Track Listing

1. Harshest Place on Earth
2. Walk Not Alone
3. March
4. Found Love
5. Egg Arrives
6. Mothers' Second Journey
7. Arrival at the Sea
8. Walk Through Darkness
9. First Steps
10. Dangers Remain
11. Reunited
12. Going Home for the First Time

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9214 in Music
• Brand: Score
• Released on: 2005-07-12
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Original language: English, French
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.com
The journey of this documentary from the country where it was made, France, to America is almost as circuitous as the one taken by its titular birds on their trip across Antartica. In France, various actors voiced the penguins, giving them anthropomorphic qualities; but this approach didn't test well in the U.S., and it was replaced with a voiceover from Morgan Freeman. In France, the soundtrack to La Marche de L'Empereur (the original title) was done by Émilie Simon and it's a wonder of quirky, poppy electronics--definitely not what you'd expect from an animal doc.

Simon's music was scratched for the U.S. version, which gets a rather more generic score by Alex Wurman. Typical of Wurman's low-key approach, the track "The Harshest Place on Earth" is anything but harsh. It's a lullaby predictably punctuated by piano and flute--the go-to instruments when Hollywood composers want to evoke feel-good uplift. There's a lot of drama in March of the Penguins, but little has made it onto this CD. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

About the Artist
Composer Alex Wurman credits his wide range of composition styles to his early classical training, a lifelong love of jazz and an expert knowledge of the most advanced technology. In "March of the Penguins," Wurman has musically captured both nature's beautify and its harsh trials of the polar winter. In addition, Wurman's emotional score is magically weaved within the rich soulful voice of Morgan Freeman, narrator of the film.

Customer Reviews

Best of 2005 - Perfect: Joe Hisaishi meets Michael Stearns meets Hans Zimmer
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.

Absolutely BRILLIANT!
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.

Exquisite Soundtrack
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.