CRY OF THE PENGUINS is an oddball character study/nature drama starring John Hurt in one of his more youthful performances. The first half is a quirky romance-cum-character study involving Hurt's eccentric academic and his interactions with various characters. Unfortunately he plays a completely unlikeable kind of character who sexually assaults love interest Hayley Mills in an early scene, so he's not exactly an endearing protagonist; I would have preferred Dudley Sutton as the lead in any case. Anyway, the film becomes much more interesting when the action shifts to Antarctica and Hurt's character undergoes a great deal of change. The penguin footage is engaging, the action understandable, the understated ending working nicely to close things.
Review of Cry of the Penguins
