Winged Migration: Amazon.ca: Philippe Labro, Jacques Perrin, Christophe Barratier, Paris; Television Suisse Romande (TSR); WESTDEUTSCHER RUNDFUNK; Wanda Vision Bac Films; Eyescreen S.r.l.; Filmstiftung NRW; France 2 Cinema; France 3 Cinema; Galatee Films; Les Productions JMH; Les Productions de La Gueville; Lucky Red s.r.l.; Pandora Films; President Films: DVD

Product Description

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For earthbound humans, Winged Migration is as close as any of us will get to sharing the sky with our fine feathered friends. It's as if French director Jacques Perrin and his international crew of dedicated filmmakers had been given a full-access pass by Mother Nature herself, with the complete "cooperation" of countless species of migrating birds, all answering to eons of migratory instinct. The film is utterly simple in purpose, with minimal narration and on-screen titles to identify the wondrous varieties of flying wildlife, but its visceral effect is humbling, awesome and magnificently profound. Technically, Perrin surpasses the achievement of his earlier film Microcosmos (which did for insects what this film does for birds), and apart from a few digital skyscapes for poetic effect, this astonishing film uses no special effects whatsoever, with soaring, seemingly miraculous camera work that blesses the viewer with, quite literally, a bird's-eye view. A brief but important hunting scene may upset sensitive viewers and children, but doesn't stop Winged Migration from being essential all-ages viewing. --Jeff Shannon

Additional Features

The 52-minute making-of documentary on Winged Migration recounts the dangers both birds and crew faced during shooting, and reveals that the crew was able to get close to the birds by using "imprinting" to make them think the crew were their parents. Once you get used to producer-director Jacques Perrin's French accent on the commentary track, you'll hear how he was afraid he'd have to remove the scene in which the World Trade Center is visible, how he doesn't consider the film a documentary as much as "a homage to these beautiful birds," and how there was a happy ending to the film's most disturbing scene. Because the DVD's sound and picture are excellent, the film can serve as a Baraka-like ambient experience if desired. --David Horiuchi

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Customer Reviews

127 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (127 customer reviews)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary, Sep 26 2006

By

C. Callahan Maureen (Victoria BC, ex of New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Winged Migration (DVD)

The extraordinary cinematography makes Winged Migration exquisitely beautiful. The preservation and conservation messages are both understated and obvious. What an achievement.

It is nothing less than humbling to contemplate and witness in some limited way the remarkable seasonal movement of birdlife alone around the globe. It is difficult to conceive how avian migration might otherwise have been done so engagingly and accessibly for all ages of viewer. The grim honesty with which the dangers of passage are shown are as necessary as the ordinary moments that, to us at least, are comical, tender or beautiful. The drama going on, otherwise unseen by us, is astonishing.

I own this film on DVD and have viewed it many times, beginning with cinematic release in NZ several years ago. I favour the British style of natural history documentary, a slant towards the presentation of fact rather than the creation of named characters in recognisable narratives. Winged Migration never attempts to be science, neither does it create characters in a story. It is so expertly filmed and organised that on each viewing I observe something new about the birds we travel with. When we begin to experience the possible and amazing journeys of individuals without overly anthropomorphising, I think we become more sensitive to our connection with wild things, the planet we all inhabit and our human impacts on it all. For my money, that's only to be encouraged. Share this gift of a film with your kids or your class - and answer the hard questions honestly.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Of course it's not a documentary..., Jun 21 2004

By

cdhadrian "cdhadrian" (FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winged Migration (DVD)

Numerous times in numerous reviews you will read reviewers condemning this film for its lack of the basic principles of documentary filmmaking. I cannot state enough that the directors of this film never intended it to be viewed as a documentary, even going to the point to state clearly that their work was NOT such a film. So why would reviewers argue a point from which the directors themselves wished to distance themselves? Maybe ignorance, maybe selective memory; who knows, but a documentary this movie clearly is not. I have also heard several reviewers complain about the film's message. I thought as a political tool this film was extremely muted. It portrayed the realities of migratory species and the increasing difficulties that they face in an increasingly developed world. This is reality, not politics.

Much has also been said that the directors 'cheated' by imprinting birds to the camera crew to make those memorable camera shots. While this is not a revolutionary concept (Bill Lishman performed a similar task leading a flock of geese from Ontario to Virginia a few years earlier; his exploits were the loose basis for the film Fly Away Home), it is I believe the first time it has been used at this magnitude. Research is also being done to determine if this technique can be used efficiently in guiding new migration routes to help protect endangered migratory species such as the whooping crane and trumpeter swan. While it is less than ideal and certainly not natural, the process may be necessary to ensure that these animals can survive extinction. And taken in the context of this film, I believe this procedure is permissible given the principle of the film (whether intended or not). What Winged Migration instills most in the viewer, after its visual beauty is digested, is to promote awareness about not only the magnificence of these creatures, but their plight and the increasing difficulties that accompany seasonal migration.

For more information on specifics of the film, there is a good review at documentaryfilms.net

(On a side note, a few reviewers have questioned what happened to the birds after filming. In an interview with Perrin, he stated many of the birds stayed with their imprinted parents in Normandy, while others were taken to nature preserves of which the filmmakers developed a relationship with during filming.)

There is no doubt that this film will not appeal to everyone. It is over an hour of footage with little or no dialogue, and I think the pace of the film may be a problem for some. But Winged Migration is undoubtedly visually stunning; of that you can be assured. I would encourage anyone, even those who would normally be turned off by its subject matter or its message, to see the film regardless, for it is a visual delight and is well worth the time.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A MASTERPIECE, Aug 1 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Winged Migration (DVD)

THIS FILM IS A MAGICAL AND EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY THROUGH THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. SUCH A FILM COULD ONLY BE ENVISIONED AND PRODUCED BY PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE THAT NOT ONLY LOVE ANIMALS BUT LIFE ITSELF. WE NEED MORE FILMS LIKE THIS IN OUR MOVIE THEATRES!

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Winged Migration DVD - Special Edition
Breathtaking photography. Lyrical images presented with a minimum of narration. You actually fly with the birds as they cross continents in their migrations. Read more

Published 10 months ago by StarVoyager

4.0 out of 5 stars Winged Migration
Hello:
This was indeed a great purchase. Who would have thought a DVD like this would capture my attention for 90 minutes. Read more

Published on Dec 28 2009 by P. Martin