Earth (2007)

Directors:

Alastair Fothergill
Mark Linfield

Writers:

Alastair Fothergill
Mark Linfield

Release Date:

22 April 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Feature-length version of the documentary TV series "Planet Earth" (2006), following the migration paths of four animal families. |

Plot Keywords:

Predator Chases Prey | Leopard | Desert | Time Lapse Photography | New Guinea

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Anggun	...	Narrator (French version)
James Earl Jones	...	Narrator (voice: USA version)
Patrick Stewart	...	Narrator (voice: UK version)
Ulrich Tukur	...	Narrator (voice: German version)
Ken Watanabe	...	Narrator (voice: Japanese version)

Directed by
Alastair Fothergill
Mark Linfield

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Alastair Fothergill
Mark Linfield

Produced by
Stefan Beiten	....	executive producer
Melissa Caron	....	associate producer
Wayne Garvie	....	executive producer
Amanda Hill	....	associate producer
Mike Phillips	....	executive producer
Andre Sikojev	....	executive producer (as André Sikojev)
Sophokles Tasioulis	....	producer
Alix Tidmarsh	....	producer
Nikolaus Weil	....	executive producer

Original Music by
George Fenton

Cinematography by
Doug Allen
Doug Anderson
Paul Atkins
Barrie Britton
Richard Brooks Burton
Rod Clarke
Martyn Colbeck
Justine Evans
Wade Fairley
Ted Giffords
Mike Holding
Michael Kelem
Simon King
Justin Maguire
Toshihiro Muta
Didier Noirot
Andrew Penniket
Adam Ravetch
Rick Rosenthal
Peter Scoones
Andrew Shillabeer
Warwick Sloss
Paul Stewart
Gavin Thurston
Nick Turner
John Waters

Film Editing by
Martin Elsbury

Production Management
David Candiff	....	post-production supervisor
Amanda Hutchinson	....	production manager
Mandy Knight	....	production manager
Richard Lloyd	....	post-production supervisor

Sound Department
Steve Bartkowicz	....	sound re-recording engineer
Kevin Patrick Burns	....	sound re-recording mixer
Fabien Devillers	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Edwards	....	adr recordist
Matthew Gough	....	sound re-recording mixer
Kate Hopkins	....	sound editor
Phil Lee	....	sound recordist
Brian Moseley	....	foley artist
Tim Owens	....	sound editor
Piste Rouge	....	sound: studio
Bruno Seznec	....	sound studio manager
Bruno Seznec	....	sound
Chris Sturmer	....	sound consultant: dolby
James Twomey	....	sound re-recording engineer
Andrew Wilson	....	sound re-recording mixer

Visual Effects by
Stephen Elson	....	visual effects producer: Baseblack
Joss Flores	....	digital compositor: Baseblack
Vincent Lavares	....	data manager: Laser Pacific
Vaibhav Marathe	....	digital compositor: Baseblack

Camera and Electrical Department
David Baillie	....	aerial cinematographer
Richard Brooks Burton	....	aerial cinematographer
Michael Kelem	....	aerial cinematographer
David Reichert	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Ilaria Buccheri	....	post-production coordinator
Ian Chisholm	....	color consultant
Jack James	....	data manager
Richard Lloyd	....	post production supervisor
Jateen Patel	....	digital intermediate conform editor
Luke Rainey	....	colorist
Mathieu Reid	....	color timer
Jonathan Smiles	....	high definition supervisor
Andrew Sorcini	....	assistant editor
Mike Sowa	....	colorist
Jon Thompson	....	digital intermediate producer
Jon Thompson	....	post-production producer
Gary Zweers	....	conform assistant
Valance Eisleben	....	digital intermediate editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Geoff Alexander	....	orchestrator
Jonathan Allen	....	music mixer
Stephen Amerson	....	vocalist
Pete Anthony	....	conductor
Pete Anthony	....	orchestrator
Chris Bacon	....	composer: additional music (as Chris P. Bacon)
Vatsche Barsoumian	....	vocalist
James Bellamy	....	music editor
Richard Bolks	....	vocalist
Jane Carter	....	executive music producer
Will Collyer	....	vocalist
Monique Donnelly	....	vocalist
George Fenton	....	conductor
Matt Franko	....	music preparation
Chris Gambol	....	vocalist
Earl Ghaffari	....	additional music editor
Luana Jackman	....	vocalist
Julian Kershaw	....	orchestrator
Patrick Kirst	....	birds of paradise and baboons music
Teri Koide	....	vocalist (as Terri Kuide)
Jon Kull	....	orchestrator
Bryan Lawson	....	music editor
Edie Lehmann	....	vocalist (as Edie Boddicker)
Leberta Loral	....	vocalist
Shawn Murphy	....	scoring mixer
Victor Pesavento	....	music preparation
Drea Pressley	....	score vocalist
Steven Price	....	music editor
Jasper Randall	....	choir contractor
Bill Silcock	....	music preparation
Mark Edward Smith	....	score vocalist

Other crew
Matthew Joseph Adams	....	production staff
Ross Baker	....	chief conform editor
Samantha Davis	....	production coordinator
Tim Desbois	....	aerial coordinator
Christopher Gaida	....	production coordinator
Justine Hardman	....	production coordinator
Steve Harrow	....	pre-production consultant
Charles Hayes	....	production assistant
Michael Henrichs	....	production coordinator
Jack James	....	data manager
Robert Litton	....	booth: orchestra
Leslie Megahey	....	script supervisor
Nadia Randazzo Bombino	....	production accountant (as Nadia Randazzo)
Jason Roberts	....	location manager
Richard Rowntree	....	assistant: Steve Harrow
Nicole Skorke	....	production coordinator

Thanks
Yves Chevalier	....	very special thanks
Sylvain Pierre	....	thanks: artistic contribution
Diana Prete	....	the producers would like to thank
Adam Stanhope	....	the producers would like to thank
Paul Tidmarsh	....	the producers would like to thank

Production Companies

• Disneynature (presents)
• BBC Worldwide (as BBC)
• Greenlight Media AG
• Discovery Channel
• BBC Natural History

Distributors

• Audiovisual (2007) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (2009) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Disneynature (2009) (USA) (theatrical)
• Films de l'Elysée, Les (2007) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2007) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Gaumont (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Independent Films (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Lionsgate (2007) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Lionsgate (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Shaw Organisation (2010) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2009) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2009) (USA) (theatrical)
• Wanda Visión S.A. (2007) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Audiovisual (2007) (Bulgaria) (all media)
• Audiovisual (2007) (Romania) (all media)
• Christal Films (2007) (Canada) (all media)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Film1 (2008) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• GAGA (2007) (Japan) (all media)
• Lev Cinemas (2007) (Israel) (all media)
• Midget Entertainment (2010) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2007) (Austria) (DVD)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2007) (Luxembourg) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Wanda Distribución Cinematográfica de Films S.A. (2007) (Spain) (all media)

Special Effects

• Baseblack

Other Companies

• Berliner Philharmoniker  orchestra
• Cutting Edge  negative cutting (uncredited)
• Discovery Communications Europe  thanks
• Gearbox Sound and Vision  additional ProTools systems supplied by
• Klass Security and Investigations  anti-piracy film security (uncredited)
• Klass Security and Investigations  screening services
• Murphy PR  publicity
• Pivotal Post  Avid Editing Equipment Provided By
• William F. White International  grip and lighting equipment

Also Known As:

Runtime:

90 min | UK:96 min

Country:

UK | Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Switzerland:0 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:0 (canton of Vaud) | Ireland:G | France:U | Germany:6 (f) | South Korea:All | New Zealand:G | USA:G (certificate #44899) | Australia:G | Argentina:Atp | Mexico:A | UK:PG | Singapore:G | Peru:PT | Canada:G (British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta)

Company:

Disneynature

Trivia:

This is the first production ever to shoot aerials of the Mt. Everest. Due to the altitude it is not possible to use helicopters and jet planes are too fast to get proper results. Unique access to a Nepalese Army spy plane enabled the production to shoot the first aerials ever.

Movie Connections:

Edited from "Planet Earth" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Un Jour Sur Terre

Breathtaking and heartbreaking in its magnificence

I've heard nothing but great things about the 2006 television mini-series, "Planet Earth," narrated by my childhood idol David Attenborough. Nevertheless, whether it was screened down here in Australia or not, I never caught up with it, and when I happened upon the opportunity to see 'Earth (2007)' – a feature-length compilation of the same nature footage – on the big screen, I jumped at the chance. The theatre was basically empty; just one other patron sat in the row ahead of me, and it was as though I had, not only the big screen to myself, but, indeed, the entire planet Earth. For 90 minutes, I was lowered into the beauty and perils of the isolated wilderness, amongst some of the most beautiful living creatures ever captured on film. Awesome in its scope, and yet painfully intimate at times, 'Earth' is a heartfelt plea from the filmmakers to recognise the delicate balance of life on our planet, and how the intrusion of humans has placed countless glorious animal and plant species on the brink of extinction.

Though the film, directed by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield, obviously argues for the conservation of the wilderness, it refrains from beating us over the head with propaganda, and the puzzle that is politics is ignored altogether; indeed, there is not a human in sight. Instead, we are simply taken on a breathtaking journey into the majesty of the natural world, to experience the resilience, and also the fragility, of life on Earth. I hear that the original mini-series, which ran for eleven episodes, delves a lot deeper into the scientific background of world ecosystems, but I think that, here, the filmmakers made a wise decision to replace information with emotional impact: I can't remember the last time that I felt so inspired, and yet utterly heartbroken at the same time. By establishing an emotional link between the audience and a select few individual animals, anthropomorphising them to an extent, we are suddenly able to appreciate the "human side" of each species, and their hopeless plight for survival becomes less a statistic and more an unacceptable tragedy.

'Earth' is basically comprised of a selection of dramatic episodes, whether it be the struggles of a female polar bear to lead her young cubs to the Arctic ice, or the tramp of an elephant herd towards the life-saving seasonal floodwaters of the Okavango Delta. The documentary demonstrates the delicate balance between life and death, most heartbreakingly exhibited in the desperate ballet of predator-prey interactions. Though occasionally, perhaps to cater towards a younger audience, the footage cuts itself short at the crucial moment, I regularly shed at tear at the inevitability of death in nature, and the raw instinct that fuels these animals' final, hopeless efforts at survival. There's even a haunting beauty to be found in the hunt, both in the slow-motion footage of a cheetah bringing down its prey {the result of a single fateful misstep}, or the majestic mid-air leap of a Great White Shark as it engulfs a hapless sea lion. It is this frail balance that has been fatally disrupted by the selfishness of our own species.

Aside from these main stories, we are also treated to brief snippets of wildlife from around the world, including the birds of paradise of Papua New Guinea, and the autumn migration of the demoiselle cranes. Of course, entire films might have been dedicated to these species alone, and an inevitable consequence of having to sift through so much footage is that some interesting ecosystems are glossed over far took quickly. By choosing to focus most closely on the polar bear, elephant and humpback whale – tracing their lifestyles, via some astonishing high-definition time-lapse photography, throughout a calender year – the filmmakers were able to avoid any structural problems that might arise from having so much to show, and only 90 minutes to show it. Consequently, 'Earth' left me thirsting for more, and, fortunately, I now have approximately eleven hours more, as soon as I can track down a copy of the DVD box-set for "Planet Earth." Uplifting and tear-jerking, awe-inspiring and heartrending, 'Earth' is a truly magnificent documentary experience, and it might just be my favourite film of 2007.