Penguin porn with a powerful point
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By Daniel Nelson
Its just a film about penguins, but its made $50 million at the box office in the US, where it has been the surprise hit of the year. March of the Penguins has also got caught up in the absurd controversy between Darwinism and intelligent design, with part of the American right claiming the documentary is a parable about monogamy and creationism. As one reviewer pointed out, if the incredible ordeal that emperor penguins go through to mate, reproduce and nurture their chicks is intelligent design, God must have a twisted sense of humour. Director Luc Jacquet recently hit out at some of the sillier lessons that have been drawn from his extraordinary film, but to some extent, at least, he must take some blame - for playing up the anthropomorphism. The opening shots show a line of what appears to be people the lost tribe of the Antarctic trekking slowly across the ice: as they approach the camera it gradually becomes clear that they are penguins. Narrator Morgan Freeman (interesting how so many Western films featuring god-like figures or roles dispensing timeless wisdom pick Black men to do the job) has a script that encourages comparison with humans: Theyre not that different from us, he says with a chuckle in his voice after one endearing penguin slip. (Not that different? The male emperor goes without food for 120 days in temperatures that can drop to minus 150 Fahrenheit, balancing an egg on his toes.) Jacquet says "I attempted to take the viewer along like a father or a mother takes his child on a journey with a bedtime story." The publicity material describes the film as one of the most beautiful love stories on Earth, an approach reinforced by the way the film covers the act of procreation lingering close-ups of sleek feathers, undulating body shapes and slow, sensitive head caresses. Its penguin porn. Dont be put off by the smooth voiceover, however, by the anthropmorphic comparisons, or by the fact that youve probably seen wildlife documentaries of penguins before This is a mesmeric piece of filming that could fail to impress only the most jaded viewer. It stands in its own right as an enormously enjoyable film. Its not didactic but it is informative, though it is mean with details that would have been useful to know. It gives a vivid impression of the adaptability of life. It could also be a useful teaching aid, precisely because it doesnt set out to be one. To see the film and then use it to probe the likely effect of global warming on these extraordinary creatures and on Antarctica and there are signs that climate change is already making an impact would be far more powerful and provocative than a thousand earnest lessons. * OneWorld UK's own penguin, specially for kids |
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