Of Penguins and Men

In this accompanying documentary to the surprise megahit of 2005 March of the Penguins, we see the difficulty it took to make the marvelous feature-length doc through the eyes of cinematographer Jerome Maison. While not quite as affecting as March, Maison’s video journal of sorts gives a fascinating, often more personal look into the lives of the penguins and filmmakers during this long winter.

Covering much the same ground as the feature, Of Penguins may seem a bit overkill for some, but I enjoyed it immensely. The insight into what the filmmakers (Maison and writer/director Luc Jacquet) had to endure to capture such compelling images. Maison narrates the film himself, tossing insightful observations on the penguins, the filmmaking process, and the massive ice cube that is Antarctica.

Watching the original, we see how incredibly difficult the life of a penguin is, yet we know in the end that they endure because they are suited for it. What of our filmmakers, then, who don’t have layers of feathers and fat to keep them warm, let alone a colony of hundreds of friends to share the brunt of the cold? Maison and Jacquet suit up every day with 9 layers of clothing. In the dead of winter, they cannot stay out for more than three hours at a time. And most frightening of was the day which they lingered a bit too long outside, only to get caught in a snowstorm that completely disabled them. One mile away from camp and they were hopelessly lost. The penalty for their ill-timed departure? Severe frostbite of the face and hands, causing them to miss an entire month of filming. In many ways, all of their travails help the viewer to appreciate the harshness and sheer determination of the penguins.

Grade: A-