Winged Migration (2003)

Synopsis: The chronicle of this population with whom we share the earth, since not so long ago, the sky, will rumble with a multitude of sounds which nature conceals. The words of a commentary will not distract the emotion. Songs and calls of birds, whispers of the wind in hollows, swell of the high seas,... The chronicle of this population with whom we share the earth, since not so long ago, the sky, will rumble with a multitude of sounds which nature conceals. The words of a commentary will not distract the emotion. Songs and calls of birds, whispers of the wind in hollows, swell of the high seas, will blend with the accents of original instrumental music. Added to this highly poetic and spectacular fresco, the innumerable pranks which the birds play among themselves will from time to time bring a burlesque note.

We will discover the planet as it was millions of years ago, when gigantic volcanic eruptions shook the earth’s crust and freed rivers of magma in fusion, when cyclone storms came down on a dismantled mineral universe. Primitive birds, which nowadays still nest in the Amazon river area, will symbolize the survival of birds of another era. Some, still having four legs, live in inaccessible swamp areas. This will be the end of the pre-generic – an impressive representation of the evolution of species.

Initial pictures of the beginning of life, it is from the inside of an egg that we watch the development of an embryo, up to the achieved form of a fledging. His shell is broken, he will invite us to contemplate from the height of his nest, a viewpoint open on nature, a scene of trees and plants. In this haven of quietness, the very young bird will take on his adult’s dress in a succession of seasons pictured as they pass. The mist, the rain, the sunshine, the dew, the hail, the snow, the days and nights will progressively change the territory annexed by the bird.

Not a pebble of the ground, to the foliage of the highest branches, escapes the insatiable curiosity of this vigilant settler. Animals of all species and of all sizes living on or crossing the site will be watched, fought, left alone as masters or reduced to the mercy of this sentinel with a stealthy flight. This chronicle might have gone on, had a large company of migrating birds not come and invested the area. An avid and noisy crowd in quest of food, succeeding to the prevailing quietness. Having renewed their strength, one evening, in the confusion of calls and gatherings, these seasonal guests will spring forward in an irresistible thrust towards heights, which we will reach for the first time.

The sedentary bird will see this great departure. Flying over the nearby hill will open the prospect of far away and sumptuous horizons. After having crossed clouds, having passed around rain clouds, having flow against the wind, having faced the storm, these sturdy navigators will make a stop on another territory where a large number of migrants are already stopping off. Once this natural relay established, from one stop to another, from meeting with one specie to another, from flights in formation to solitary flights, from a nearby latitude to the most remote, these winged guides will help us to discover their planet which they have been traveling over for the past 60 million years.

On nesting sites at the end of their journey, they will have to protect their nest or annex it, search for their food sometimes under other skies, get ready for the season of love parades, and armed against rivals, but no force compels them to engage in the infinite winged games and aerial dances which are a prelude to the great gathering, where entire populations, young and old, take off towards the renewal of summer. Thus hooking space to time, the migrant populations live, during years and years, the same season. -- © Sony Pictures Classics [More]