the chick's unique sound that only a parent could love. Please, no jokes about this being a "chick flick". When the babies are strong enough, they head out on their own to experience their first dip in the ocean. It is the end of the cycle and the harbinger of a new one. Thanks you Mr. Jacquet for a well spent afternoon and an enlightening experience.

GRADE A-

[tabuno]

In reading Howard Schumann's "Review," I found myself wondering if this description of the movie was not more of a summary of the documentary, albeit a good one at that, rather than an assessment of the movie itself. The spoilers were plenty - again that dilemma of how much to reveal versus how much to keep secret (which in itself raises some fascinating documentary moive review issues themselves). It's difficult to really discuss the merits of the movie and Mr. Schumann's assignment of an A- to this movie since his report doesn't really review the film's merits so much as the outline of the movie itself.

Based on my experience I gathered from the movie, I'd say this movie is more of a B or B+ at most movie though I give in high marks for its educational value. There is a distinct difficulty in rating documentaries. As I said before many National Geographic movies have similar qualitative movie values so unless one is going to rate this movie on the basis of its luck in getting mass media attention, boxoffice receipts, the attention of the family members as a whole than this movie's relative excellent merits still seem to be somewhat questionable.