Okay... sorry about that, but it, quite frankly, is simply that amazing. Mind you, I'm not an ornithologist, I don't "bird-watch," and, although I've had pets ranging from fish to cats to dogs and even a goat, I've never had a pet bird, or for that matter, desired one. Of course, most school children could explain, to some degree, that birds fly North for the Summer and South for the Winter, but there is a huge difference between being able to rattle off a known fact and actually observing the magnificence and beauty of a massive migration across the world of such regal and mysterious creatures as birds.
The main appeal of Winged Migration (or, in French, Le Peuple Migrateur) is its videography. In this documentary, a huge number of people managed to capture stunning visuals of birds in flight. Prior to Winged Migration, any documentary that hoped to feature shots like these would be looking at CG animation. You simply can't film birds in flight from only a few feet away. Winged Migration, however, does just that, taking stunning shots from just a few feet away from the birds, by flying in formation with them. When you watch the movie, all you see is the birds - nothing of the filmmakers, as they keep out of frame, but if you really want to be amazed, watch the special features where they show just how they managed to accomplish such amazing scenes.
The best way I can explain the quality of the videography is by comparing it to the articles or emails you may have seen or forwarded back and forth between friends; the "best wildlife photography of (some year or another)"... you know what I'm talking about, right? The Polar Bear mother and cub, or the house cat taking care of a tiger cub, that sort of thing. Well, the ones that are taken by professional photographers and were likely in some major publication at some point sometimes have the ability to literally take your breath away and leave you awestruck. The imagery in Winged Migration is much like that, but in motion. I kept asking myself, "How did they ever get THAT shot?!"
Some wildlife documentaries feel like you're back in school as they try to teach you as much as possible through the narration. Winged Migration is very much the antithesis of this, using only the barest amount of narration throughout the film, with the occasional text on-screen indicating what bird you're observing and where they're migrating to and from, when the film switches from one flock to another. This is probably why there are so many different languages available - there was so little to translate. Still, enough was said to give context to the visuals, and then the narration simply steps back and let the birds tell their story.
The music in Winged Migration was quite interesting. Several artists who were quite good, but were "fringe artists," rather than mainstream artists, were selected to work together on the project, creating some very strange, yet appropriate, music for the film. An acapella group was used to make rhythmic panting sounds for one scene, for example. These pantings were mixed with music and then used in a scene where birds are working very hard to travel such a great distance before the weather changes. They are literally flying for their lives. The musical accompaniment works extremely well here, and I found myself wondering, at first, whether they had mixed music with the actual sounds of the birds breathing heavily. I eventually realized that it was a vocalization in the music, but there are several places where the music that is made does a great job of synergizing with the visuals to give a very believable portrayal. Those who find this sort of musical experimentation interesting will enjoy the feature on the making of the music.
When I watched Winged Migration, it was after a long, hard day at work. I was tired. I found myself starting to fall asleep a couple of times during Winged Migration, but it wasn't a bad thing. The visuals and the sounds are simply so beautiful and peaceful, that they really can relax you, much like the white noise sound generators that play the sounds of ocean waves or a thunderstorm or a babbling brook, the experience of watching Winged Migration can lead to a very relaxed state.
There is a theory about the behavior of geese called "Imprinting" which suggests that the first being that a baby goose sees when it hatches from an egg is taken to be its parent. It will follow this being around and expect it to take care of it, whether it be its actual parent, another goose, a different bird, or even a different species altogether. The researchers who made this documentary used this method to imprint different groups of hatchling birds on specific students and had these students not only care for, but live with the birds, feeding them, nurturing them and swimming with them. Additionally, steps were taken to get the birds used to the sounds of motors, even before they were born. This was so that the filmmakers could use vehicles, including cars, boats and even ultralights to keep up with the birds as they were flying. This worked better than anyone could have hoped, with the ultralights actually flying in formation with their birds. These birds that were not simply trained, but were, essentially, family allowed the filmmakers to get the amazing never-before-accomplished shots of birds in flight that really made Winged Migration an astounding film.
Finally, we have to touch on the preachy part. As you would expect of a pro-wildlife documentary, humans are the enemy, the insurmountable evil that threatens to cause extinction to the majestic birds that are the heroes of our story. And, I suppose, this is true, to some extent, in a very real way. The factories poison the environment, killing the birds in a way that they can't hope to be prepared for and the hunters shoot them out of the sky with better and better weapons each year, as the birds make their transcontinental trek. However, we also get to see the nice old lady who feeds the birds, and the little boy who cuts a net to let a caught goose free. And, if you watch the special features, you also get to see how well the filmmakers took care of the birds that were the stars of their tale.
If you've ever wondered what it's like to be a bird on the wing or wondered where the birds go when they make their migration, I would highly recommend getting Winged Migration. While I cannot compare the Blu-ray version to the DVD version since I have not seen it, the Blu-ray's visuals and audio are simply stunning. It it the best 89 minutes of four years of filming, and it will take your breath away.
