MovieChat Forums > La marche de l'empereur (2005) Discussion > Anthropomorphism?

Anthropomorphism?

posted 18 years ago by amanda_steinhauer
31 replies | jump to latest

I didn't really like this film for the sole purpose that it presented the penguins in a human-like context. From the start it talked of a tribe that was left in Antarctica and it had this shot from far away of the penguins walking single file which could be mistaken for a tribe of people walking until they pan closer to them. They talk of human emotions such as love that I don't think you can truly find in penguins. I don't know. This movie just presented the penguins as if they were human. I think it would've been a lot better if they had presented them as penguins.

[–] rizdek 17 years ago

if you think march of the penguins is bad, watch meerkat manor on animal planet. It's hilarious anthropomorphism.

my god its full of stars

[–] goodbear40 17 years ago

I absolutely agree: the narration (US version, Morgan Freeman) attributed some very human emotions to some of the video I was watching: "unbearable loss," etc...

Um...they're BIRDS, dude!

Beyond that, I was totally fascinated by the footage, the direction, the incredible journey of these birdies! Just wish the narration hadn't presumed to interpret the "feelings" of the birdies while they did their bird thing...they were amazing all on their natural own!

[–] ShadowsouL 17 years ago

So when you see a penguin mother who has lost her baby try to steal another penguin's baby, and you see a penguin father poke at its dead baby, what do you call that, if not an emotion or feeling?

[–] AgentSmitt 17 years ago

The question is, how do you know it was the father that poked the baby and not just some random curious penguin?

What I'm saying is that we can presume that this film is made by talented people who know what they are doing, meaning that anything that's been going on in the editing room is completely transparent to most viewers (e.g. how things are put together to acheive a certain effect, what's been left out etc). Unless you know more than the average person about penguins, it's impossible for most of us to say whether the information given in the film (which wasn't all that much), and how the penguins are portrayed, actually corresponds to reality. I.e. to say that a father grieves when the chick dies is pure speculation, as there is no way for us to prove that's what the film actually showed.

We are made to emotionally link with the penguins trough narrative, music and visual means such as close-up. If we link to the main characters, the film will sell more. It's all very simple and very cynical, unfortunately, and I believe the anthropomorphism in this film has very little to do with penguin emotions.

Sorry.

[–] juddynz 17 years ago

Couldn't agree more. I didn't see the Morgan Freeman version but the French version. To me the movie was like it was aimed at kids using silly voices for the mother, father and baby penguin. I found it patronising. And the music was just plain awful. Wonderful footage. I would have appreciated the movie more if it was just penguins and no voices or music.

[–] kelantheunlucky 17 years ago

I wish people could just relax and enjoy things without analyzing them to death. Pseudo-intellectual contrarians are rampant these days.

[–] 17 years ago

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