Winged Migration

Watching birds fly north to south and back again may not sound like the most exhilarating way to spend 89 minutes, but director Jacques Perrin, one of the producers who took us up close and personal into the world of insects in Microcosmos, explores the mysteries and grandeur of airborne migration with amazing visual sweep. It took four years for Perrin and his 14 cinematographers and 17 pilots to capture the footage here that follows numerous fowl through 40 countries and all seven continents. We fly along with these winged subjects through the use of planes, gliders, helicopters and balloons as they encounter an avalanche, a horse stampede, challenging weather and hunters, in treks of unrelenting beauty. Subtitles are used to document each species and its total migratory mileage, over New Age soundscapes and landscapes including those of Europe, New York City, Monument Valley, the Arctic and the Amazon.