Earth (2007 film)

Earth (2007 film). *Earth* is a 2007 nature documentary film that serves as a feature-length version of the acclaimed BBC television series Planet Earth. Narrated by Patrick Stewart for its original British release and by James Earl Jones for the North American market, the film chronicles the epic migration stories of three animal families across the planet's diverse biomes over the course of a year. A major international co-production between the BBC Natural History Unit, Greenlight Media, and the Discovery Channel, it was a significant commercial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing nature documentaries of its time.

Plot

The narrative follows three primary animal families as they undertake perilous journeys driven by seasonal change. A polar bear family emerges from their Arctic den in Svalbard as the sun returns, with the father embarking on a desperate hunt across melting sea ice. In the Kalahari Desert, a herd of African elephants, led by a matriarch, undertakes a grueling trek to the waters of the Okavango Delta, facing threats from lion prides and extreme drought. Simultaneously, a humpback whale mother and her calf migrate from tropical breeding grounds near the Equator to the rich feeding waters of the Antarctic, navigating a 4,000-mile ocean route. The film interweaves these stories with spectacular sequences of other wildlife, including the dramatic great white shark predation on Cape fur seals in South Africa and the vast flocks of demoiselle cranes crossing the Himalayas.

Production

The film was directed by Alastair Fothergill, who also co-produced with Mark Linfield, both veterans of the BBC Natural History Unit. It was compiled from over 1,000 hours of footage originally shot for the Planet Earth series, which utilized groundbreaking technology like the Cineflex aerial gyro-stabilized camera system for unprecedented steady shots from helicopters. Additional filming, specifically for the theatrical release, was conducted over five years across more than 200 locations in 64 countries. The score was composed by George Fenton and performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker. The production was a complex international partnership, primarily financed by the BBC, German-based Greenlight Media, and the Discovery Channel.

Release

The film premiered in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2007, distributed by BBC Worldwide. Its North American release was handled by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures under its Disneynature label, opening on Earth Day, April 22, 2009, with narration by James Earl Jones. This release strategy aligned with the launch of the Disneynature film division. The film was also released in numerous other international markets, including Germany and France, and was subsequently made available on DVD and Blu-ray. A companion book, also titled *Earth*, was published by BBC Books.

Reception

*Earth* received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its breathtaking cinematography and emotional narrative focus, though some noted it felt like a condensed version of the television series. It performed exceptionally well at the box office, grossing over $109 million worldwide against a $47 million budget. The film won the Genesis Award for Best Documentary Feature and was nominated for a Cinema for Peace Award. Critical analysis often compared it to other successful nature documentaries like March of the Penguins and the work of David Attenborough, cementing its place in the popular revival of the theatrical nature film genre in the 2000s.

Themes and analysis

The film's central theme is the relentless and precarious struggle for survival driven by planetary cycles, emphasizing the profound impact of climate change and seasonal transformation. It anthropomorphizes its animal subjects to build emotional narratives, a technique common in documentaries from the BBC Natural History Unit, to engage a broad audience. Ecocritical analysis highlights the film's depiction of environmental fragility, particularly in the Arctic sequences showing the polar bear's hunting challenges due to receding ice. The structure, following the sun's annual journey from the Arctic to the Antarctic, presents a holistic view of Earth as an interconnected system, while the narration by figures like Patrick Stewart lends a sense of epic grandeur and urgency to the natural world's processes.

Category:2007 films Category:British documentary films Category:Nature documentary films Category:Films about the environment Category:Films scored by George Fenton