If you had the open window of opportunity to see Disney's Earth last year,you owe it to yourself to check this one out,also. It is a beautifully photographed & edited film on our water ways & the marine life that inhabit it. Jacques Perrin & Jacques Cluzard,who also filmed 'Winged Migration',back in 2001,now do for our deep water friends,what 'Migration' did for our airborne ones. The films narrative & scenario was written by Perrin & Cluzard,with Christophe Cheysson, Laurent Debas,Stephane Durand,Laurent Gaude & Francois Sarano. The films breath taking cinematography is by Luc Drion,Philippe Ros & Luciano Tovoli,with editing by Catherine Mauchain & Vincent Schmitt. If I have any quirk about this film is that,although I've always admired Pierce Brosnan,I could have done without the spoken narrative,instead opting for a 'Baraka'like wordless meditation on our waterways & the very real danger that they,as well as it's inhabitants are facing,due to man's stupidity (the message would have been just as clear),plus the music score would have been improved greatly by an Ambient score composed by the likes of Stomu Yamashta,or David Sylvain (or even,just the use of natural environmental sound would have been nice,too),although the musical score is somewhat of a (slight) step up from the "New Agey" dreck that the music for 'Winged Migration' was. There are at least two versions of this film in circulation:the American version,distributed by Disney Nature,which clocks in at 87 minutes,as well as the European version,which runs the full 100 minutes (word has it that Disney cut some of the more disturbing footage of sea creatures at the mercy of nature to lock in the requisite 'G' rating). If you got your groove on with films like 'Winged Migration','Microcosmos',and Disney's Earth,this film will be another feather in your cap. Rated 'G' by the MPAA,this film does,however,contain some footage of the various sea creatures in peril that may disturb very young children.
Review of Oceans
