Sunday, September 28, 2008

Earth - The Movie





From the opening scenes of the Arctic the scene is set. Beautiful images of an environment so stark and pristine that it is difficult to imagine any living creature thriving. A snow leopard brilliantly camouflaged by its spots slinks through the forest; a mother polar bear pops her head out of a hole deep in the snow where it has hibernated all winter long, soon followed by her two cubs.




As the seasons change, so the animals must travel across harsh terrain in search of food and water in their struggle for survival. We are taken on a journey from the north to the south pole over the course of a year.




We follow a herd of elephants on their search for water. A mother elephant struggling to keep her calf in tow loses the rest of the herd. They are now in danger from predators. Thankfully we are spared any blood-thirsty scenes from the hunt.




In the tropics we are treated to a courtship show from Birds of Paradise. See footage of the courtship dance from the movie below.




Dramatic footage of Great White Sharks leaping out of the water to snare it's prey - fur seals.




Our journey continues following a humpback whale with a 5 month calf. As soon as her calf is strong enough, a humpback whale, weakened by lack of food travels thousands of miles form the equator to the polar waters to feed. A calf drinks 600 litres of milk a day. By this stage the mother is surviving on her blubber.



This movie is a festival of sights and sounds much of what is captured is rare footage. A salutary message about climate change is provided. In my opinion this is an absolute must see.






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