When I was a kid in the 1970's, before VCR's were commonly available, we would watch nature documentaries in school that were typically made by Walt Disney studios back in the '40's & '50's. They would be fairly boring stock footage of wild animals in their natural habitat, narrated in such a way that each creature was given distinctly human characteristics and even names ("Ringo the Raccoon" stands out in my memory). Later on in the 1980's, my mother wanted the family to watch "NOVA" & David Attenborough's "Life on Earth" on PBS, and I was introduced to a different kind of nature documentary: minimal narration matched with stunning visuals that let the animals be animals. In the 1990's of course came the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, but compared to even the Disney films, they were dull and uneventful because these were usually videotaped rather than filmed footage, concentrating on mating or violence and little else. And watching it, I missed the Attenborough series and what NOVA used to be before it became more of a news magazine than a nature show.
That is until now. "Winged Migration" hearkens back to the glory days of the nature documentary. Everything is filmed instead of taped, and the concentration is on migration, not mating or violence. We don't have some insane zoo-keeper jumping up and down in front of the camera yelling "Crikey!" In fact, there is only a little narration that happens maybe once every 10 minutes. And unlike the rest of Animal Planet, you can see it with even the smallest or most sensitive children without worrying. Instead of sex and gore, we have an almost meditative look at how birds behave in a flock and what flight truly entails.
Also, this is the first movie that literally can say it takes a bird's-eye view of anything. This is achieved by getting the cameras to move along with the birds with the earth passing underneath, rather than just having an earth-bound camera pointing to the sky. This gives the viewer a new appreciation for how birds fly, and a sense of amazement at how lower life forms are able to do such a complex thing. I was also stunned at how truly graceful these creatures are, even as they plunge to their deaths from hunters' bullets, and how effortlessly they land on the ground as opposed to a jet or space shuttle.
Although the American bald eagle and the prairie grouse make cameos, the film mostly concentrates on waterfowl. I was particularly fascinated with the ballerina-like Russian red-crowned crane, and the unusual water antics of the Oregon grebe.
The film does have its flaws, though. The score is mostly awful French music, with Nick Cave doing a few songs that sound exactly like the awful French music. And there are moments that were clearly staged. Also, I find it dishonest of the filmmakers to put that disclaimer at the beginning that no special effects were used, and then in the closing credits, have about 58 people credited for the special digital visual effects.
But overall, this is an incredibly well-made film that will enthrall all nature-lovers who see it. 9 out of 10.
That is until now. "Winged Migration" hearkens back to the glory days of the nature documentary. Everything is filmed instead of taped, and the concentration is on migration, not mating or violence. We don't have some insane zoo-keeper jumping up and down in front of the camera yelling "Crikey!" In fact, there is only a little narration that happens maybe once every 10 minutes. And unlike the rest of Animal Planet, you can see it with even the smallest or most sensitive children without worrying. Instead of sex and gore, we have an almost meditative look at how birds behave in a flock and what flight truly entails.
Also, this is the first movie that literally can say it takes a bird's-eye view of anything. This is achieved by getting the cameras to move along with the birds with the earth passing underneath, rather than just having an earth-bound camera pointing to the sky. This gives the viewer a new appreciation for how birds fly, and a sense of amazement at how lower life forms are able to do such a complex thing. I was also stunned at how truly graceful these creatures are, even as they plunge to their deaths from hunters' bullets, and how effortlessly they land on the ground as opposed to a jet or space shuttle.
Although the American bald eagle and the prairie grouse make cameos, the film mostly concentrates on waterfowl. I was particularly fascinated with the ballerina-like Russian red-crowned crane, and the unusual water antics of the Oregon grebe.
The film does have its flaws, though. The score is mostly awful French music, with Nick Cave doing a few songs that sound exactly like the awful French music. And there are moments that were clearly staged. Also, I find it dishonest of the filmmakers to put that disclaimer at the beginning that no special effects were used, and then in the closing credits, have about 58 people credited for the special digital visual effects.
But overall, this is an incredibly well-made film that will enthrall all nature-lovers who see it. 9 out of 10.