Winged Migration (2001)
"Le peuple migrateur" (original title)

Documentary on the migratory patterns of birds, shot over the course of three years on all seven continents.

Directors:

Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud,

Writers:

Jean Dorst, Stéphane Durand,

Stars:

Philippe Labro, Jacques Perrin

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Philippe Labro	...	Narrator (English version)
Jacques Perrin	...	Narrator (voice)

Storyline

This documentary follows several species of migratory birds over a four year filming period. These birds travel several hundreds if not thousands of miles toward the equator in the autumn, and make the return journey to their higher latitude summer homes in the spring, always taking the same route, using the natural compasses of the universe, the stars, to find their way. Some species, like the arctic tern, even fly from pole to pole. These long and often torturous treks are a matter of survival, to live in a hospitable climate and find sources of food. With the exception of migratory penguins, travel over oceans is especially difficult as the birds have little refuge unless there is something floating on the water, such as a ship, on which to land. Otherwise they must continue flying until they reach land. Some will not survive the migration due to predators, including man, illness or injury. Although the migrations themselves are done as a community, once the birds reach their ...

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Plot Keywords:

bird | migration | arctic | ocean | flight | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

BAC Films (French) Official site [us]

Country:

France Italy Germany Spain Switzerland

Language:

English French

Release Date:

12 December 2001 (France)

Also Known As:

Winged Migration

Filming Locations:

Abbaye, Mont Saint-Michel, Manche, France

Box Office

Budget:

FRF 160,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$138,750 (Australia) (27 June 2003)

Gross:

$10,762,178 (USA) (12 December 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bac Films, Canal+, Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 81 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jacques Perrin says in his commentary that his team tried to include emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) in the film, but weather conditions interfered, so they had to be satisfied with king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) instead. Some years later, the makers of March of the Penguins succeeded in making an emperor penguin movie.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: The story of bird migration is the story of promise - a promise to return.

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Connections

Referenced in Phénomania: La marche de l'empereur (2005)

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Soundtracks

"To Be By Your Side"
Performed by Nick Cave

User Reviews

I enjoyed the documentary

It probably took a lot of time and effort to put this together. I wasn't bored for a minute. Some people get the big picture some people don't. I thought it was a rare treat to see things like this for a moment. To get outside of oneself and experience life in different terms made me feel good. It was peaceful and entertaining. I enjoyed the naration somewhat but felt it detracted from the film because it took away from the esoteric nature of the film as did the unnatural injection of unnatural elements. This untouched bit of nature needed very little narration. I admire anyone who is so dedicated to a project that they can truly expose nature in plain air. Winged migration was a great bit of craftsmanship.