March of the Penguins

SYNPOSIS: Each winter, alone in the pitiless ice deserts of Antarctica, deep in the most inhospitable terrain on Earth, a truly remarkable journey takes place as it has done for millennia. Emperor penguins in their thousands abandon the deep blue security of their ocean home and clamber onto the frozen ice to begin their long journey into a region so bleak, so extreme, it supports no other wildlife at this time of year. In single file, the penguins march blinded by blizzards, buffeted by gale force winds. Guided by instinct, by the otherworldly radiance of the Southern Cross, they head unerringly for their traditional breeding ground where--after a ritual courtship of intricate dances and delicate maneuvering, accompanied by a cacophony of ecstatic song--they will pair off into monogamous couples and mate. The females remain long enough only to lay a single egg. Once this is accomplished, exhausted by weeks without nourishment, they begin their return journey across the ice-field to the fish-filled seas. The male emperors are left behind to guard and hatch the precious eggs, which they cradle at all times on top of their feet. After two long months during which the males eat nothing, the eggs begin to hatch. Once they have emerged into their ghostly white new world, the chicks can not survive for long on their fathers' limited food reserves. If their mothers are late returning from the ocean with food, the newly-hatched young will die. Once the families are reunited, the roles reverse, the mothers remaining with their new young while their mates head, exhausted and starved, for the sea, and food. While the adults fish, the chicks face the ever-present threat of attack by prowling giant petrels. As the weather grows warmer and the ice floes finally begin to crack and melt, the adults will repeat their arduous journey countless times, marching many hundreds of miles over some of the most treacherous territory on Earth, until the chicks are ready to take their first faltering dive into the deep blue waters of the Antarctic.

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Also Known As: La Marche de L'Empereur, The Emperor's Journey, The Emperor's Journey (United States)

Production Status: Released

Genres: Art/Foreign and Documentary

Running Time: 1 hr. 20 min.

Release Date: June 24th, 2005 (limited)

MPAA Rating: G for General Audiences

Distributors: National Geographic Feature Films, Warner Independent Pictures

Production Co.: Canal +, APC, French Polar Institute, Bonne Pioche Productions, National Geographic Feature Films
U.S. Box Office: $77,413,017
Filming Locations: Antartica
Produced in: France

Lessons we should all learn from the penguins:

1. On marriage. Married life is a dynamic merger. It involves interaction, role portrayal, role reversal at some point, concession, submission, trust and confidence.
   
2. On goodbyes. Go when it is time to go. Goodbyes are difficult, but sometimes, you have to let go of someone for others to grow and realize their potentials. And for those who are left behind, don't mope too long, use the time for what it can do and rather than what you can't have.
   
3. On directions. The penguins didn't ask for directions but they were able to make it to their nesting ground. But since we are purportedly more superior than them, there is no reason why we can't ask for directions.
4. On new relationships torn by premature separation. Before you embark on a long distance relationship, make sure you have laid a strong foundation for your love to thrive from miles away. Although absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say, the heart may grow weary, then warry then fade away.
   
5. On distant parenthood. Nurture them in their youth and give them all the love, care and endearment that you can give. So they will remember even when you are away.
   
6. On solidarity and self-sacrifice. In order to survive, every one of the penguins took their turn of acting as shield against the blasting winds. Why can't we all do it for the sake of the nation?
7. On fear of the unknown. Those chicks saw their parents swim away and they learned to do it on their own. Instincts.... and we fails to listen to ours most of the time.
8. On what happens to us tomorrow and the day after next. It will come to us, be it good or bad. But we will be guided as most of the penguins were able to survive the harsh weather and the predators around it, by God's grace and personal determination, the worst will be over.

Kudos Penguino!