New York City, August 3, 2005

Includes material taken from the SF Chronicle, movie reviews, July 1,
2005:

“Life in Antarctica can get pretty grim. But don’t tell that to these
driven
birds.” by G. Allen Johnson, Staff Writer, the San Francisco Chronicle.
March of the Penguins: Documentary. Directed by Luc Jacquet. Narrated
by
Morgan Freeman. (Graded for the General Public - the whole family)
84 minutes long.

After watching the sometimes astonishing new documentary “March of the
Penguins,” I couldn’t help but think that the emperor penguins got an
unfair shake in the way things went down in Antarctica.
Apparently, the ice continent that is larger than Europe was once a
tropical paradise teeming with life before it went south, literally,
drifting into its present position. All the other species made their
way
out, except for these flightless birds who eat fish and other undersea
life to survive.

They couldn’t get away. So now, to keep the species going, they must
trek
70 miles inland, walking and sliding on their bellies all the way, to
find
a solid patch of ice to mate and raise their chicks.

But the food is still in the sea, so the fathers and mothers must
alternate, after months of starving themselves in sub-zero
temperatures,
trekking back to the sea to eat again while the other stays behind to
protect their egg and subsequently their child. Poor penguins!

Director Luc Jacquet and his team have done an incredible job
gaining the
trust of these penguins and recording their tortuous migration. Some of
the shots — such as a mother tenderly passing her unhatched egg to her
mate to keep it warm before she goes for food, and the undersea shots
of
feeding taken from a small submersible — are jaw-dropping.

Just as poetic are the sweeping vistas of ice, with long lines of
penguins in the distance inching forward, looking like ants. “March of
the
Penguins” is in a way an epic adventure film with a cast of thousands
–
and narrated, as if he were the voice of God, by Morgan Freeman (and
let
me be the first to lobby for legislation that Freeman narrate all
documentaries from now on; I’m phoning my congressman today).

Most striking are the scenes of group activity. The mate-selection
process, wherein thousands of penguins waddle around as if it were a
singles mixer, features jealous squabbles and sweet talk. Later, when
the
fathers are guarding the eggs as the mothers are away feeding, they
huddle
in a group of about a thousand, shielding the eggs from snowstorms and
winds of up to 125 mph, even taking turns being the ones on the front
lines.

“March of the Penguins,” in its original French form, apparently had
the
penguins talking about their hopes and dreams; foreplay sounds were
even
dubbed in, and the music was silly and comedic.

Peculiar sense of humor these French have.

Luckily, sanity has been restored stateside. Warner Independent
Pictures
rescored the music, wrote new narration and hired Freeman. They have
honored Jacquet’s stunning achievement by turning a work that should
never
have been farcical in the first place into something majestic and
moving
along the lines of another French documentary, “Winged Migration.”

“March of the Penguins,” which is suitable for the entire family
despite
its adult sensibility, is devoid of some facts about the emperor
penguins
– for example, what is their lifespan? But that’s OK. By emphasizing
its
visuals, it instills a deep reverence for the unforgiving power of
nature
and the stubborn resilience of life.

E-mail: G. Allen Johnson at ajohnson@sfchronicle.com.
Up to here - Copyright 2005 SF Chronicle.

The movie is actually under a National Geographic - Warner Independent
Pictures co-sponsorship. The above review describes very well the
movie as
an entertainment, and even as an educational vehicle. To us it posed
further
questions regarding the global warming/climate change issue.

How will a permanent melting of the ice impact the live of these very
human
birds? I say human because the movie manages astonishingly to convey
ideal
human traits - at least traits we wish humans to be gifted with - the
sense
of responsibility to family - that these birds have - is amazing and
uplifting. Would it not be a pity if our shenanigans would harm their
chance
for continuing their lives as forged in natures ice-cellar? The plumage
that
Darwin and nature endowed them with would make it impossible for the
Emperor
Penguin - the subject of the movie - to adjust to breeding on land in a
temperate climate area - or will it be possible? Are we entitled to
submit
these birds to what may turn out a fatal exercise with us playing the
role
of gods of nature?

The movie is indeed astonishing - please go and see it!