tim’s thought property

March of the Penguins, the National Geographic documentary, was a wonderful film. Today, after a small series of goings-on that delayed us ten minutes from getting to the theatre, Tim (Penner) and I walked into the theatre to watch this movie. It was a first for me, to see a nature film in the theatre, you know, that’s not in an IMAX. I was instantly taken by the cinematography that was used. There were some very close and intimate shots shown of these birds, not unlike paging through any given National Geographic. The shots were something that I had not seen used in the forum of a documentary, another refreshing move.

Throughout the film, I watched in silence, not making comments on what I saw or thought. I was enraptured by the survival and the inherent abilities to go about living that these penguins had. They were Emperor Penguins, by the way. The narration was by Morgan Freeman, who did a fine job at telling the story of the life of a Penguin.

I learned some things about them that I had not known before. Things like when they mate, they stand by that mate until their baby is born. The next mating season they may mate with a different bird, but the family unit is in tact for at least for bringing one life into this world. There are more females than males, and they will fight to protect the right of having their male. There was a real lovely shot during the courtship of the Penguins, when two were close to one another and preening, that is rubbing beaks together, not unlike kissing. There is something silently elegant about these creatures, something beautiful to observe. When the egg is laid, the female passes it on to the male, in a very particular and delicate fashion. Because of the harsh climate, the egg cannot survive very long on it’s own, away from the protective nest of the parent. Younger mates may sometimes break their egg in the process of passing it. Once the egg is given to the father, the mother treks off seventy miles to get food. At this point, the males are left in a large group, acting as one, to huddle together for warmth. It is amazing the co-ordination that they have to rotate their time on the outside of the group, to the inside, with each Penguin having a chance to brave the winds. All during this time, the males have to waddle ever so carefully, and not lose their egg. Also in this time, the older males may die from the cold and lack of food. There is something sad, about even seeing some animals pass away. Yes it is the course of things, but dying from the lack of heat and food seems a terrible way to go.

By the time the females return, the males have been without food for four months. Just before this, the eggs have hatched and the small little baby Penguins come out to chirp for food. The females have to find their males by the sound of their voice, not the sight. To be honest, I couldn’t tell either gender apart or even the calls. Utterly mystifying. At this point the males leave, on their own trek for food. They’ve lost about half their body weight by this time, whereas, the females would have lost one-third before they went to the ocean. The male departs just after the birth of the child. Then the parents will engage in a sort of exchange or commute to the ocean from the breeding ground for food.

All through the film, I was playing in my mind what the Penguins may have thought or said, in the different scenes showed. I was really taken by the film. There were some real majestic shots of the landscape, the perpetual night, the southern lights, the frozen castle-like vistas. And again, the shots of the Penguins were quite intimate, very close up. If you’re interested in learning and feeling totally captured, see this film. It is amazing the abilities that God has given to animals, who have an almost innate, instinctive will to live.