July 08, 2008
beautiful, interesting, and unimportant
Pity the penguin. Darling of the animal world in the wake of March of the Penguins’ success in 2005, penguin fever quickly begat penguin fatigue. First, the film’s makers went and accepted their Oscar for best documentary carrying penguin stuffed animals. Then Hollywood inundated the market with penguin-centric films including Happy Feet, Surf’s Up, and Farce of the Penguins. The story of adorable birds with strong familial bonds on the desolate Antarctic landscape was universally appealing. But, as with most things adorable, enough finally became enough.This is probably why Werner Herzog opens his new documentary, Encounters at the End of the World, with a caveat: If the U.S. National Science Foundation — which sent Herzog to Antarctica — had been expecting a penguin film, it would be sorely disappointed.
more from The Smart Set here.
Posted by Morgan Meis at 10:05 AM | Permalink
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“The distillation of the natural world into a series of dramatic moments on film created an expectation of nature among lay audiences that was rarely, if ever, realized in the field,” Gregg Mitman writes in Reel Nature.
People watch nature films and films in general precisely because they offer a greatly concentrated version of reality. People know the difference between reality and a movie. I thought March of the Penguins was beautifully done. One could not watch that film without gaining a deep appreciation for the endurance of the penguins, who could survive in such appalling conditions.
Posted by: Jared | Jul 8, 2008 12:39:34 PM
I'm reminded of John Berger's 1980 collection of essays, About Looking, when I see the rise in popularity of films like Happy Feet and March of the Penguins. While the films aren't us going to look at animals at the zoo, the effect is the same. Its about us. In the first essay, Why look at animals?, John Berger also looks at the idea that we want animals to be us. That we understand their struggle and endurance and that they strive is from our world. Penguins are. They are not striving or enduring. They exist in climates that we could not. Amazing that they can do that since we see penguins and recognize penguins as returning our gaze with understanding.
Posted by: Karen Peters | Jul 8, 2008 2:50:50 PM
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