The purpose of documentary film, which is a non-fictional motion picture, is to showcase reality and to maintain historical record. It also intents to provide instructions and education. One of the most popular subgenres of documentary filmmaking deals with nature.
Over the years, many film makers and directors have made several captivating nature documentaries. However, some of them are not only timeless but are a testament of living on Earth. On that note, here is a list of brilliant documentaries for enthusiasts of nature and life on planet Earth.
March of the Penguins
Released in 2005, March of the Penguins is a French documentary directed and co-written by Luc Jacquet. This 1 hour 25 minute long documentary showcases the journey of the emperor penguins of Antarctica. Antarctician emperor penguins take a year to complete their journey. Within the year, these creatures leave their natural habitat, i.e., the ocean, and move inland, to expand their population.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the synopsis of March of the Penguins reads, “At the end of each Antarctic summer, the emperor penguins of the South Pole journey to their traditional breeding grounds in a fascinating mating ritual that is captured in this documentary by intrepid filmmaker Luc Jacquet.”
It further continues, “The journey across frozen tundra proves to be the simplest part of the ritual, as after the egg is hatched, the female must delicately transfer it to the male and make her way back to the distant sea to nourish herself and bring back food to her newborn chick.”
The producers of March of the Penguins are Yves Darondeau, Christophe Lioud and Emmanuel Priou. In 2006, it bagged the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
Planet Earth
The British TV series Planet Earth was released in 2006. It took five years to execute this project and was considered one of the most expensive nature documentaries ever made. Consisting of 11 episodes, the documentary won four Emmys, a Peabody Award, and an award from the Royal Television Society. The narrator of the original version was David Attenborough.
Planet Earth showcased a variety of habitats on Earth. It also got a six-part sequel in 2016, titled Planet Earth II. Aside from that, this year also saw the release of Planet Earth III.
IMDb released the synopsis of Planet Earth. It reads, “A documentary series on the wildlife found on Earth. Each episode covers a different habitat: deserts, mountains, deep oceans, shallow seas, forests, caves, polar regions, fresh water, plains and jungles. Narrated by David Attenborough.”
Alastair Fothergill was the producer of this nature documentary series.
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet
Narrated by David Attenborough, the British documentary film David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet was released in 2020. The film showcases the narrator’s concern for our planet due to repeated exploitation of its resources by human beings. Furthermore, Attenborough comments on the future of life on Earth.
As per IMDb, the synopsis of David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet reads, “One man has seen more of the natural world than any other. This unique feature documentary is his witness statement.”
Alastair Fothergill, Jonnie Hughes, and Keith Scholey directed David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet.
