Leofwine_draca Like MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, THE CRIMSON WING is a nature documentary focused on a single subject, produced by Walt Disney Studios of all people. Thankfully this isn't a twee or sentimental type account of the material, rather a solid, fact-focused documentary packed full of gorgeous photography of the birds.It turns out that Lesser Flamingos are the birds behind the myth of the Phoenix, and the correlation of their lifecycle to that of the legendary bird rising from the ashes is an engaging one. But this is a film that offers more to the casual viewer, with plenty of tragedy and chaos along the way. There are the inevitably tear-jerking scenes involving the chicks that didn't make it, and such moments are tragic beyond belief.THE CRIMSON WING offers strong commentary by experienced narrator Mariella Frostrup and a lean, mean, running time which excises extraneous material from the narrative. Best of all, though, it has fantastic cinematography that helps to fuel a colourful, engaging and thorough exploration of the topic.

gotmian A story told in a simple, friendly, inspiring way. The music score is one of the best soundtracks ever written (considering scores for cinema, TV and video games) and adds to the overall experience this film creates - in a way one might say that it even defines this movie and sets the standard for other future productions.The director's view of a story (a circle of life in a way) is also a highlight for this documentary as it unfolds, expands and then sets itself in a clear, well define perspective of what life is, what colour is and how we, as the birds, are defined by these elements.A fluid, well described and narrated documentary like only a few. Watch it, even if you only do so for the score and the integration of the score to the cinematography.

ajs-10 Known simply as 'The Crimson Wing' here in the UK, I remember it causing a bit of a stir when it was released just over a year ago. Of course it all died down pretty quickly and the film didn't pick up any major awards. Needless to say it caught my attention and so when it turned up on TV I decided to give it a viewing.This documentary tells the story of Lake Natron in northern Tanzania and how every year, after the rains come, a massive flock of Lesser Flamingos comes to the lake to breed. It tells of all the trials and tribulations of the young chicks, of all the dangers they must survive and, yes, there are scenes depicting the fates of those that don't. We are also told about some of the wildlife surrounding the lake and how it gives the flamingos their unique crimson plumage.A great score and some superb cinematography give this film the edge over other nature documentaries I've seen. There is also a great narration delivered by British TV presenter, Mariella Frostrup which only added to my enjoyment.It did tend to sag a bit towards the end, but overall quite an enjoyable and informative film. I wouldn't recommend it for the very young, but I think for anyone interested in wildlife its well worth a viewing. Over all, recommended.My score: 6.8/10

dbborroughs I saw this as part of the New York International Children's Film Festival weekly screenings at the IFC Center in Manhattan. The blurbs they had posted on their website and the link to the trailer made this seem like it was something I would love to see.The film follows a year in the life of the flamingos from their birth in a the middle of the inhospitable lake Natron, which is so full of salt nothing can live there, through their growing up to the point where they can leave and then back to their return to the lake the next year. Actually most of the film is on their time at Natron with the chicks struggling to live.A visually stunning film, this movie is so full of fantastic images it will have your mouth hanging open and tears rolling down your cheeks. Its a stunningly beautiful film at times and it was a treat to see the images on a huge movie screen.The film is also very heart breaking. The film does not shy away from showing the young (and not so young) birds as they meet their doom either at the hands of the predators, who wade in and take their fill, or from the salt shackles that form around the legs of some of the chicks which make their getting around slow or even impossible. If the film doesn't have a regular US release, which it appears not to, I'm guessing its because the heart breaking scenes of the death of the chicks have given Disney pause as to how to market the film to families.For me the flaw of the film is that as it stands now its too long by a good fifteen or twenty minutes. Once the chicks begin to mature and head off to the various lakes around Africa the film kind of has nowhere to go (actually once the birds get off the salt islands the film slows). The filmmakers don't follow the birds much and outside of the narration that "they go where they will" and some flying sequences, we see little. Then, magically, a year has passed and the birds return again. The film is essentially repeating itself (Even the narration repeats itself)and it suddenly seems to have no point other than to show this one piece of the life of the flamingos. Don't get me wrong its not a bad film, Its just that its one that's been stretched to 75 minutes to make the minimum length required for a feature film.I like it its worth seeing, just be wary if you bring the kids since some of the sequences with doomed chicks may upset some of the children in your brood (A couple of kids in the theater were desperate to be reassured by mommy and daddy) The first 50 minutes is 8 out of 10, the second half less, with the over all petering out making the film less then it really should be.