March of the Penguins
One of the year’s most unexpectedly moving films, this French-made documentary about the mating cycle of emperor penguins took moviegoers by surprise and became a box-office blockbuster in the process. Small wonder: March of the Penguins is cinema vérité at its purest, an unsentimental yet intimate depiction of one of nature’s true marvels.
As narrator Morgan Freeman explains, every year these indomitable creatures leave their ocean habitat and make a long, arduous journey over the treacherous Antarctic ice to their traditional breeding ground. Guided by instinct and undeterred by the harsh climate or lack of food, the penguins trudge single-mindedly to their destination, engage in their unique mating ritual, and labor tirelessly to provide for the helpless offspring they bring into an unforgiving ecosystem.
Director Luc Jacquet -- who can’t be over-praised for marshalling a crew with the patience, skill, and dedication required to capture these unforgettable images on film -- presents a simple but compelling story that’s every bit as focused and dignified as the penguins themselves. He draws us into their world and celebrates their unflagging resolve, making us care to a surprising extent about these waddling critters. It’s a remarkable achievement, and one you’ll want to experience over and over again.
March of the Penguins was s beautiful movie. I did cry. I recommend this movie to everyone.
Having seen both, Either one, I absolutely loved both. However, I did like better the French version than the impecable english (Morgan's) version, just because it is more poethic. In french they refer to icebergs as "sleeping giants" whilst in english, they inform their size (as length in "footbal fields").
Saw this in the theaters when it first came out -- it was amazing.
Well I watched it in Denmark and could easily follow the story although I don't speak Danish! My daughter saw it in French and she judged the dialogs to be dull, to put it nicely!
Years later I saw the English version with a narrator instead of dialogs and it was very much OK as a documentary. Incredible filming in the Antarctic winter!
The original music in the French version is said to be much better than the one plastered over the English version.
This is truly an amazing movie.
I could watch this over and over, and over, and over....