March of the Penguins (2007)

I chose to see "March of the Penguins" as a diversion to a 100+ degree day, and saw that cold weather is worse than hot weather. Now, in the brisk part of autumn, it still holds up.

Penguins from several areas of Antarctica converge on land, safe from predators and the ebbing ice shelf. They are there to mate, birth, and care for their chick.

Monogamous for that year, penguins pair up and the mother lays an egg.

The mother dashes off back to the sea, which, thanks to the winter and new ice, is as far as 70 miles. She's starving, having lost one-third of her weight in laying the egg. The trip is long, and she's not fast. Hungry seals await them, some penguins lose their way, and some are too exhausted to continue.

Well-fed, full of food for her chick, she returns, and the father makes the same trip so he can eat. The father stayed behind to incubate the egg, and protect the new chick. He has lost one half of his weight.

The pair trade places a few more times as winter plods on. With temperatures 80 below zero, and winds up to 125, I felt cold just watching. The penguins huddle to keep warm, rotating which must do outside duty.

Morgan Freeman narrates. His voice does not overcome the story. Better written than any documentary I have ever seen, Freeman respects the script. Having never seen a documentary in a theater before, I was impressed at how well it worked on the big screen.

There is no plot, even though there is a beginning and an end. Unlike many documentaries, it does not detail the intricacies of eating, mate choosing, or science of penguin living. It is more about watching the arduous life cycle, with some explaining what we are watching.

The camera works captures the cold -the shivering penguins, the snow blowing like dust over the long line of marching penguins. It reminded me of movies about Siberia, showing Soviets living in a frozen, cold natural prison.

This isn't a cute animal movie. Tender children might be saddened to see the eggs and chicks freezing, and could be quite frightened when the vicious seals overtake swimming penguins.

Now, with the ever-funny Bugs Bunny in "8 Ball Bunny," the kid-factor increases. Still, even as Bugs graces your home viewing experience, be careful with more impressionable children and the feature documentary.

Another DVD feature: Rodney the Penguin assists in "Crittercam: Emperor Penguins," as we learn how some of the complex videography was really shot.

I fully recommend "March of the Penguins."

Anthony Trendl

editor, HungarianBookstore.com

Morgan Freeman narrates this beautiful, moving, sometimes sad, often beautiful documentary (that actually does well on the big screen). There are no big stars in this, just thousands of the cutest most beautiful little guys you could think of. They are amazing animals and this depicts the life cycle of them and the way they live facing brutally cold conditions, attacks by seals, and the heartbreak they suffer (like humans) when chicks die or are taken from them. This is brilliant and unlike any other documentary I've seen. It captivated me from start to end and it's a must see. Listening to Morgan Freemans soothing voice is so pleasant and he was easily the best choice to narrate this. Go see this. I highly, highly recommend it.

Buy March of the Penguins (2007) Now

No offence to the Oscar winning documentary. I love the story but it was not shot in HD and they didn't even try to covert it. The picture quality is about the same as the regular DVD upconvert at its best. Huge disappointment!

Read Best Reviews of March of the Penguins (2007) Here

First things first; this is a great film! If you want to view my comments on it, check my DVD review from a couple years ago. I'm here to discuss the HD DVD. Frankly, if you already own the DVD, don't waste your money on the HD version. There is virtually no improvement in picture quality, at least from what I could decipher, over the DVD. Why? Because the film itself was shot with crappy, grainy, low resolution film to give it that "documentary" look. Seriously...you'll be as surprised as I was when you watch it to see that it looks virtually identical to the DVD version. I was really looking forward to high-def penguins; for great visuals of penguins, "Happy Feet" on HD DVD is the one to buy (correction: rent; it's an abominable film). For a great film, if you don't already own "March of the Penguins" on DVD, buy the HD DVD version. Just don't expect to be blown away. I haven't seen the Blu-Ray, but I would imagine that the PQ is exactly the same.

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What I love about nature documentaries, and "March of the Penguins" does so well, is that it gives us humans a glimpse into the divine order of things and the nature of life itself. Tracing the story of a colony of emperor penguins for one breeding season only, the movie touches upon profound struggle to leave progeny for the next generation that recurs year after year for these animals. I'm not sure, but I have not seen a documentary of these penguins during the dead of winter during a brutal blizzard. That alone was awe inspiring. A touching and profound movie on many levels, asethically and spiritually. Well done.

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