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 In
Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, "meek"
is defined as 1) being pliant or gentle, 2) patient and mild;
not inclined to anger or resentment, or 3) being too submissive.
For better
or worse, all of those definitions apply to the meek that inherit
the emotionally gripping Winged Migration, director Jacques
Perrin's majestic follow-up to his magnificent 1996 documentary
Microcosmos (which he produced). Where that film explored
the wonderful world of the insects that live in our own backyards,
Perrin takes to the skies for an even more ambitious and exhilarating
project that looks at the awesome journey that birds must take
in their never-ending fight for survival.
Over the
course of 4 years, 5 teams of more than 450 people followed a
variety of species along their migration patterns through 40 countries
spanning each of the 7 continents. By using cutting-edge technology,
including planes, gliders, helicopters and balloons, the filmmakers
were able to get a (dare I say it) bird's-eye view of their travels
by flying alongside, above, below, in front of and behind their
subjects. The results will surely make your jaw drop, as the cameras
are often so close to the birds that you can actually hear the
flapping of their wings.
The film's
captivating beauty is incredible to behold, whether the birds
are flying against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower in Paris,
the late World Trade Center in New York, the Great Wall of China,
the jungles of Africa or the deserts of Monument Valley. To put
their journey into a broader perspective, some species may fly
only 600 miles, while others fly more than 10,000, only to have
to turn around and do it all over again. Whatever the case, Perrin
makes it clear that these world-spanning journeys are essential
to their survival, even if they have to endure searing heat, brutal
blizzards or extended flights over hundreds of miles of water.
Yet, as gentle,
as patient, and as mild as the meek can be, their submissiveness
can also be their undoing. Despite their uncanny ability to fly
in formation and know exactly where they are going, the birds
are often at the mercy of various predators, game hunters and
industrial pollution. In a film that already runs a gamut of emotions,
there is nothing more disturbing than seeing one of the helpless
birds get trapped in the sewage of a gloomy factory, while others
are plucked out of the sky by the sounds of popping shotguns.
It is worth
noting that of all the birds that fly in flocks to their various
destinations, only one is depicted as more of a loner--the Bald
Eagle. At a time when America is more-or-less going it alone in
an international conflict, there is something rather foreboding
and ominous about seeing the bold, weathered and haggard symbol
of the American people flying over the rough desert terrain as
it struggles to survive.
While the
touching, funny and devastating Winged Migration is just
as informative and entertaining as it is breathtaking and beautiful,
Perrin wisely chooses to keep his narration sparse and let the
fantastic imagery speak for itself. As it is, there is nothing
more fantastic than embracing the "personality" of each
species while marveling at their stamina, lust for life and will
to survive (especially in one poignant scene, where a caged parrot
frees itself and soars back into the wild blue yonder).
To that extent,
I guess the meek aren't so submissive after all.
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