The Flight of the Condor: Ice, Wind and Fire
(1982)
An epic portrayal of the Andean landscape, The Flight of the Condor: Ice, Wind and Fire celebrates the sheer majesty of this massive area. Shown as part of the BBC’s The World About Us strand, the production travels from snow-capped peaks to storm-beaten rocks, providing a glimpse of the intriguing wildlife this diverse land supports.
Highly memorable due to its distinctive soundtrack, the beauty and isolation of the surroundings is brought to life by the haunting Latin American Folk music of the award-winning Chilean band Inti-Illimani.
A thorough and impressive account of this immense ecosystem, writer and producer Michael Andrews spent eighteen months in the Andes with award-winning cameramen Martin Saunders, Hugh Miles and Rodger Jackman, filming this three part series. Staggering cinematography details the abundance of life the range supports, from close-ups of leeches on the forest floor to oppossums and guanacos foraging in the undergrowth.
Andean condors gracefully soar overhead, one of the largest birds in the world with a wingspan of over 3m, powerful panoramic footage leaves you in no doubt they are the perfect symbol for these colossal mountains.
Martin Saunders
