March of the Penguins

I finally watched March of the Penguins, but--lots of cute baby penguins and all--I wouldn't show that film to a kid. The bit with the leopard seal was legitimately nightmare fodder. I'm a grown-ass adult and I'm not ashamed to admit that scared the crap out of me. I've always been afraid of deep water with large creatures in it, and I find leopard seals more terrifying than sharks. They're smarter--they have personalities. And I was also completely aware as I was watching it that the film crew was risking their lives getting that footage--leopard seals have killed photographers before.

Through the whole thing, I couldn't help thinking of the Scott expedition, and how a few of them nearly died hiking out to the penguin rookery to see exactly this. And though technologies have changed, and we have a much greater understanding and better materials to fight the cold, I'm under no illusions as to just how dangerous this was to film. Holy crap.

And, of course, cute baby penguins.