I saw this film in the fall of 2000, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, at the Telluride by the Sea Festival. It was amazingly beautiful. The director fused modern cinematography of the antarctic with old moving pictures taken by the expeditions photographer. The landscape hasn't changed a bit.
This was a stunning piece of work. It would be easy to let the story speak for itself, the survival of all crew members for over a year in inconceivable surroundings. But, these film makers didn't just tell the amazing story, they brought it back to life. Most stories of this ilk are old legend. They are being told by historians and great great grandchildren. This story is laid out before our eyes, in movies shot at the site. It didn't happen all that long ago. 1914, or thereabouts. Their children are alive to tell their tale. It makes you realize that we have come as far as we have come in a very short span of time. All of our technological advances are still very new. Perhaps this would not happen to a crew in the age of cell phones, world wide web, helicopters, survival suites, satellites, etc. But it happened in our century. The century of advancement.
This was a stunning piece of work. It would be easy to let the story speak for itself, the survival of all crew members for over a year in inconceivable surroundings. But, these film makers didn't just tell the amazing story, they brought it back to life. Most stories of this ilk are old legend. They are being told by historians and great great grandchildren. This story is laid out before our eyes, in movies shot at the site. It didn't happen all that long ago. 1914, or thereabouts. Their children are alive to tell their tale. It makes you realize that we have come as far as we have come in a very short span of time. All of our technological advances are still very new. Perhaps this would not happen to a crew in the age of cell phones, world wide web, helicopters, survival suites, satellites, etc. But it happened in our century. The century of advancement.