saraccan A nice documentary that takes you through the journey of bunch of emperor penguins going to their special mating area in Antarctica and shows how they overcome the ridiculously heavy weather conditions in order to deliver cute little penguin babies.

grantss Wonderful documentary.The telling of how emperor penguins in the Antarctic travel a vast distance to mate and how the parents then have to endure the harshest conditions on Earth to ensure their offspring are born, survive and thrive. A story of life, survival, and regeneration. Incredible footage. Some amazing camera placements and angles. There could not have been a manned camera in some of the spots, so passive cameras were used. Very ingenious placement at times.Then, of course, there is the narration. Nobody could have done it better than Morgan Freeman. Such gravitas and feeling.A great reminder of the wonder of nature, and the struggles that some species undergo to survive and grow.

ironhorse_iv Amazing and touching documentary about life in one of the harshest places on Earth. March of the Penguins tells the story on a colony of Emperor Penguins after 5 years living in the sea will march nearly 70 miles on frozen tundra to their breeding ground, far inland from the oceans where they thrive. It is there, that the cycle of life continues for them, as both female and male Penguins go through trials and tribulations with multiple arduous trips between the ocean and the breeding ground to give birth to the next generation. Director Luc Jacquet and his devoted crew from National Geographic Society endured a full year of extreme conditions in Antarctica to capture the life cycle of Emperor penguins on film, and their diligence is evident in every striking frame of this 80-minute documentary. It's beautiful shot, footage. March of the Penguins is a brilliant stirring and engaging nature film. Mad props to them, as they had to challenge of making the film when the weather was with windy 125 miles per hour temperatures between -50 and -60 °C. That's crazy cold! I had to put a coat on, just thinking about it. It has all the narrative excitement with the soothing voice of Oscar Winner, Morgan Freeman. If you are watching the French version of the film, the film has a first-person narrative as if the story is being told by the penguins themselves. The narration alternates between a female (Romane Bohringer) and a male (Charles Berling) narrator speaking the alternate roles of the female and male penguin, and as the chicks are born their narration is handled by child actor Jules Sitruk. I don't dislike this Anthropomorphism version, but I think hearing Morgan Freedom's voice make the film more mature. Having penguins have human voices make it seem like a nature film. I think the International dubbing as roles for the penguins is just don't have the ring for a documentary with a third-person narrative. Plus the international version have different titles that doesn't have the feel for the film such as the Philippine's version Penguin, Penguin, How Were You Made? Or India's Penguins: A Love Story. I will take 'March of the Penguins' title over these international titles that explain the harsh voyage the Penguins go through. Also I don't like the International's version of music choice of electronic too much. Its sounds too haunting rather than epic journey. Don't get me wrong, I like Émilie Simon, but songs like 'Frozen World' would sound better in a gritty fantasy movie. The music instrumental score by Alex Wurman is amazing. The only problem with his, is that the score track loops way too much in the film. I think the movie was very educating to people who wouldn't know anything about the species. Yes, it got a few things wrong like saying penguins are monogamous when in reality penguins are serial monogamy. The movie is great for both children and adults as it is Rated G, but still there are scenes of mating, violence, and sad moments of death due to Mother Nature's cold environment, and predators. So do warning. The movie was advertised as being so adorable and fun for the entire family, but that is simply not so. There were cute moments, and a couple of hoots, but for the most part it was just gloomy and depressing! Well, it didn't stop the movie from reaching the masses. The movie became so popular, that in 2007, a direct-to-DVD parody written and directed by Bob Saget called Farce of the Penguins was released. It is narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and features other stars providing voice-overs for the penguins. I wouldn't go see that crap movie by Bob Saget. Overall: Penguins are beautiful, amazingly emotional creatures and this movie help you understand what they go through, when in order to reproduce, which is a lot of hardship and misery. Don't look at them as an anthropomorphic depiction of penguins, but as normal animals trying to survive. Give it a go, you won't regret it.

jonesa03 The March of the Penguins is an Academy Award winning documentary that tracks the voyage of the Emperor Penguin as they make their way to and from the ocean to their breeding ground. It is a remarkable tale of the continuation of a species. A theme throughout the film is that of the awe inspiring love of a parent to a child. No matter the species, the gift of life is a marvel and a thing to be cherished. The Emperor Penguins go through great trials in order to bring about the hatching of their young. They must travel many miles in harsh conditions to reach the breeding ground where they can safely lay their single egg. The father penguins must survive months with no food, huddled together to provide warmth to each other and protection to their eggs. Each father is responsible for the egg he harbors on his feet, beneath a fold of warm skin, while the mothers must make the trek back to the ocean in order to feed themselves and bring food back for their babies. The penguins must struggle against the elements, predators, and starvation. They struggle through these things, all in the hopes of a successful hatching.Morgan Freeman is the only human voice heard throughout the duration of the film. He expertly provides the narration needed to understand the movements of the penguins, and assists the viewer in understanding the harshness of Antarctica and the trials that the penguins go through. He provides interesting facts and details about Emperor Penguins that create a bond with the penguins, such as the fact that Emperor Penguins are monogamous, but only for the season. The March of the Penguins is similar to the 2007 documentary Artic Tale. Both movies focus of the lives of animal parents and their young as they struggle to live in the coldest parts of the world. Both show the trials that the animals face to ensure their survival and the possibility of future generations.The voyage of the penguins comes alive with the capabilities of the camera crew. Much of the film is shot from a subjective, eye level height. This really lets the viewer feel like they are in with the penguins and experiencing the harshness of the weather and the joy of the eggs hatching. Often, the camera zooms in on the penguins so the viewer can appreciate the beauty of the penguins and their surroundings. The camera takes a different angle when the long journey to and from the breeding ground is shown. In this case, it's more of an objective view looking down of the penguins as they make their single file march. The view scans out to see the vastness of the icy landscape and the extreme distance they must travel, all in order to create a new generation.Sound is also a key technique in establishing the bond between parent penguins and their young chicks. Before the father penguins leave the young chicks in their mother's care to head back to the ocean to feed after a four month fast, they sing to their babies and their babies sing back to them. This is the only way that they will recognize each other upon the father's return. It is amazing upon the fathers return, that through the chaos of all the penguins singing that each father can find what he is looking for, his chick. In the coldest place on earth, life remains. The Emperor Penguins continue to struggle and survive in order to create the greatest joy in life, a new life. Everything they do is for the benefit of their young chick. A parent's love can withstand harsh weather, fierce predators, and stress to their bodies in order to create a future for their children. The cycle of life continues.