Life in the Freezer

"Life in the Freezer" is a majestic, haunting, extraordinary look at life in Antarctica, the most hostile place on Earth. Producer/Director Alastair Fothergill and his brilliant team of cinematographers and sound recordists journeyed to the icy continent to record more than a year of life in the freezer. The emotions one feels while watching this are overwhelming and we are filled with awe and wonder at a continent that is closer to an alien planet than anything else within our terrestrial boundaries. The successful "March of the Penguins" clearly took both its inspiration and structure from "Freezer". Of course, Fothergill's depiction of the penguins' march possesses a stronger, more haunting quality, and the hostility of the environment is enhanced by George Fenton's stunningly effective musical score. The doco is not all penguins, though. We travel to the most arid part of the world where a seal has been mummified for centuries. We plunge into a blue, spooky canopy beneath the ice and explore incredible caves shaped by the flow. We hang out with whales and ride shotgun with a myriad of birds as they cross the continent for food. Narrator David Attenborough, as usual, delivers powerful, enthusiastic, irony-laced monologues from the Antarctic wasteland and infects us with his unbridled passion for nature and its awesome beauty. In every sense, one of the greatest and humbling celebrations of our planet's diversity every produced.

As said many times, David Attenborough is a national treasure. He may apparently dislike the term, but it is hard to not say that about such a great presenter who has contributed significantly to some of the best programmes (of the documentary genre and overall) the BBC has ever aired/produced.

It is really hard picking favourites, let alone a definite favourite, among what Attenborough has done because he has done so many gems, it is the equivalent of trying to choose your favourite ice cream flavour or your favourite operatic role (for examples) and finding you can't pick. Is 'Life in the Freezer' among the best and most ground-breaking work Attenborough has ever done? No, but even when Attenborough was not at his very best he and the programmes in question still put most other documentaries to shame. The final part is not quite as interesting as the rest and didn't quite feel as relevant, can understand the tacked on part. Nonetheless the exploration of early Antarctica did inform and engage but the making of the series parts didn't feel needed.

However, 'Life in the Freezer' is outstanding everywhere else. First and foremost, 'Life in the Freezer' looks amazing. It is gorgeously filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (in a way where one feels closer to the animals) way and one actually has to check as to whether it was made for TV because the production values are so cinematic. The editing is always succinct and smooth and the scenery is stunningly majestic. The music also has a cinematic quality that doesn't overbear what's going on, instead enhancing the impact and sounding beautiful as music in its own right.

Again, like so many Attenborough nature/wildlife documentaries, 'Life in the Freezer' fascinates, teaches, moves, entertains and transfixes. In terms of the facts there was a very good mix of the known ones and the unknown, some facts being familiar to us while also dealing with very complex and very much relevant issues with tact. Fans of penguins like me will be in heaven, my heart melted every time they appeared.

Narration by Attenborough helps significantly. He clearly knows his stuff and knows what to say and how to say it. He delivers it with his usual richness, soft-spoken enthusiasm and sincerity, never talking down to the viewer and keeping them riveted and wanting to know more. As hoped, what we're told is detailed, comprehensive and very honest.

Loved the animals as expected, caring for them in the same way that one would a human. There's as always a wide range of emotions from tense conflict, awe and tear-jerking pathos.

Each episode doesn't feel like an episodic stringing of scenes, but instead like the best nature documentaries each feels like their own story and journey, with real, complex emotions and conflicts.

In conclusion, another wonderful Attenborough gem. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Another superb wild-life documentary presented by Sir David Attenborough, featuring breathtaking nature footage from the Antarctic continent through a year's seasonal cycle.

Compared to picture postcard docs like "Deep Blue" or "Planet Earth" - which are quite good in themselves - the "Life" series has got a more thoughtful, intimate and instructive quality to it. And some moments in this extraordinary six-part installment belong to the most captivating scenes Attenborough has been involved in throughout his illustrious career. (Part five is particularly exciting.)

The last part feels slightly tacked on, though.

9 out of 10 marching Emperor penguins

Simply the best nature documentary I have ever seen. The cinematography and narration are beyond peer. The film (series) delves into the breeding cycles and lifestyles of animals ranging from various types of penguins (Emperor, Adelie, Chinstrap, Macaroni, Gentoo) seals (Crabeater, Weddell, Antarctic Fur Seals, Elephant and of course the deadly Leopard) birds (Cormorants, Snow Petrels, Antarctic Terns, Albatross, skuas) to minuscule micro biotic life in the oceans depths. So comprehensive. You feel as if, you are actually there witnessing it all. And as a result it is profoundly emotional and at times overwhelming. A very factual, honest and very painstaking account of life in Antarctica. A must see for nature lovers and anyone really who has any curiosity. Wish this had have been shown in the cinema. Vastly superior to 'Deep Blue'and 'White Planet' Long live David Attenborough and the BBC.

'Life in the Freezer' is an incredible look at life in the most inhospitable place on Earth: the continent of Antarctica. The series is divided up into six parts. The first five deal with different parts of the year and how the wildlife has adapted to survive in the vicious climate at various times in nature's cycle. The final episode details how people have adapted to this alien environment, both historically and in the present day. Because the climate is so aggressive at the South Pole, this series in many ways is about that as much as it is about the creatures that live through it. I think that one of this particular nature series strongest points is that it's genuinely incredible that wildlife has adapted to these conditions, so much so that it's even more life-affirming. I also very much enjoyed the final episode that detailed the experiences of people in this environment; I realize that this is not a typical subject for a nature documentary but in the case of Antarctica it is completely justifiable as human beings are hugely ill-equipped to survive in this land, therefore, it is fascinating to learn how we have adapted, and of course in some famous cases, perished.

As for the creatures who are from this icy land, this series covers – amongst other things - the incredible resilience of the emperor penguins, the violent rituals of mating seals, the sweeping journeys of the petrels, the feeding spirals of the whales and the ever-changing icy aquatic underworld. The myriad of ways in which these incredible creatures adapt to this brutal environment is captured beautifully by the fabulous photography and, as always, David Attenborough's brilliant commentary. As is so often the case in the best nature films, it is the revealing of the mysteries of the natural world that provide most of the genuine thrills that we take away from them. For this viewer, the moment that will always stick with me was the section in the snow-less, dry lands behind the mountains where we see a mummified seal that has lay entirely intact for centuries. It's a truly extraordinary thing to behold.

'Life in the Freezer' is a brilliant series about this most alien of places on our planet. At times it almost seems to be a documentary from another world, it's so unfamiliar. It comes highly recommended for anyone who is interested in life in the extremes of our world.