I am sure the spectacular footage was all the film needed when it played in theaters (I missed it.) On DVD, these shots still look impressive in their focus and sweeping clarity, but the size is more mundane. We're used to seeing animals on our TV screens; it seems like at any given moment all you have to do is to flip to your local PBS station. In other words, some of the wonder of "Winged Migration" is literally diminished. The images that are its selling point simply aren't what they were on the big screen.
As a consequence, I wish "Winged Migration" had something else going for it besides the pretty pictures. The music is adequate at best; it consists of mainly inoffensive New Agey sounds that sweep and soar with the birds. My main gripe is with the narration: every now and then, a narrator with an inexplicable French accent announces generalities and reminds us of the birds' harsh life, without ever stooping to particulars. In addition, staged dramatic elements, such as a bird stuck in an oil slick, are supposed to advance a narrative but come off as silly.
"Winged Migration" could have been much more if director Jacques Perrin had committed fully to either approach: thorough, informative commentary full of wit and insight, preferably read by a trusted male voice with gravitas, could have given us a real understanding of the life of migratory birds. Or, with the help of a great composer, it could have become a narration-free Koyanisqaatsi-like meditation on flight, serving up raw images with a fantastic score. I would have loved to see what Geoffrey Reggio would have done with this footage. As it stands, we get soaring images hampered by decidedly earth-bound post-production.
The DVD's special features reveal that a more fascinating tale lies in the way the shots were captured. Using Konrad Lorenz' insights into imprinting, the filmmakers familiarized themselves to groups of birds and acclimated them to flying with ultralight gliders for months. This story could have been the subject of the movie itself.
