This documentary film serves very well at its foremost purpose, to document real life. It is a film about the difficult lives of the Emperor Penguins in their harsh Antarctic environment. The audience is easily transported to their land and they witness the penguins’ struggles to find their suitable breeding ground, withstand extreme temperatures, and suffer hunger among other things all for the sake of the fruit of their labors, a baby chick. It would’ve been impossible for the film to have the same impact on viewers had the scenes been fabricated and the action set up, but the beauty of the typical documentary film is that there is no set up; it simply records reality as it happens.
The cinematography captures the breathtaking yet life-threatening landscape that the penguins must travail through to reach their destiny. The scenery is adequately captured and portrayed through the long shots of the landscape rather than cutting constantly or closely framing the subject. Instead, the camera records from a distance, allowing for more to be seen and for a comparison between the penguin and the daunting size of the land it must cross. There are some shots that occur around sunset as suggested by the lighting and the color of the sky. There is a sharp contrast between the sunlight reflecting from the ice and the colors the setting sun is creating. The sharp contrast in turn creates some jagged lines and textures which juxtaposed with images of the vast and empty landscape suggest a deadly hostility for the penguin. It could be considered a beautiful view by some viewers, but the somber music and a shot of a lone penguin in the distance suggests a darker outcome. The audience is also aware of the dangerous task at hand for the penguin with the aid of a narrator. This all-knowing voice informs the audience in a rather poetic fashion which fittingly matches the similarly poetic visuals.
The film doesn’t always maintain the audience at a far distance, but it mixes in various medium shots and eventually some close ups of the penguins thus drawing us nearer to the subjects both spatially and emotionally. We become attached to the penguins as we saw them withstand the bitter cold environment. Once at the breeding ground they begin to look for a mate, eventually finding one, and then coming together. Even though there might not be any feelings of love between the penguins, the human audience deducts this to be a special and intimate moment. This is significantly suggested not only by the soft sounding and slow paced music, but also with the framing and editing. Again there are various long shots, and we are taken closer to the penguins with one shot after another. Eventually all we see in the screen are the white feathers of a penguin. Sometimes music works better to portray a certain moment, but in other instances, the raw sound of what is occurring works best. An example of this is during a deadly snow storm where we hear howling winds and the loud yells of the penguins as they struggle to create a “united cooperative mass” meant to create warmth and keep everyone alive. There is a mix between close up shots of specific penguins struggling through the throng, and full shots of the large collective entity.
The film portrays reality by simply presenting an event and leaving it up for the audiences’ significance. The film does not contain environmentalist ideals neither does it promote strong family values. However these are some of the meanings identified and extrapolated from the film by distinct groups. I think a film can become much more significant when it can communicate very different messages such as advocacy for environmental awareness and at the same time the promotion of family unity and values. Sometimes, however, it is best to simply appreciate a film for what it is, a nature documentary about birds.
