Have you ever wished to glide above the clouds, to soar among the birds? If you've ever thought that it'd be nice to simply take off into the open air and migrate thousands of miles to a better climate, then this is the film you've been waiting for. 'Le Peuple migrateur (2001)' {released in the US as 'Winged Migration' and in UK and Australia as 'The Travelling Birds'} is basically one of the most awe-inspiring documentaries you will ever see, a beautiful and poetic meditation on the magnificence of avian flight. If you're interested in learning everything that there is to know about birds, then David Attenborough's classic series, "The Life of Birds (1998)" might be a more satisfying option, because this film certainly doesn't bother itself with science or educational tidbits. The narration in the film is minimal {in fact, its complete removal wouldn't have been detrimental in the least}, and so the audience is left in peace, to sit back and absorb themselves in the images presented on screen. Those with a phobia of flying need not apply.Many people tend to feel somewhat cheated when they finish the film, only to be informed that those magnificent shots of soaring birds were largely filmed with tame animals. I suppose that there's a certain trade-off that must be made, since it would have been absolutely impossible for this footage to have been taken in the company of wild birds. Rather, it pays to consider the unimaginable months of patience and planning that were required for the filming of the documentary: over a period of four years, the filmmakers raised several species – including storks, geese and pelicans – from birth, and trained them to feel comfortable flying alongside the crew members, who filmed from ultralights, paragliders and hot-air balloons. In any case, the 'The Travelling Birds' never pretends to be a fully-authentic documentary, weaving together a very loose narrative and various openly-contrived scenarios {including a bird becoming trapped in an oil slick and a caged Amazonian parrot cunningly escaping into freedom}, designed to highlight the film's subtext of environmental conservation.The film's most powerful moment is also its most shocking and devastating, as the directors juxtapose images of peace and tranquility with the horror of the duck-hunting season. What makes the scene particularly overwhelming is that we have followed these birds for thousands of miles north, and then back again, and to think that their entire journey has been rendered void in a matter of seconds is a miserable thought. Nevertheless, aside from the occasional moment of avian adversity {I was relieved to hear that the filmmakers rescued the straggling tern from the hungry crabs}, the aerial footage of the migrating birds is among some of the most awe-inspiring pieces of documentary film-making that you'll ever see, and, without exaggerating, my jaw must have dropped at least twenty times throughout the course of the film. You'll cross seven continents, travel thousands of miles and observe countless beautiful and fascinating species of bird, their every move captured in extraordinary detail.

Just saw this on Animal Planet.... Not many films I'll sit through start to finish on commercial television. This one was so worth the aggravation of a commercial break or two.Simply amazing. Had to research the director to find out how he managed such magnificent camera work. Methods were surprising. But it all served to great ends. The film is so moving and inspiring. I found myself wanting to join Green Peace or the Audubon Society afterward.Any film that brings man closer to nature to appreciate the world around us all is a magnificent feat indeed. If more people demanded this kind of entertainment the world would be a better place.This film is now one of my top 10 favorites of all time.RECOMMENDED HIGHLY

Here is a beautifully-filmed documentary on the migration of birds. This movie took four years to make, and one can see why. You cannot get much closer, I would think, to the flying birds than what you see here. Cameras were literally attached to some of the birds so you, the viewer, are up there in the sky right with these (mainly) geese as they migrant thousands of miles.The colors are beautiful and the sound is good. However, be warned there is no dialog so it can be tough viewing the whole 90 minutes in one sitting. Also, I found the best and most interesting footage at the beginning.Nevertheless, this is a good addition to anyone's collection if or no other reason than the magnificent photography and the effort filmmakers put out to make this wildlife documentary. It also is interesting how they show different species every few minutes, where they go each year, how many miles they travel, the exact route, etc. Wildlife and bird-lovers in particular, should love this film.

4 stars for nice visuals, but there is no more content than just the visuals.There are two scenes in the film: (1) Birds flying in the air, and (2) Birds being on the ground. Some of the scenes are cute, but you'd see the same stuff on a TV series like "America's Funniest Animals".It does have some very beautiful scenes of the birds flying, but the filming technique got old for me after half an hour.I don't even know why they included birds in this film. This film was basically about the remote-controlled miniature helicopter that captured all the beautiful shots of our planet.The narrator says about 10 lines in this movie. And after this documentary was over, I asked myself, "Does this narrator even know anything about birds or did he just want to show off his nifty remote-controlled miniature helicopter???" I think he didn't know much about birds. He only says one sentence every ten minutes, and it's something like "This is the bald eagle, it flies from point A to point B." Thanks for the information, Mr. Boring Narrator. I would have scored this higher if it actually had some interesting information about the birds, but the narrator didn't seem to have any at all.The only saving grace for this movie, in my opinion, would be if they handed over the filmwork to someone who knows about birds, and then have them narrate it. Then re-release it.My dictionary has this definition for documentary: "A work, such as a film or television program, presenting political, social, or historical subject matter in a factual and informative manner and often consisting of actual news films or interviews accompanied by narration." This movie falls well short in the "informative" area.