Winged Migration

This film is a visual poem. It is an amazing piece of work that took the crew four years of work and required traveling all over the planet. What has been assembled for you is an enchanting montage of ornithological migration over land and sea, to parts of our world you seldom see documented with the sensitivity and artistic touch in this piece. Yet it is not a documentary. The narration with the film is almost negligible. It allows you to go with the birds the way they go in a manner that lets you participate vicariously in their journey.

The scenery captured is special and Im sure it is impressive on a theater screen. But the DVD is a must in my view, because it also has The Making of Winged Migration in the Special Features. This segment is about half as long as the film itself and it includes not only clips of the teams methodology for imprinting the birds with human parents, but the technology used to achieve the incredible results you see in the film as well as the ordeals of the project. In fact The Making of Winged Migration has all the elements of a successful story plot: problem, crises, climax and resolution. And of course the film you watched was the resolution.

The cast for this film includes geese, pelicans and cranes. They are the professionals that go with the filming team all over the world. In itself, that simple fact is astonishing. There are casting extras along the way, some planned, some unplanned. But the professionals take the whole trip.

Trivia: Bill Lishman was a guest pilot on one of their ultra light aircraft. He is famous for his autobiography that was the basis of the film Fly Away Home (1996). His earlier work with migratory birds established the feasibility for this film.

Reviewed November 30, 2003