La marche de l'empereur (2005)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Luc Jacquet

Writers (WGA):

Jordan Roberts (US narration)
Luc Jacquet (earlier screenplay) ...

Release Date:

22 July 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Family

Tagline:

In the harshest place on Earth, love finds a way

Plot:

A look at the annual journey of Emperor penguins as they march -- single file -- to their traditional breeding ground.

Plot Keywords:

Penguin | Egg | Ice | Fish | Blizzard

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 11 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Charles Berling	...	Narrator - Penguin Father (voice: French version)
Romane Bohringer	...	Narrator - Penguin Mother (voice: French version)
Jules Sitruk	...	Narrator - Penguin Baby (voice: French version)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Amitabh Bachchan	...	Narrator (voice)
Gösta Ekman	...	Narrator (voice: Swedish version)
Fiorello	...	Narrator (voice: Italian version)
Morgan Freeman	...	Narrator (voice: English version)
Sofie Gråbøl	...	Narrator (voice: Danish version)
Hikari Ishida	...	Haha-Penguin (voice: Japanese version)
Ryûnosuke Kamiki	...	Ko-Penguin (voice: Japanese version)
Takao Ôsawa	...	Chichi-Penguin (voice: Japanese version)

Also Known As:

March of the Penguins (UK) (USA)
The Emperor's Journey (International: English title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

France

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Hong Kong:I | Ireland:G | Taiwan:GP | Czech Republic:U | Germany:o.Al. | Finland:S | Switzerland:6 (canton of Zurich) | Australia:G | Norway:7 | USA:G (No. 41769) | Brazil:Livre | Canada:G (all jurisdictions) | Denmark:A | Sweden:7 | Argentina:Atp | Malaysia:U | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | New Zealand:G | Switzerland:0 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | France:U | UK:U | Singapore:G

Filming Locations:

Terre Adélie, Antarctica

Company:

Bonne Pioche

Trivia:

When released, became the second highest grossing theatrical documentary (after Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: [narrating voice over] There are few places hard to get to in this world. But there aren't any where it's harder to live.

Movie Connections:

Edited into "Phénomania: La marche de l'empereur" (2005)

A Story of Survival

The March of the Penguins is a powerful film. It is sad, funny, and simply amazing at the same time. It teaches us that life is a miracle. For the emperor penguins life is an everyday struggle to survive against predators, storms, and raging winds in the harshest weather conditions on earth. The documentary, filmed on location in Antarctica, shows the birds' struggle to eat, live, and reproduce. Each year the birds walk over seventy miles across ice and snow to their breeding ground. There the penguins mate, then conceal their eggs from the cold under a fold of their skin and balancing the precious new life to be born on their claws. Fathers take turns in caring for the eggs until they hatch, while mothers walk long miles again to bring home food for the chicks. Once the chicks are born, the parents work together to feed, shelter, and raise them. French director Luc Jacquet was a scientist before he became a filmmaker. He succeeded in making the story dramatic, compelling, and comprehensible to younger viewers. The film is skillfully narrated by Morgan Freeman. It is a definite MUST SEE.