SYNOPSIS:
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS follows the mating rituals of the emperor penguin, one of the most resilient animals on earth. Each summer, the penguins pop up onto the ice and begin their mingle and chatter until they find the perfect mate- a monogamous match that will last a year, through the brutal winter and into the spring. During that time, the mother will birth an egg and then leave for the ocean to feed again. The father will stay to protect the egg through the freezing blizzards and pure darkness of winter which would be deadly to practically any other species! Finally, with spring, the egg hatches and the baby penguins are born. Mothers return from the sea to reunite with their families and feed the starving newborns, while the fathers are finally relieved of their protective duties after months without food. A miraculously story of love and survival, MARCH OF THE PENGUINS is an eye-opening and moving experience.
MOVIE REVIEW :
Without a doubt, March of the Penguins is the runaway documentary hit of 2005. Touted as the potential Best Documentary winner at the upcoming Academy Awards, March of the Penguins is a remarkable labour from love of Luc Jacquet and his team. The documentary charts the progress of emperor penguins in the Antarctica and their progress in their mating ritual.
It is easy to fall in love with the emperor penguins despite being a far cry from the killer ones found in Madagascar. The documentary follows a group of emperor penguins who migrate in order to reproduce in the dead of winter. During the course of this journey, we will be treated to an embarrassment of facts like male penguins go four months without food while they nurture the egg. When the eggs eventually hatch, the baby penguins are so lovable that you’ll want to reach for your screen and just hug them.
The filmmakers’
efforts in making March of the Penguins are truly bold and they must be
applauded for spending a vast amount of time in Antarctica trying to capture
the emperor penguins on film. To put it simply, March of the Penguins is
truly an eye-opener beyond the likes of shows on National Geographic or
Animal Planet. It also surpasses any CGI-laden film made this year. This
is a remarkable film of undying love and the survival of a race.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
If you felt the 85 minute run time of the film is not enough, be prepared to watch an additional two discs, both of which run at an alarming near two hour per disc. Though it would take a lot of time to watch the whole three-disc set, the end result is a truly magical one.
Besides the staple of trailers and a TV spot, there is a behind-the-scenes look by means of interview with the director, Luc Jacquet, the etchnical supervisor, Jacquet’s assistant and the South Pole Research Centre, which served as a base and guide for the production team.
The added
bonus of the set is most definitely the two bonus documentaries entitled
Rush Hour in Antarctica and Of Penguin and Man.
Rush Hour in Antarctica is a documentary about the changing seasons in the
Antarctica and how a penguin and weddell seals survive the change. While
the penguin engages in a pilgrimage, the female seals come onto land to
give birth. While the penguins segment appears similar to what can be found
in March of the Penguins, the tale of the seals is a totally different one.
Of Penguin and Man entails the preparation stages of the March of the Penguins team in reaching Antarctica and spending their time there for a year just to capture the journey of the emperor penguins. If any, this documentary is proof the emperor penguins were very real and the team took painful courage to film the animals. We will also be treated to sights like how upclose the team managed to get to the penguins.
On the overall, this is testament that the filmmakers whichever accolade that have been and will be heaped upon them.
AUDIO:
This
DVD comes in French DTS/ Dolby Digital 5.1 and Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1.
All the better to hear the chilly winds.
VISUAL:
Throughout most of the film, the colours are mainly grey and white. Nonetheless, it is nary a dull atmosphere as the penguins breathe a life of their own on screen. Through this, the bitter coldness of winter is brilliantly captured too. The end result is a marriage of ice and warmth that has never been done for the longest time.
MOVIE
RATING:
(A film that exposes the bitterness of the cold and marries it with the
warmth of love!)
DVD RATING:
Review by Mohamad Shaifulbahri
