The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos

Rating:

* * *

Verdict:

Beautiful, but not as captivating as previous big screen birdlife docos.

The Crimson Wing

is a skillfully shot and poetic cinematic nature doco about the lifecycle of the Lesser Flamingo in Tanzania.

Directors Aeberhard and Ward spent more than a year camped on the shores of the isolated Lake Natron, a salt lake in Northern Tanzania, the breeding ground for more than a million flamingos. The footage the film-makers have captured is truly remarkable, picturesque and intimate, which in such a hostile environment (temperatures on the salt islands in the middle of the lake can rise to 54 degrees Celsius) is quite an accomplishment.

British TV presenter Mariella Frostrup's sultry narration is filled with talk of the "mysterious and secretive" life of the flamingos, and along with a lyrical soundtrack it creates a very pretty film.

You'll find it hard not to smile at the delightful mating rituals and cuteness of the resulting chicks, though many succumb to preying marabou storks. Eventually, the storytelling slows and you're left with little more than picturesque shots of flamingos flying across dramatically lit skies - of which there are quite a number.

It's easy to enjoy the visual beauty of

The Crimson Wing

, but with such an interesting subject and location maybe a little less "mystery" and a little more info in the narration would have been more satisfying.

Francesca Rudkin

Narration:

Mariella Frostrup

Directors:

Matthew Aeberhard, Leander Ward

Running time:

74 mins

Rating:

PG (Violence)