Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | The Fix
The penguins went marching on: Not only is bird documentary “March of the Penguins” now officially the highest U.S.-grossing French film of all time (taking the spot formerly held by Luc Besson’s “The Fifth Element”), it has also become a darling of conservative cultural commentators. As the New York Times writes, “Conservative groups have turned its stirring depiction of the mating ordeals of emperor penguins into an unexpected battle anthem in the culture wars.” Among a number of other conservative and Christian critics who praised its family values, Michael Medved said it’s “the motion picture this summer that most passionately affirms traditional norms like monogamy, sacrifice and child rearing.” Rich Lowry, editor of National Review, speaking at a gathering of young Republicans, said: “You have to check out ‘March of the Penguins.’ It is an amazing movie. And I have to say, penguins are the really ideal example of monogamy. These things — the dedication of these birds is just amazing.” The film’s director, Luc Jaquet, is pretty laid-back about the whole thing, saying only, “My intention was to tell the story in the most simple and profound way and to leave it open to any reading.” (BBC, New York Times)
The monogamy angle works only up to a point because if you watched the movie, although the penguins only have one partner during the mating season, they find a totally different one next season.