In 2005, one of the biggest movie surprises and box-office hits was March of the Penguins, a full-length feature documentary like something you would see on The Discovery Channel or PBS, but extraordinary. The film was directed by Luc Jacquet. The movie is considered to be a marvelous film masterpiece that everybody can relate to regardless of culture. The film shows the penguins values such as love and companionship, but also portrays the struggle of life and death for the penguins in the brutal climates they have become accustomed to living in.
The March of the Penguins film originated in France, but the U.S. version of the film is narrated by Morgan Freeman, and they couldn't have picked a better person for the job. Morgan Freeman has the perfect voice to emphasize the amazing journey of the Emperor Penguins. From beginning to end, the film contains powerful visuals and awe-inspiring scenes of nature, but I'm not sure if it would have been as successful if not for the voice of Morgan Freeman. We are introduced to the Emperor penguins and their home in Antarctica in the opening scenes. The films premise is to follow penguins from all over Antarctica as they make an incredible voyage each year across inhospitable terrain to look for their breeding grounds.
Throughout the film, we learn all about the difficult tasks that face the Emperor penguins as they make their journey and try to raise a family. Thousands and thousands of penguins gather together at the breeding grounds, and each one is looking for a mate to start a family with. Once the penguins choose a mate, the female lays a single egg. The egg is very fragile and could easily break, but the extreme cold is also hazardous to the egg, so the male penguin must keep it warm by holding it on top of his feet and under his belly until the female penguin returns to take over caring for her offspring. In the meantime, the male penguins must survive harsh winds, driving snow, and extremely low temperatures as he tries desperately to protect the egg. The herd of male penguins work together to protect themselves by standing in a huge huddle, and they keep rotating so that the penguins on the outside get to move into the warmer middle part of the huddle. Their system makes sure that each penguin gets an equal amount of warmth.
When the female penguins return, the new baby penguins are hatched and the mothers must concern themselves with the threat of predators. The male penguins then take their turn at going out to sea to hunt and eat. The mothers take the task of teaching the young penguin chicks about the world, because one day soon those baby chicks will have to carry on the tradition for the survival of their species.
Overall, March of the Penguins is an amazing film. The visual, the narration, the storyline, everything about it is great. It is one of the highest grossing documentaries ever released. Contrary to most movies made today, March of the Penguins is entertaining and educational at the same time. It gives the viewer everything they need in a movie. If you want action, suspense, romance, heroes, villains, and more. It's a true story, too!
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