Movie Tip: La Marche de l’empereur
March of the Penguins (La Marche de l’empereur) is a documentary about the harsh life of the emperor penguins in Antarctica. The "plot" is the march of the penguins from their fishing grounds at the sea into the inland of Antarctica, where the bread and how they raise their hatchlings. However, it is not like any other animal documentary, that tells you facts and scientific knowledge, but an emotional movie about love, privations and companionship, which almost makes you forget that the movie is about penguins not humans. The images and camera shots are almost overwhelming, though they are still an observation of life itself as no Hollywood director could put on better.
The movie was in the US the most successful foreign documentary ever and the second over all after Fahrenheit 911 and brought in over 70 million US Dollar.
I think it is one of the best movies I have ever seen, though it can’t really be compared to any other movie. The beauty of the cold and harsh nature in contrast to the warmth in which penguins care for each other and their children is wonderful to watch. It is a movie that teaches us about life without showing any humans in it.
