MARCH OF THE PENGUINS A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
"The long march has begun, just as it has for thousands of years," the narrator reminds us as the story begins in this "story about love." Morgan Freeman lends his considerable voice talent to the American version of Luc Jacquet's MARCH OF THE PENGUINS. We'll talk later about the considerable differences between this film and the French original, which made a splash at this year's Sundance Film Festival, but, suffice it to say that this American version is a real charmer even if it's no WINGED MIGRATION, which has more variety and better pacing.
The story takes place in the harsh Antarctic environment, which gets down to eighty degrees below zero in winter, and where, given the up to 100 mile per hour winds, the wind chill factor is even worse.
In an arduous journey every March, the emperor penguins walk (read waddle) and slide on their bellies some seventy miles inland, where there is nothing to eat, but where they will breed and raise their young through the bitter winter.
The women, who outnumber the men, fight over the guys during courtship, but, once the penguins mate, they remain monogamous -- well, for the year. Watching these wonderfully cute penguin couples snuggle up together is the epitome of love.
Among the film's many surprises is that it is the males who sit on the eggs while the females walk for as much as a week in each direction to bring back food. The eggs are carefully cuddled on the tops of the father's feet with the male's bellies providing the comfort and warmth. One small mistake, however, and the egg is broken and quickly frozen.
So how does the original French version differ and the American one? A lot, as the director, who was at our screening explained. In the French cut shown at Sundance, the various penguins were given their own identities and voices by multiple narrators who spoke in the first person. The distributor only agreed to give the film a theatrical release in the U.S. if a known actor provided traditional voice-over work, i.e., a single narration in the 3rd person. The result leaves one satisfied and yet wanting more. Hopefully the DVD will have both versions for you to enjoy.
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS runs a little long even at just 1:20. It is rated G and would be a great choice for all ages.
The film opens in limited release in the United States on Friday, June 24, 2005. The movie was shown recently at the Camera Cinema Club (http://www.cameracinemas.com) of Campbell and San Jose.
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