Writer's notes: The March of the Penguins is a documentary about Emperor Penguins and their lives in Antarctica. You can guess the content. However, some of you may choose to see the movie and then read my analysis. Bottom line: this movie has my highest recommendation.

The March of the Penguins is not a whimsical, cute Disney version of the animal kingdom. It simultaneously shows the brutality of nature and its beauty. Antarctica is the most inhospitable land on earth, where the average summer day is a balmy minus 58 degrees, and this environment provides the background for the penguins' march inland.

Narrated by Morgan Freeman, The March of the Penguins shows the mating ritual of the Emperor penguins as they march hundred of miles inland from the sea to their breeding ground. Guided by instincts honed by thousands of years, the penguins advance to the anointed place. Along the way, they suffer the brutal ravages of winter storms and attacks from predators as they rendezvous with other penguins to find their perfect mate. With each day getting colder and a near permanent darkness descending with the approaching winter, the penguins march toward their destination.

The journey is arduous and slow. The penguins make their journey by foot and on occasion by belly. When they reach their destination, the mating ritual begins and so does the battle for survival. During the mating season, the males preen and females fight for attention. In a kingdom in which the females outnumber the males, fights between females are not uncommon. From this point, both males and females sacrifice nearly all to reproduce one chick. The female lays her eggs and must return to the sea to replenish her body, as she will nearly lose a third of her body weight during the birth process. After refilling the nutrients in her body, the female begins her second journey inland.

The males take over the duties as they keep the egg warm for hatching. If the eggs escape the grip of either the males or females during the process, the egg will not survive. As winter progresses, the penguins act as one when they huddle to keep each other and their baby chicks warm. One crucial area of timing is the return of the females after their feeding. If the females do not return in time, the chicks will die.

Throughout the film, the occasional heartbreak of baby chicks and adult penguins being lost to either predators or weather shows the cruelty of nature. Yet, the Penguins manage to procreate and survive as a species in a harsh land. The miracle of life is repeated year after year as the penguins march inland to breed and march back to the sea.

The day that I saw this film, the majority of audience were not children but adults who were mesmerized by what had transpired before them. This film is a family film that imparts one important lesson - life in the animal kingdom can be short and brutal. What emerges before us in this film is the cycle of life. It is a life marked by death, hardship and finally rebirth as new chicks begin their journey to maturity.

Ed and Pub:LM