movies: March of the Penguins
My aspiring-director friend called me yesterday and said, dude, go see March of the Penguins. He also said that he and his fiancee snuck into The Skeleton Key afterwards and that it was horrifyingly bad, but see my previous review for all that.
March of the Penguins is a French film, although the US release is narrated in English by Morgan Freeman. It's pretty much exactly what the title would lead you to believe -- a film crew followed a group of penguins for months, documenting their annual trek from the icy shores of Antarctica to their ancestral breeding grounds.
Unlike a real documentary, though, this one had a budget, and it's set to an goosebump-inspiring score by Alex Wurman -- again, apparently only for the US release. The cinematography, I presume, is for all releases. And that's a good thing, because at times it's breathtaking. The harsh, almost alien vistas of the frozen continent are starkly beautiful, even awe-inspiring.
All or most of the above-ground footage was clearly shot on 35mm film. Undersea footage, unfortunately, appeared to be a mix of varying types of DV. Though not as ugly as the DV footage which made Open Water downright painful to watch on the big screen, after the beautiful shooting on the surface some of the underwater shots are a bit disappointing by contrast. Digital video, even hi-def progressive, simply is not capable of looking good when blown up to sixty feet wide on a big screen. I'm guessing a mix of technical and budget considerations prevented the use of 35mm underwater. Certainly the PenguinCam couldn't have been anything other than DV regardless of the circumstances.
The term "documentary" fits this movie rather loosely, at least with the US release. The penguins are occasionally anthropomorphized in the narration -- something that the audience is perfectly capable of doing by itself, judging by what all the kids in the audience had to say. And they had a lot to say. And the rich, swelling score is admirably composed, but clearly has an eye on giving those heartstrings an extra tug.
While this G-rated film doesn't spare the viewer from the spectre of death, it takes pains to tread lightly, making me wonder if the differences between the US release go beyond music and narration to include editing. More than once, I got the impression that the film was treading lightly lest it upset the kiddies. The tagline is, after all, "In the harshest place on Earth, love finds a way." Okay, here's a dead chick... cue sad music, and, okay, let's get back to that timeless story of perseverance thing now, shall we?
Given that the Oscars are no better than the Grammies, minor concerns will likely be swept aside when it comes time to make a stale joke and open the envelope for Best Documentary. After all, this is one that people actually want to watch.
8 of 10 stars for the US release of this attractive, smoothly-scored "documentary" which is really more a retelling of an archetypal story of struggle, perseverance, and the tenacity of life -- a story that most people can relate with on a deep and emotional level. Just catch the late show or wait a couple weeks until there are fewer kids in the theatre asking obvious questions instead of waiting two seconds for Morgan Freeman to give them the answers.
March of the Penguins is a French film, although the US release is narrated in English by Morgan Freeman. It's pretty much exactly what the title would lead you to believe -- a film crew followed a group of penguins for months, documenting their annual trek from the icy shores of Antarctica to their ancestral breeding grounds.
Unlike a real documentary, though, this one had a budget, and it's set to an goosebump-inspiring score by Alex Wurman -- again, apparently only for the US release. The cinematography, I presume, is for all releases. And that's a good thing, because at times it's breathtaking. The harsh, almost alien vistas of the frozen continent are starkly beautiful, even awe-inspiring.
All or most of the above-ground footage was clearly shot on 35mm film. Undersea footage, unfortunately, appeared to be a mix of varying types of DV. Though not as ugly as the DV footage which made Open Water downright painful to watch on the big screen, after the beautiful shooting on the surface some of the underwater shots are a bit disappointing by contrast. Digital video, even hi-def progressive, simply is not capable of looking good when blown up to sixty feet wide on a big screen. I'm guessing a mix of technical and budget considerations prevented the use of 35mm underwater. Certainly the PenguinCam couldn't have been anything other than DV regardless of the circumstances.
The term "documentary" fits this movie rather loosely, at least with the US release. The penguins are occasionally anthropomorphized in the narration -- something that the audience is perfectly capable of doing by itself, judging by what all the kids in the audience had to say. And they had a lot to say. And the rich, swelling score is admirably composed, but clearly has an eye on giving those heartstrings an extra tug.
While this G-rated film doesn't spare the viewer from the spectre of death, it takes pains to tread lightly, making me wonder if the differences between the US release go beyond music and narration to include editing. More than once, I got the impression that the film was treading lightly lest it upset the kiddies. The tagline is, after all, "In the harshest place on Earth, love finds a way." Okay, here's a dead chick... cue sad music, and, okay, let's get back to that timeless story of perseverance thing now, shall we?
Given that the Oscars are no better than the Grammies, minor concerns will likely be swept aside when it comes time to make a stale joke and open the envelope for Best Documentary. After all, this is one that people actually want to watch.
8 of 10 stars for the US release of this attractive, smoothly-scored "documentary" which is really more a retelling of an archetypal story of struggle, perseverance, and the tenacity of life -- a story that most people can relate with on a deep and emotional level. Just catch the late show or wait a couple weeks until there are fewer kids in the theatre asking obvious questions instead of waiting two seconds for Morgan Freeman to give them the answers.