Search - Winged Migration on DVD

MPAA Rating: G Content Advisory: Suitable for Children Movie Release: 2001 DVD Release: 11/18/2003 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, Hindi, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 29 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 0 Genres: Nature, Animals, Natural Environments See Also: Winged Migration, Winged Migration [Blu-ray]

While practically everyone is aware of the fact that birds fly south for the winter, and return home in the spring, few are aware of just how arduous the journey can be. Jacques Perrin, a noted actor and film producer in his native France, decided to document this process, using flocks of birds who had been trained to ignore the distractions of his camera crew, and employing a variety of state-of-the-art technology to capture as unobtrusively as possible the flight paths of different birds from around the globe. The result was Winged Migration, a visually dazzling documentary that records the flight of dozens of different birds as they follow their navigational instincts and make the taxing journey to more temperate climates in the fall, all chronicled without the use of narration. The first directorial effort for Perrin, Winged Migration received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Jacques Perrin - Narrator

A truly breathtaking study in the migratory patterns of birds from the makers of the acclaimed MicroCosmos, Jacques Perrin's visually stunning documentary finds its way to DVD courtesy of Columbia Tri/Star Home Entertainment. Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, the image quality is as good as it can be for the small screen. This is a film that truly deserves to be seen in a theater, and despite the fact that the amazing landscapes are difficult to appreciate on one's television, the colors are bright and vivid and the print immaculate. The audio is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and is free of any notable distortion. Of course, to nature fanatics this is already a fascinating film, but the extra features on this disc are almost as compelling as the feature itself. Director Jacques Perrin offers a rich and informative audio commentary (voiced in English) and it's obvious that he has gained much insight into the instincts of his subjects. A featurette about the creation of the film's sweeping score includes interviews with composer Bruno Coulais (in French with English subtitles) and the filmmakers as they attempt to compose a score that follows the birds just as the cameras do without becoming to heavy-handed or fading into the background.

While the commentary and the music featurette are interesting, it's the making-of featurette that's truly the crown of the extra features. It's utterly fascinating to see how the birds were trained and to watch the crew's interaction with their subjects during the sometimes tumultuous shoot. The methods they used to bond with and film these creatures offer interesting insight not only into filmmaking, but the true nature and intelligence of their subjects as well. Interviews with the filmmakers (again in French with English subtitles) explore these concepts even further as the crew discusses their portrayal of the birds; it's also great to hear their reflections on the final product. "Further Insight" provides just that, with a unique method of presenting the interview with picture-in-picture film footage so that viewers can truly understand both the stylistic choices of the filmmakers and the unique flight patterns of the various featured birds. A photo gallery is accompanied by commentary (again in French with English subtitles) that breaks down the birds by species and discusses the unique traits of each bird featured in the film. The images here are truly remarkable, and give the viewer the opportunity to truly study the birds in great detail. Trailers for the feature and Cirque du Soleil: Varekai round out the disc nicely. Not only is this presentation a gem for DVD fanatics, it's an indispensable addition to any nature lover's collection as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide