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Review:
Wildlife lovers (such as I) will watch this
film and see nothing but sheer beauty and majesty before their eyes, which is
clearly present during the production known as "Le Peuple Migrateur". Nominated
for Best Documentary at the 200- Oscar awards, directors Jacques Perrin, Jacques
Cluzaud, and Michel Debats give us a rare and never before seen glimpse into
nature and the life cycle and migratory patterns of birds seeking shelter and
struggling to survive amidst the common enemy known as Man.
Done in a period of four years,
"Winged Migration" features a team of incredibly gifted and brilliant
Cinematographers featuring Olli Barbé, Michel Benjamin, Sylvie Carcedo-Dreujou,
Laurent Charbonnier, Luc Drion, Laurent Fleutot, Philippe Garguil, Dominique
Gentil, Bernard Lutic, Thierry Machado, Stéphane Martin, Fabrice Moindrot, Ernst
Sasse, Michel Terrasse, Thierry Thomas who so eloquently capture the essence of
the landscapes presented within the hunting and scavenging of these incredible
species that it becomes such a thrill to watch.
Surprisingly, there were no special
effects used for the filming, and it becomes hard to believe when watching such
incredible direction while following the birds while they flew in packs. There
are scenes with diving and incredible overhead shots that prompt people to
wonder if maybe there was a big computer boosting in the scenes. Though, he
insists there were no computer effects used for the film, it only demonstrates
his true directorial abilities for this subject matter. The birds themselves are
interesting and fascinating that they, themselves manage to draw crowds in and
put on shows that make the time go by while watching. We witness some incredible
marvels of nature including penguins struggling to jump ashore the arctic, hawks
hunting along the desert, and a bald eagle soaring along the mountains.
As in all of these documentaries, Man
is a common enemy and obstacle to the flight and journey of the birds as they're
constantly shot down by hunters, nearly run over by cars and machines, and
almost drowned in sludge. It becomes pretty brutal to witness these birds shot
down by hunters who pretty much destroy these beautiful formations. Very few of
the geese and hawks make it to their target shelter, but those who do manage to
pass on their information to younger birds. Writers Stéphane Durand, Jacques
Perrin, and Francis Roux spark some truly fascinating narratives that help to
describe the struggles given to the flocks of birds. Narrator Jacques Perrin
doesn't clog up the film with pompous and over-thought narrations, yet relies
simply on his incredible direction as a self-explanatory guide and only
interjects with narration when absolutely necessary. The birds in this
documentary pretty much give
the audience a show to watch through hunting skillfully swooping in on prey, and
scavenging along fields and trees, and resting occasionally on human landmarks
as jet harriers, and beaches along the shores of beach houses.
As always, the rule of nature is:
Only the strong survive, and we witness these scavengers, hunters, and settlers
fly for thousands of miles to escape wretched weather, man ravaged landscapes
and risk various calamities such as avalanches and storms that Jacques Perrin
brilliantly conveys onto the audience from beginning to end.
Bring the kids to watch this film as they'll
witness the true struggle of species to survive and cope with one another. This
is truly an entertaining, intriguing, and visually stunning documentary for
anyone, including nature and bird lovers.
- Filmmakers
exposed the eggs of some of the birds to the sounds of people and film
cameras so that the birds would not be afraid of them later.
- The scene
where the goose gets stuck in industrial sludge was deliberately staged
by the producers and the bird thus was immediately freed after shooting.
- While
the wounded Tern beset by crabs was not a staged scene, the bird was
rescued by the crew at the last moment after shooting the action.
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