Peuple migrateur, Le (2001) - Synopsis

Winged Migration - synopsis heading graphic"For eighty million years, birds have ruled the skies, seas and earth. Each
spring, they fly vast distances. Each fall, they fly back on the same route. This
film is the result of four years following their amazing odysseys, in the northern
hemisphere and then the south, species by species, flying over seas and
continents. "

- Jacques Perrin (from "Winged Migration")

Long one of France's most respected producers (Academy Award Winners "Z"
and "Black and White in Color") and actors ("Z," "Cinema Paradiso," "The
Young Girls of Rochefort,"
"Donkey Skin" and "The Brotherhood of the Wolf"),
Jacques Perrin has more recently had a highly successful career creating films
about nature, including "Le Peuple Singe" (monkeys) and "Microcosmos"
(insects) and exotic locales ("Himalaya"). Now with his penultimate film
"Winged Migration" Perrin takes on his greatest challenge yet: exploring the
mystery of birds in flight. Five crews of more than 450 people, including 17
pilots and 14 cinematographers, were necessary to follow a variety of bird
migrations through forty countries and all seven continents. The film covers
landscapes that range from the Eiffel Tower and Monument Valley to the remote
reaches of the Arctic and the Amazon. All manner of man-made machines were
employed, including planes, gliders, helicopters, and balloons, and numerous
innovative techniques and ingeniously designed cameras were utilized to allow
the filmmakers to fly alongside, above, below and in front of their subjects. The
result is a film of staggering beauty that opens one's eyes to the ineffable wonders
of the natural world.

Sony Pictures Classics