Customer Reviews

Disneynature: Crimson Wing - The Mystery of the Flamingo (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

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4 star:		(4)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Have you ever been to the zoo and wondered how flamingos which were born white get that red/pink sheen? Have you ever wondered if flamingos can fly?

"The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos" answers those questions that one have asked about flamingos in this British/French/American documentary directed by Matthew Aeberhard and Leander Ward. The film is also the first production of DisneyNature, the new studio which began in 2008 (and released their first film "Earth" in 2009).

The goal of the filmmakers was not to make your usual nature documentary but to create a film about the beginning of life of the flamingos in conjunction with a musical score.

The film documents the nature phenomenon that takes place in Lake Natron in northern Tanzania. The lake which is shallow is also unusual that the lakes are made poisonous due to volcanic activity and temperatures rise to 120 degrees Fahrenheit and the lake turns nearly blood red due to cyanobacteria (acqueous bacteria and beta carotene to be exact). But when the rains come, the lake is filled with water and the lake is filled with algae. And once a year, hundreds and thousands of white flamingos flock to Lake Natron in order to feed on the red cyanobacteria which then turns their bodies to pink. The more algae/cyanobacteria that the flamingos feed on, the redder they are, the redder/pinker they are indicates how healthy the flamingo is.

But the purpose of the flamingos flocking to Lake Natron is not just for feeding, it's when hundreds and thousands are looking to mate and within a months time, give birth to thousands of more flamingos but also undergo through survival as nature's elements, the salt-filled lake and the wild animals are lurking around, wanting to feast or create havoc on the flamingos as well.

"The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos" gives us a perspective of the flamingos which many people are not familiar with and exposes us to the flamingo phenomenon at Lake Natron in which Matthew Aeberhard, Leander Ward and crew document the flamingos. From arrival, to birth and to the time these young flamingos grow up and are able to fly and leave the area, until they come back once again.

VIDEO:

"The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos" is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1 aspect ratio). Picture quality for the film is quite beautiful on Blu-ray. From the overhead video of the area, at first we thought it was CG but we quickly learned that what we saw on film was algae deposits, sulfur and salt at Lake Natron.

Picture quality ranges from how close up the filmmakers were trying to capture the flamingos closeup as the closer they are, you do see the video looking a bit fuzzy and noise is quite evident. But for the most part, the flamingos pink and reds do look beautiful in HD, as do the sunsets and some outdoor scenes with the blue water, earthtones, browns and whites from volcanic scenery and greens which look vibrant as well.

I didn't see any compression, there is a little banding but for the most part, picture quality of "The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos" was nicely done. Cinematographer Matthew Aeberhard did a really good job in capturing the flamingos, the wildlife and scenery of Lake Natron and its surroundings.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos" is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz/24-bit), French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital.

Narration and music courtesy of the Cinematic Orchestra were nicely done and come quite clearly through front and center channels. There is quite a bit of ambiance from the thousands of flamingos chirping and trying to flap its wings. Also, scenes which feature storms and waterfalls can be heard quite nicely through the surround channels.

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES

"The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos" features the following special features in 1080p High definition (1:33:1):

* Living Planet - An interactive feature which features a globe in which you can select destinations with your remote. Click on the various areas in several continents to learn real-time information of what is going on at several wildlife areas and also learn details about the film. You get the current date, time and temperature on the bottom right corner as well.
* Filmmaker Annotations - While watching "The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos", you get a picture-and-picture video with the filmmakers discussing aspects of capturing the flamingos on film, filming in Natron and what their goals were before making the film to learning of the challenges they experienced and more. You also get text annotations on the bottom of the screen.
* Lake Nation Diaries: Behind the Crimson Wing - (19:42) The making of "The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos". From cre"ating a base camp at a missionary house in Natron, capturing the mating, birth and life of the flamingos, filming at Lake Natron and how it's a geological phenomenon and creating the music for the film.
* The Crimson Wing Screensaver - (5:13) A video screensaver which is actually a music video of montage from "The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos" set to the original score. The video repeats itself after completion.

EXTRAS:

"The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos" comes with a DVD version of the feature film which is presented in 1:85:1, widescreen. Audio in English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound and subtitles in English, English SDH and Spanish. Also, included is a slipover cover case.

JUDGMENT CALL:

I have to admit that flamingos have always been a curiosity of mine. They are mysterious I had the opportunity to watch them during the mating process and also to watch baby flamingos being raised at our local zoo.

"The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos" was such an amazing film to watch because I have never known about the phenomenon at Lake Natron. Also, I was unaware of how flamingos turned red and that hundreds of thousands arrive just to mate and thousands give birth. Also, was unaware of how the salt deposits are literally the nesting grounds for the baby flamingos. It was quite fascinating to watch how these babies were born, especially how the babies were fed and without spoiling the film, needless to say, I was shocked by that. Definitely a much different perspective compared to a penguin or other birds featured in other nature-based documentaries.

But possibly the biggest shock was the threat to the flamingos by the Maribou storks. These storks are just the ugliest birds I have seen and the way they are portrayed in the film is rather villainous. We watch as these storks prey on the small chicks, just snapping its neck with their beaks and leaving them to fall and die and go back to them later. They go up to the nest and crack open the shells and leave. Almost like nature's bullies, they are their to prey on the defenseless flamingos (I was expecting the flamingos as a herd to fight back but I am guessing that they are not a defensive bird at all).

But I was amazed to see how also the salt also affects the baby flamingos as during birth when they are with the parent, when the parent leaves to get food, the babies are left alone and wander around the sodium rich lakes and some unfortunately have excess salt deposits around their legs that these salt deposits start to become like cement and render the birds unmovable that they die.

This is the way of nature and how it's been probably for however long these flamingos have lived on the planet. But at the same time, although the film never gets into the politics of how humans are affecting their habitat (until right before the final credits), the truth is that because these lakes are full of sodium, companies are looking at the lake as a way to profit to make soap, medical and glass products and of course, we have those who are trying to defend the bird's habitats and humans from destroying them and those who just want to make money from the sodium deposits and are threatening the habitat of the flamingos.

"The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos" is fascinating, entertaining and enjoyable. On Blu-ray, the film looks absolutely great in HD and also, surround sound was well-incorporated to its lossless soundtrack. And the musical score by the Cinematic Orchestra was wonderful.

But I have to say that as much as I enjoyed the film, like many nature films which showcase animals in the wild, we know that life is changing for these animals. Population increases are driving these animals from their home and nearly driving various species to become extinct and in the flamingo's case, you take away the sodium which is needed for the birth of these flamingos and you literally are decreasing their population. And already, we have learned that flamingos are disappearing in other regions where they once had flocked to by the hundreds of thousands.

"The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos" is a fantastic nature film and I'm so happy to see DisneyNature focusing on a certain animal vs. many different species, because the film really gave us tremendous insight on flamingos. The film does try to incorporate a storyline of a young flamingo who tries to survive from birth to becoming a full-fledged flamingo but with literally thousands of birds that look the same, it's kind of hard to believe that the viewer is watching the same bird over the course of however long the filmmakers were at Lake Natron.

But the story of the one flamingo is not a major part of the entire film, the film is more about the flamingos who come to Lake Natron, to mate, give birth, showing how these little flamingos survive (and die) and what challenges await them in the wild. Once again, this is a fascinating nature film.

Overall, if you are a nature fan especially if you have an interest in flamingos, DisneyNature's "The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos" is definitely a film worth watching and also owning on Blu-ray. Definitely recommended!

Crimson Wing is more of an epic poem on film than a documentary. The images are often surprisingly abstract -- like visual puzzles that disorient the eye before revealing what they are. In one sequence, for example, the flamingos glide over a lake surface so calm you can't tell where the birds are until the ripples appear.

The narrator of Crimson Wing is Mariella Frostrup, well-known to BBC watchers and listeners. To me, her narrator conjured up memories of the original Living Seas film at Epcot ("And it rained, and rained and rained...the deluge"). The whole film has that quality. So if you're a vintage Epcot fan, you'll get a kick out of Crimson Wing in a way that the filmmakers never intended, I'm sure.

Crimson Wing takes the viewer out of the everyday and to a larger plane of existence, a bigger picture, as it were, of our existence and that of the creatures around us. It can't hurt to be reminded that there's a lot more to the world.

It's understandable why Disney chose not to release Crimson Wing to theatres. It is less general and lacks the political vigor of Earth and Oceans - but it is by no means less magnificent. In contrast to the other DisneyNature releases, this documentary really allowed time for an in-depth and thorough understanding of the remarkable Flamingo. No matter how much you thought you knew about the amazing pink bird, you will learn something from watching this. I consider myself a pretty big nature geek and know all kinds of trivial facts about wildlife, but the story of these African flamingos and the "salt island" in which they birth their young was all new to me and positively gorgeous visually and in narrative.

As for the Blu Ray quality, of course it is superb. Disney doesn't usually make mistakes in that regard, and fans of 1080p definition should never be more excited. Color is obviously a big part of the flamingo story and you get bet every drop of pink will be a celebration for your TV screen. Every splash of water and every flap of a wing.. every egg shell and every cloud is a breath taking sight to behold so that I could easily see this BD being in heavy rotation, as a screen saver if nothing else.

Overall, I think it's safe to say that fans of DisneyNature's past documentaries or nature films in general will be exstatic about this release. It may lack the variety of Earth and Oceans, but it is by far more focused and unique to any other nature film I've yet seen. There were times, I admit, where the scenes started to feel a little long (perhaps as a means of increasing the run time) but they were still absolutely stunning to watch and for nature fanatics that is worth it alone.

An inspiring colorful story of majesty and beauty. This miracolous story filmed at the unique desolate Lake Natron, in Northern Tanzania, showcases an upclose look at these elegant, noble birds in their natural environment, unfolding; the birth, life, and survival of a million crimson winged flamingos.

I appreciate nature docummentaries for showing me exactly what animals go through to survive in their natural habitat. While this film is appropiate for family of all ages, you may want to prepare your young children that nature's life cycle isn't always fair.

The music in combination with the film is breathtaking. No comment on the narration. This story is amazing as it is beautiful!!!!!!

Stunning, moving wild life doc is greatly marred by one of the most annoying narrators I've come across. Yes, it could have been worse - could have been Morgan Freeman - but this woman comes close. Her name is Mariella Frostrup.

I Googled her...

From Wikipedia:

"Mariella Frostrup (born 12 November 1962) is a Norwegian-born journalist and television presenter, well known on British TV and radio, mainly for arts programmes. Her voice was once voted the sexiest female voice on TV,[1] and research to find 'the perfect voice' has indicated that Frostrup's voice is one of the best.[2] Her voice is often used on TV commercials as well."

Sexiest female voice on TV. Huh??!! Her voice is like a nail on a black board and makes the so-so writing even worse. I wanted to mute her but would have missed out on the beautiful score by The Cinematic Orchestra and the sounds of the flamingos obviously.

There are a number of voices that would have worked perfectly for this doc. Frostrup's voice is all booze/cigs and completely unsuited for this project. She speaks ever so slowly and makes a comic attempt at making the words sound poetic. And although her intention was probably to speak very clearly, her diction is in fact terrible - she sounds tipsy at times. If the film makers wanted a mature lady for this, they should have given Judy Dench a call. She could have done it in her sleep and still done a fab job.

It's such a shame and the only reason I give it four stars, not five.

This is the best documentary film, which not only tells people a story about the fascinating bird, the Flamingo, but also tells us about LOVE. Watching the film, you will understand how the beautiful flamingos struggle to survive in the extreme environment, but also get to know that, love is not only limited to human. The Flamingos dance to show love to their partners, forming a couple. They give birth to eggs and look after their chicks full with love like human do. Watching the chicks hatching from the eggs with the beautiful background music, I can't control my emotions that my tears keep falling. Everyone should watch this film, to know about the bird, our nature and the most important thing, LOVE. The score and the theme song of this film are so wondeful and beautiful that they melt me down.
This film deserves more than 5 stars, even 6 or more stars. If Disney had nominated this film for Academy Awards, it should have won at least 3 oscars, Best Documentary, Best Original Score and Best Theme Song.
This film has taught me to love and respect animals, treasure our nature and cherish life.

Another great family movie from Disney along the lines of Oceans or Nature Earth.
This one is about the life of flamingos from the very beginning. It really is
a pretty amazing movie. If you liked the similar movies I mentioned above, you will
like this one too.

I am not writing anything else in here, because I can see that other reviewers have
covered everything else in detail. Highly recommended.

i love this film its a must see you will look at the flamingo in a whole different light they are one amazing bird this is my far my favorite and if you haven't seen yet see with your children,wife,girlfriend family you all will love this film

This is a fantastic educational video. I had no idea how ignorant I was about flamingos.
To learn what they have go through to survive, including their migration, is amazing.

I hate that I can't submit a review without typing something. You would definitely hear about something if it weren't satisfactory.

Disney is Disny. The name implies the quality, etc. Service fine.