Les ailes pourpres - Le mystère des flamants

A story told in a simple, friendly, inspiring way. The music score is one of the best soundtracks ever written (considering scores for cinema, TV and video games) and adds to the overall experience this film creates - in a way one might say that it even defines this movie and sets the standard for other future productions.

The director's view of a story (a circle of life in a way) is also a highlight for this documentary as it unfolds, expands and then sets itself in a clear, well define perspective of what life is, what colour is and how we, as the birds, are defined by these elements.

A fluid, well described and narrated documentary like only a few. Watch it, even if you only do so for the score and the integration of the score to the cinematography.

"The Crimson Wing" is the sort of wildlife documentary that is most likely to leave the sympathetic viewer somewhat saddened when they witness the survival struggles of the flamingos who flock in the 1000s at Lake Natron, Tanzania.

This excellently photographed documentary is impressively presented through "Disneynature". And - (IMO) - It is certainly well-worth a view for all of those spectators out there who can greatly appreciate all that takes place (be it good or bad) in the wonderfully fascinating (and often mysterious) world of nature.

Like MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, THE CRIMSON WING is a nature documentary focused on a single subject, produced by Walt Disney Studios of all people. Thankfully this isn't a twee or sentimental type account of the material, rather a solid, fact-focused documentary packed full of gorgeous photography of the birds.

It turns out that Lesser Flamingos are the birds behind the myth of the Phoenix, and the correlation of their lifecycle to that of the legendary bird rising from the ashes is an engaging one. But this is a film that offers more to the casual viewer, with plenty of tragedy and chaos along the way. There are the inevitably tear-jerking scenes involving the chicks that didn't make it, and such moments are tragic beyond belief.

THE CRIMSON WING offers strong commentary by experienced narrator Mariella Frostrup and a lean, mean, running time which excises extraneous material from the narrative. Best of all, though, it has fantastic cinematography that helps to fuel a colourful, engaging and thorough exploration of the topic.

Well, I must say that I was really quite impressed with this "Disneynature" documentary that took an in-depth look at the flamingos of Africa who (once a year) arrive by the 1000s at Lake Natron (in Tanzania) in order to mate and raise their young.

In part, this thoughtful documentary was, without question, a very sad tale from the viewpoint of the survival of the flamingo chicks who must quickly gather their strength in order to endure the hardships that immediately come before them and challenge their very existence.

With its excellent photography and its equally superb soundtrack music (from The Cinematic Orchestra), I certainly recommend this DVD very highly to those of you who are interested in witnessing such an amazing phenomenon like this one from the world of nature where many astounding marvels are there for us to behold.

The DisneyNature documentaries vary in quality, while not caring for 'Elephant' and 'Born in China' 'Earth' and 'Oceans' for instances are outstanding. Many people said that DisneyNature's first documentary was a must watch and being someone who likes flamingos a lot (some gorgeous ones at my local zoo) and wanted to know more about these too often under-explored animals there was no chance of missing 'The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingo'.

Found myself really impressed by 'The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingo' when watching it a few weeks ago. It may not be the best introduction to the DisneyNature documentaries for younger audiences, as by DisneyNature standards 'The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingo' is quite dark at times. To me, it is actually among the better DisneyNature documentaries, with it being one of the more informative, best narrated and best scored, even if other ones are even better visually.

It's not perfect, some of the final act drags and the content is a touch on the repetitive side at this point too.

However, 'The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingo' looks wonderful. The scenery is a wonder to look at and is also suitably unforgiving to show that flamingos still have difficulties adapting to their environments. The photography is even better, lots of vibrant colour and seeing them up close shows the flamingos' beauty even more while not being claustrophobic. As said, the music (a variable aspect in the DisneyNature documentaries) is beautifully scored and adds to the mood perfectly without spelling things out too much, one of the best of the lot. Beautifully performed too.

Narration came over as very engaging and informative, never childish, patronising or schmaltzy. Such a lot not known beforehand was learned, the only thing not so good about this aspect was moments of repetition in the last act. Mariella Frostrup narrates with warmth and a sincere quality, with clear interest in the material and the ability to respect the viewer.

Moreover, the flamingos are absolutely adorable, look amazing and so easy to root for. Their journey has some entertainment value and a huge amount of charm, but it is also incredibly moving and doesn't shy away from showing the difficulties they have to overcome. Some of which shocking and quite dark but not too disturbing for DisneyNature.

Concluding, very good. 8/10