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Winged Migration

Play trailer Poster for Winged Migration G 2003 1h 31m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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95% Tomatometer 130 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
This documentary presents an epic portrait of winter bird migration. Filmed on all seven continents over four years, the footage is brought together into one portrait of a journey that's uniformly arduous for all kinds of different birds. Rather than concentrating on statistics and facts, the film near-wordlessly portrays the sheer physical effort demanded of the birds on their disparate routes. Along the way, we see the many dangers they face, from man-made waste to a group of hungry crabs.
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Winged Migration

Winged Migration

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Critics Consensus

A marvel to watch.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/29/2010
4/5
As pretty and light as a feather on the wind. Go to Full Review
Steven D. Greydanus Decent Films 12/26/2003
A-
In the tradition of the also nearly wordless Atlantis and Microcosmos… educational voiceover narration is superfluous: It's enough simply to see. Go to Full Review
Jamie Russell BBC.com 08/12/2003
4/5
Winged Migration is a quite astounding feat of cinema. Go to Full Review
Jamie Gillies Apollo Guide 10/17/2009
80/100
Filmed with exceptional care and remarkable photographic ingenuity, no other nature documentary is as personal and as close-up as this one to the peculiarities of birds. Go to Full Review
Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed 04/29/2009
Craftily edited and staged, but still works as an entertaining, and visually stunning documentary. Go to Full Review
Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com 04/19/2009
B+
The Oscar-nominated "Winged Migration" is a virtuosi technical achievement in documentary filmmaking due to its astonishingly intimate photography of the migrations of numerous species of birds across the earth's northern and southern hemispheres. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Tara E. @Italiana Nov 16 Beautiful. A tribute to our Creator. See more 04/18/2024 Still a very good documentary about one of the longest living animals on earth French director Jacques Perrin narrates the daily cycle of birds filmed on several continents around the world A bird's annual migration is a promise to fly and hopefully return home It's a fight for life and facing danger from bad weather to hunters to man-made waste to crabs Here we witness the sheer physical effort for different species of birds such as geese, ducks, herons to common miniature ones to fly away, lay their eggs, and come back Some birds fly night and day in order to make it towards their destination They have no barriers and get to travel all over yet they still have to be aware of many obstacles like predators or vehicles, sadly some of the birds will fall by the wayside It's also fascinating how certain species are built the way they walk, run, even perform mating rituals This documentary is beautifully filmed, nicely edited, gorgeous to look at, and it gives the viewer an insight of these animals' journey to travel the skies The music is also majestically composed and the aerial imagery is enough to make you believe you're flying with them Naturalists and documentary fans will love this The combination of soaring views and exotic locations make for quite a great-looking film Some parts hard to watch but worth the journey See more Connor S 02/22/2024 Breathtaking footage resulting in a magical story. See more Kyle M 10/31/2023 One of those documentaries that are just as fascinating and appealing as the subject, with this one being purely observant without any structured narrative resulting in beautiful photography giving a heightened experience to solidify the perfected approach. Based on its presentation, it was most likely a worthwhile theatrical experience – and maybe still is if rejuvenated projections allow the chance. (B+) See more 09/01/2018 spectacular footage! See more 04/18/2018 beautifully photographed and beautifully filmed there's a large lag in between the footage of the flying birds and the narration, this whole thing could've been a silent film and it still would've flown birds are the most magnificent creatures in the world and it's fascinating to witness their yearly migration to the south, not only that but they can sense the earth's magnetic field much like a compass it's a rough journey braving harsh weather, predators, and environmental challenges caused by mankind almost every type of fowl you can imagine is here from geese to loons to parrots to cranes to penguins to puffins not only are the animals pretty to look at but the flying scenes are shot phenomenally-well, really gives you that sense of going with them whether we're seeing four migrations or more the natural cycle of a bird goes on anywhere in the world bird lovers and documentary-enthusiasts will love this one See more Read all reviews
Winged Migration

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Movie Info

Synopsis This documentary presents an epic portrait of winter bird migration. Filmed on all seven continents over four years, the footage is brought together into one portrait of a journey that's uniformly arduous for all kinds of different birds. Rather than concentrating on statistics and facts, the film near-wordlessly portrays the sheer physical effort demanded of the birds on their disparate routes. Along the way, we see the many dangers they face, from man-made waste to a group of hungry crabs.
Director
Jacques Perrin
Producer
Christophe Barratier, Jacques Perrin
Screenwriter
Stéphane Durand, Jacques Perrin, Francis Roux
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Bac Films
Rating
G
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 18, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$10.8M
Runtime
1h 31m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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