It Was In FRENCH!!?? *faints*

Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!! How the heck was I supposed to know that March Of The Penguins was a FRENCH production?? With NO English subtitles, no less. I only knew it was French when the beginning credits rolled by & at that point, I knew I was pretty much screwed. Heck, I kept praying it would be like the other French movie I watched, Wasabi where there were subtitles. But, nope. That never happened.The only English I heard throughout the movie were the soundtracks. That's it.

But put aside the language factor, the movie was brilliant. I was so looking forward to watching the movie & after watching it, I want to watch it again. If I were to purchase a ticket, I would have done it again. I am a fan of animals, especially marine species so I welcome the fact that it was about the penguins. Usually, I'd prefer cetaceans like, orcas or bottlenose dolphins or pilot whales -both the long & short-finned variations- but the penguins were a fresh change. Even more so now that Central rarely telecast nature programs but focus on Vasantham instead, although occassionally, the travel variety pops up.

Okay, from what I so-call comprehended from the movie despite not understanding a word, it's about the life cycle of the Emperor Penguins in the frozen Antartic continent(I think), the obstacles they face & the events that take place like the mating season. Emperor Penguins are the largest of the 17 different species of penguins with their stocky yet streamlined, barrel-like bodies; they're all-black behind & white with a thatch of chrome yellow running from the base of their necks to their chests, almost like a bib. Only the emperors & the Adelie penguins live in the Antartic. The other species prefer a more temperate climate.

The movie even depicts death & rebirth, which is did tug at a few of my heartstrings. They did feature the Aurora Australis; the southern lights more commonly seen in the north than in the south. A good place to view it would be in Alaska where it's Aurora Borealis. Generally, they're known as Aurora Polaris.

So the movie begins with the penguins leaping out from the icy water onto the ice. The narration is done by both a man & a woman to depict the male & female penguins respectively. Even though I couldn't comprehend, I thought the guy's voice was quite sexy. Ahahahkz!! Okay, off-topic!!

On the land, they hop or waddle awkwardly -which is a cute sight to behold- or they can toboggan themselves on their stomachs, using the flippers & feet as paddles to propel them forward on the icy land.

According to the movie, it's March where it's the end of summer. The whole colony of flightless birds make their way across the barren lands to a place where mating season begins; they usually come ashore to breed. Apparently, they usually return to their ancestral nesting sites year after year. During the mating season, frequent 'fights' will occur amongst the penguins vying for a mate. Using their short flippers, they smack at each other & their beaks as sharp peckers.

What's good about this mating sequence is that it shows the courtship of the female done by the male. It's clear that there is actual 'love' in the air as these birds begin mating which, I, for one never imagined. You can vision the feeling of passion between the pair; it's not red-hot sizzling-off-the-stove kind of passion, but it's there. It's more of tenderness. Very touching. It depicts that it's clearly not just for sex because penguin pairs may remain together for years, just like a human one.

A little beyond the nesting grounds, a lone penguin is lost. He calls out many times but there is no answer from his clan. Eventually, he dies a solitaire. Heart-wrenching.

In the movie, the emperors lay their single large egg during the coldest time of the Antartic year. From what I know, most penguins lay 2 eggs but the first one doesn't usually survive. But for emperors, they only lay one egg. The egg rests at the top of either parent's feet protected by abdominal folds of skin while being covered by the lower part of its belly but it's the male emperor who does the incubating during the whole incubation period.

During this time the female penguin goes out to sea while her male counterpart incubates her egg. She doesn't go alone, though, a whole group of them venture out together into the sea via a small hole. Another penguin dies. This penguin has reached the limits of its age & is ready to let nature take its toll.

The effects here are amazing; the camera zooms right on these small miniscule excuse of fish & is seen being snatched up by the penguins. The fish are all stuck to the sheet of ice so the penguins swoop up from under in a feeding frenzy. It's like as if you were riding on the back of the penguin zipping around snatching fish from the ice. In the midst of feeding, a leopard seal attacks. The angle shows an up-close encounter of the snapping jaws of the leopard seal; the most ferocious of all the seal species. One unfortunate emperor is caught while the others flee onto the ice above. Leopard seals are at their slowest on land, even slower than the penguins themselves.

The penguins move on to another ground where the eggs would finally hatch. As they make their way there, the mummy penguin whom went out to sea with the others stops at a line of fissured ice. Everyone else stops. She looks at the thin crackline & cameras depict a flash-back of her close encounter with the leopard seal & it's snapping jaws. As though observing a moment of silence, she bows her head down for a few seconds & the rest follow suit. Amazing.

When hatched, these chicks are covered only with a thin, downy covering of feathers & rely on their parents to keep them warm & feed them. The adults feed their chick by bringing out partially-digested food & letting the chick eat from their mouth. Following the weeks of their birth, the chicks are protected & remain in their 'nest'.

This particular couple has made it through; their chick is alive & safe. For now. The chick doesn't come out of its 'nest' yet & its parents take turns carrying it around on their feet. Only after a a couple of months or so, the chick finally ventures out with the persuasion of his parents. Emperors breed their young during the coldest of temperatures so it's unsurprising that there would be deaths among the newly-borned.

A parent has just lost its chick through the cold winds & heavy snow. It cries mournfully & tries to revive it by nudging with its beak. The chick is already frozen from the cold. Venting out its anger & despair, the parent tries to take away the couple's chick & a squabble breaks out. Its parents go all out to protect their young one from being a victim & finally, the mourning parent gives up & moves away.

Now, the chick is too large to hide inside its parents so to protect it from the cold, the parents take shifts to sit on it. By now, all the chicks have grown fat & fluffy; some taller than others, others skinnier than some. They have now created interactive social ties among themselves & have bonded as a group. Damn, wish I was there to have a squeeze at any one of them. They look so cute & cuddly!! Ahahahkz!!

But danger lurks nearby as an albatross (I think so, lahh) soars in the sky. It is not alone. It starts to pick on the stray chicks as the group scatters, some slipping through cracks beneath the ice. Seeing it's young in distress, the chick's parents come to the rescue to shield it only to find all the chicks wanting to seek protection. The other parents watch helplessly as finally, one of the predators got hold of a straying chick. And that was that.

The transitions from winter to spring are really detailed. It is focused on the start of the melting process on the tips of icicles, icebergs breaking away from each other, hard ice turning into soft slush & finally becoming a part of the great ocean once again. More of the sun can be seen now to mark the beginning of spring.

It is also the baby chicks' first taste of the open sea. Most of their baby coat are in the process of shedding into a more refined one; the patches of grey are coming loose while the black & white of their adult color is becoming more prominent. They no more need to rely so much on their parents. When the signal is given for a clear coast, one by one, the now juvenile chicks slide in. And so the cycle continues, generation after generation. While the journey for some or most of the adults are coming to an end, that of the newbies have only just begun.

Great documentary, fabulous depictions, detailed effects; this movie is worth more than two thumbs up. If you're a nature freak, of course. I mean, some people do get bored watching these kind of shows. Sometimes, a change of genres ain't all that bad. Rather than watch the stars of a movie strut their stuff, why not get into the shoes of a penguin for a day?? In this movie, THEY'RE the real stars.

Tonight!! Spanish Showdown between English club Liverpool FC & Spanish side Real Betis. Location: Seville. Never under-estimate the opponent. Rafa might just have more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Spanish football isn't at all like English football. So, it's probable that since it's an away game, the Reds would have to adapt. Spanish style.

I'm sooooo looking forward to this match & I don't care if I lose sleep over it.

Laterz...
Lenny JC