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

Filmmakers exposed the eggs of some of the birds to the sounds of people and film cameras so that the birds would not be afraid of them later.

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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 A Very Long Engagement (2004)

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Soundtracks

"To Be By Your Side"
Performed by Nick Cave

User Reviews

Domestic Birds

I was quite pleased with this movie until I watched the "behind the scenes" featurette on the DVD. It turns out that most of the extraordinary close-ups of winged flight that make the movie memorable are NOT of wild migrating birds. Rather, the filmakers raised and domesticated all sorts of birds through a process known as "imprinting" so they would be comfortable flying next to the noisy photography planes. Then they took their birds all over the world to dramatic backdrops like the Sahara and Monument Vally. They also used these domesticated birds for the dramatic set pieces revolving around birds trapped in sludge, stuck in a blizzard, escaping cages, or wandering the desert. Not only are these set pieces heavy-handed and overly dramatic, but the fact that the birds are not even wild and were placed in these situations really undermines the credibility of the film.

7 out of 10 (minus 1 point for the use of domesticated birds and minus 2 for putting ridiculously staged drama scenes in an otherwise beautiful nature film)