March Of The Penguins (U)

May 6 2006 By Graham Young, Birmingham Mail

THERE are plenty of big name stars around who are unlikely to ever taste Oscar success from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Bruce Willis.

But the black and white cast of March Of The Penguins triumphed earlier this year as the film swept to the Best Documentary Award.

Naturally, the epic scale of the film loses something on translation to the small screen, but it's still a marvellous testimony to the endurance, invention and insanity of Mother Nature.

Director Luc Jacquet's idea of following a line of Emperor penguins all the way to central Antarctica has been a big hit in cinemas.

Despite its linear progression, this is a hugely captivating story about the penguins' almost senseless determination to reproduce amid the harshest climate on earth.

Morgan Freeman narrates with his usual gravitas, but does not always give us the answers to questions our eyes tell us we'd like to know.

The DVD Extras include: "Of Penguins And Men" featurette, "National Geographic's Crittercam: Emperor Penguins" featurette, "8 Ball Bunny" cartoon and theatrical trailer.