Customer Reviews

March of the Penguins [Original Score]

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(1)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have not yet seen "March of the Penguins", but when a score for a movie is this perfect, one can begin to imagine the visuals by only listening to the music. A great example of this is the track "First Steps", where you can easily picture the baby penguin taking his first steps into a big and cold world. I am glad I came across it and now I beging a pursuit for Alex Wurman's previous works.

The tracks have a sound that reminds of Joe Hisaishi, who was responsible for the music to most of Hiyao Miyazaki's movies. But also it carries a certain flavor that brings Hans Zimmer to mind, specially in the first track, which sounds a bit like his work with "Pearl Harbor". Overall, the soundtrack reminds of another great work also recorded under Milan Records a few years back: the score and soundtrack for "Baraka", by Michael Sterns. If any of these references mean something to you, you know that you are simply in front of a timeless work of art that will be just as beautiful in 10, 20 or 30 years as it is today.

I saw the movie and was deeply touched by it. I came to Amazon.com to see if there was a soundtrack for it. I was delighted to find it and when I played the snipits, the whole movie came back to me with each little bit played. The music is so mesmerising and so entwined with the movie, it's impossible to separate them. Each time I hear the music, I will envision the movie again. This Composer is absolutely brilliant and caught the heart and soul of the movie forever.

This is by far one of the most exquisite musical pieces I have ever heard...not only does it echo the beauty of the film, but it is in and of itself a true work of art. For me, the music relaxes, invokes peace, and a sense of tranquility. This soundtrack is a must not only for those who enjoyed the movie but for anyone who enjoys fine music.

This is one of the most beautiful, inspiring musical scores that I have ever had the privilege to experience. It captures the soul and spirit of the March of the Penguins' story, yet can be translated and incorporated into our own human experiences, our joys, our sorrows, our personal battles. Thank you, Alex Wurman, for sharing such a wonderful gift.

I bought this the day after seeing the movie, I knew I'd want it as my "house muzak" for a while. It just makes me feel great! My favorite soundtrack since Ennio Morricone's for "The Mission" and Patrick Doyle's for the Kenneth Branagh "Henry V."

Milan Records and Warner Independent present "MARCH OF THE PENGUINS", a captivating score by Alex Wurman from Luc Jacquet's film of the same title with excellent narration by Morgan Freeman... based on a screenplay by: Luc Jacquet and Michel Fessler a French documentary that opened at the Sundance Film Festival this past January...bringing the stark realization of the emperor penguin and the Antarctic survival for these birds in their natural habitant.

The Composer Alex Wurman captures the underwater white wasteland that looks like a frozen Monument Valley of the birds battling the elements...the film is a love story as the purity of the birds staring at each other gazing silently on their precious chicks...Wurman's music is a major plus zeroing in on the penguins' traditional mating ritual and the march for food as they struggle in their natural home on the coastal sea.

A must have for all "film-score-buffs' who take listening to a composers score seriously...the music can stand on it's own without any hoop-la to bring it to the listeners attention...pure and loving is the music from the doorstep of nature as it was decades ago and is still untouched...the "March of the Penguins".

Total Time: 41:00 on 12 Tracks ~ Milan Records 36131 ~ (7/12/2005)

This wonderful, orchestral soundtrack captures the charm and emotion of the great new motion picture. You can enjoy these tracks regardless of whether or not you have seen the film and will find them to be a relaxing, pleasant collection.

Good gift idea, too!

The music of the soundtrack of Return of the Penguins was truly inspiring. It led me through the various episodes of the story and helped me to recall why I have seen this film twice and will see it again. Excellent strings crashing and yet softly lead the listener to its conclusion. Superior composition.

I say that because completely out of the penguin context, it complements anything that you might be doing while you hear it. Each of my two kids relax to it. My son fell asleep to it in the headphones only yesterday. I took it with me for an early morning walk and it brought new majesty to an Idaho sunrise. In fact, it was as though the music assumed the role of Idaho Sunrise. My husband notes that there isn't much variation to it, no sudden changes in tempo and sound level, so he finds it a bit monotonous and repetitive. Perhaps technically it may be lacking, but I find it powerful. Great stuff.

I'm not sure why "March of the Penguins" doesn't show up in amazon's flaky "Movie Showtimes" feature (it's unreliable in terms of locating and tracking art house releases). The only vestige on these pages is this US CD release of the instrumental soundtrack and the corresponding French release under the title of "La Marche de L'Empereur" (and, having seen that, I notice that the US title of the film definitely loses something in translation). Note that the French CD is quite a bit different though, wrapping some of these instrumentals between five or so songs by Emilie Simon.

Like any successful documentary, this film has successfully brought together a brilliant, hard-won story (kudos to the amazing French team who suffered through Antarctic depravations to capture this tale on film), jaw-dropping visuals, and a pitch-perfect auditory companion featuring Alex Wurman's score and Morgan Freeman's narration. Mr. Freeman is indisputably the world's greatest narrator of films, with 'Million Dollar Baby,' 'Shawshank Redemption' and now this film as a unbeatable trinity.