A womanizing biologist studies life in a colony of penguins.A womanizing biologist studies life in a colony of penguins.A womanizing biologist studies life in a colony of penguins.
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Salmaan Peerzada
- Ahaz Khan
- (as Salmaan Peer)
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10jhooke
It is many, many years since I saw this film, but unlike so many others I have seen, I have not forgotten the title or the substance of the film itself. I thought the way that Mr Forbush became so protective of the penguins and their eggs was wholly understandable and it was a hard lesson for him (and us, for that matter) to learn that he was the intruder in that landscape and he had to leave the penguins to protect their own eggs from the skuas. I just love watching penguins, so I got a good dose of that too. As a character study on what living a solitary life can do, I found it quite fascinating. It was not exactly an 'action' movie, but I found it very thought provoking and it sucked me right in from the start and kept me emotionally involved till the end. Well worth a look if you get the chance.
I have only recently come across this film, and John Hurt is super. He is "Forbush", a rather rakish biology student who is coasting through life until his professor (Tony Britton) nominates him for a gig counting penguins - in Antarctica! Meantime, he has been bothering local barmaid "Tara" (Hayley Mills) who isn't really interested in him, and is frankly quite delighted when he announces his imminent project. He duly arrives, settles into Shackleton's hut and waits, and waits, and waits - no penguins! Then they arrive, slowly but surely and, despite himself, his interest is tweaked. He has to count them, weight them and generally monitor them and their behaviour. As winter sets in, they start to lay their eggs and incubate them from the extreme storms that very nearly do for him, too! As the chicks arrive and the skua's begin to raid, he becomes even more protective of his several thousand charges - and devises one hell of a catapult to exact his revenge. It's a bit of a slow starter, this, but once he is in situ, the story appealed to me. He has quite a few Eureka moments that vindicate the approach taken by his professor at the start - to help him grow up and develop a sense of purpose. The photography is fun - especially of the penguins milling about, and I really did quite enjoy Hurt's performance here. Well worth a watch, I'd say.
Look at the cast and crew list and you will see this is a film of the highest pedigree. Sometimes you get the impression that there are several films happening here and the multiplicity of directors may be a clue to the reason of this.
The title may confuse, but yes they are real penguins!
I suspect that this is one of those films that gave the deskbound money men at the studio many nightmares.
The title may confuse, but yes they are real penguins!
I suspect that this is one of those films that gave the deskbound money men at the studio many nightmares.
Like so many good films, this one is obscure, brought out of "hiding" perhaps by the popularity of other penguin movies. The wildlife footage in this film is amazing and wonderful, taking the viewer directly into the Antarctic. It also has a nice British-humor edge to it. Get past the slow beginning and you will discover a good love story between two people as well as between animal and human. I watched this to see what Halley Mills looked like when she was older and got a nice surprise; I couldn't take my eyes off John Hurt, not only because of good looks but his superb acting and the interesting character he played. I wanted the film to go on much longer and I believe it could have been improved by at least 5 minutes more. The penguins, his interaction with them, as well as his believability in that role, were amazing.
This film is thought-provoking yet remarkably sweet and funny. The first half is like a Carry On film, then, once deposited in the Antarctic, John Hurt goes from womanizing man-about-town, to eccentric, slowly-unravelling biologist very convincingly. Some remarkable wildlife photography and the baby penguins give the 2nd half of the film great 'Aah' potential. Given that I only saw this on DVD because a friend is mad about penguins, it was a great surprise! If it doesn't make you want to rush off to the South Pole, I'll be very surprised!
Did you know
- TriviaAl Viola was dismissed from this movie and replaced by Producer Roy Boulting. Swedish documentary filmmaker Arne Sucksdorf had started filming the penguin footage in the Antarctic, but it failed to blend with the studiobound sequences. Boulting then brought his wife Hayley Mills on-board, which further added to this movie's escalating budget. This was one of the box-office disappointments, which led to Bryan Forbes' dismissal as head of EMI Films.
- GoofsWhen the first penguin arrives and slides on its belly towards Forbush, there are already other penguin belly tracks in the snow.
- Quotes
Richard Forbush: [to the predatory skuas] Retribution is near my fine feathered friends. Make no mistake about that.
Richard Forbush: [as he attacks the skuas with a catapult] You've asked for it, now you'll get it! Now it's your turn! You hear me? Go on, get out! GET OUT! ALL OF YOU! Die, damn you! Die! DO YOU HEAR ME? DIE! DIE!
Details
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- Also known as
- Cry of the Penguins
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- Runtime
- 1h 41m(101 min)
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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