March of the Penguins

Herald rating: * * * *

If you were wondering who those Frenchmen waving toy penguins at this year's Academy Awards ceremony were, they were the makers of this stunning National Geographic documentary which took the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film.

March of the Penguins is not just a story about the survival of a species on earth's most extreme and inhospitable continent, it's also a love story and a remarkable film-making feat.

Filmed over 13 months, during which time the crew could not leave the subzero temperatures of Adelie, Antarctica, March of the Penguins follows the emperor penguins as they begin their annual trek from their ocean home to a secure, inland area where they mate and breed.

Narrated by Morgan Freeman, who delivers the script with humour and understated drama, the documentary kicks off in March when the penguins march in single file from all directions to converge on their breeding ground.

The journey is over 100km, which is a long way for a bird that lives in the sea, swims rather than flies and has to walk to it's destination. Once they find a mate and consummate the relationship, one precious egg is produced which is gently handed to the male to look after so the starving mother can head back to the sea to feed.

Relying on their food reserves to keep them going, the males suffer blizzards and gale force winds, keeping the eggs safe by cradling them on top of their feet. Two months later when the chicks hatch, the males wait patiently for the females to return to feed the chicks. As you can imagine, timing is everything.

For about 11 months of the year, the penguins repeatedly take this perilous, and remarkable journey backwards and forwards from the sea to the breeding ground to keep their species alive.

The scenery is stunning and it's worth hanging around for the credit roll to see the crew working in such trying conditions. The camera takes you very close to the penguins and their chicks, and also under the ice with breathtaking footage of the penguins feeding.

Amazingly this is director Luc Jacquet's first film, and the first time he had used a camera. Fortunately, the penguins are natural talent. Comedic, cute, romantic, and determined, the emperors are filled with personality, making this both an educational and entertaining big-screen experience for all ages.

CAST: Emperor penguins from Antarctica, narrated by Morgan Freeman
DIRECTOR: Luc Jacquet
RUNNING TIME: 85 minutes
RATING: G - suitable for general audiences
SCREENING: Hoyts and Rialto Cinemas