This remarkable documentary records one of nature’s most dramatic tales of survival
as well as one of its greatest love stories. Each winter in Antarctica the emperor
penguins abandon the relative security of the ocean and begin an arduous trek
on ice into one of the most barren and life-threatening regions of the world.
Their mission is the survival of their species and, guided by instinct, they engage
in courtship, pair-off into monogamous couples and subsequently mate. When the
females each produce a single egg, they make the necessary return-trip to the
fish-filled seas while the males stay in the wilderness to protect and hatch the
precious offspring. Filmmaker/scientist Luc Jacquet and his crew
spent 13 months in the most inhospitable terrain on earth, in order to capture
this extraordinary and beautiful cycle of existence. While their versatile and
dynamic camerawork might make one wonder whether they are employing some digital
effects, rest assured that the images are authentic and, as amazing as it might
seem, it’s all true. Rated G. Narrator: Morgan Freeman. Music:
Alex Wurman. Camera: Laurent Chalet, Jerôme Maison. Producers: Yves Darondeau,
Christophe Lioud, Emmanuel Priou. Director: Luc Jacquet. (France
2005) 80 min.
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. – G. Allen Johnson, SF
Chronicle (Leaping Man)
This remarkable documentary records one of nature’s most dramatic tales of survival
as well as one of its greatest love stories. Each winter in Antarctica the emperor
penguins abandon the relative security of the ocean and begin an arduous trek
on ice into one of the most barren and life-threatening regions of the world.
Their mission is the survival of their species and, guided by instinct, they engage
in courtship, pair-off into monogamous couples and subsequently mate. When the
females each produce a single egg, they make the necessary return-trip to the
fish-filled seas while the males stay in the wilderness to protect and hatch the
precious offspring. Filmmaker/scientist Luc Jacquet and his crew
spent 13 months in the most inhospitable terrain on earth, in order to capture
this extraordinary and beautiful cycle of existence. While their versatile and
dynamic camerawork might make one wonder whether they are employing some digital
effects, rest assured that the images are authentic and, as amazing as it might
seem, it’s all true. Rated G. Narrator: Morgan Freeman. Music:
Alex Wurman. Camera: Laurent Chalet, Jerôme Maison. Producers: Yves Darondeau,
Christophe Lioud, Emmanuel Priou. Director: Luc Jacquet. (France
2005) 80 min.
