I often say I end up enjoying obscure films from long ago that don't feature any big name actors more than well known films that are praised incessantly, and this is another good instance of this. This century old documentary is about the Scott Expedition to Antarctica, and how a group of brave explorers tried to go where no human had gone until then. The film, recorded by Herbert Ponting, follows the members of the adventure as they set off from New Zealand and try to claim the South Pole for the British Empire. The expedition is led by Robert Falcon Scott, a naval officer who is in command of a ship named the Terra Nova. On their way into the ocean surrounding antarctica, he and his crew encounter an enormous formation of ice dozens of feet tall. This is the Ross Ice Shelf, and is essentially an iceberg the size of France. It is here that all other icebergs originate apparently. After making it to antarctica, they unload food, supplies, dogs and Siberian ponies from the Terra Nova, as these things would be invaluable during the difficulties to come. The film shows footage of a parent seal with its child, and how someone on the ship fires a harpoon gun at a group of orcas in order to protect the seals. Also filmed are penguins and the odd behavior the female ones demonstrate when their husbands don't come back on time: they stand upright and continuously flap their small wings. Scott and the others participate in the southernmost game of football on Earth, and then get on the Terra Nova (which had returned to new zealand for a time) in order to travel to Evans Cove, where they were essentially marooned for months because heavy ice blocked the Terra Nova from picking them up. Late in 1911, Scott and the others set out for the final march towards the south pole, but first, they had to traverse Beardmore Glacier. At about 125 miles in length, it's one of the largest in the world. After ascending it, they continue towards the pole on the 9th of January. Around a week later, Scott and his men finally reached the south pole, only to discover a flag left by rival Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who had beat them by over a month. Scott and the others plant their own flag, then turn south towards home. Although he and others made progress during the first few days, many members of the party were severely frostbitten and several died. Scott and the survivors continued to walk as far south as they were able to, but the horrible weather obscured visibility for miles around, and Scott had to pitch a tent for the last time. Eventually, a search party is sent after them and found the tent containing the frozen corpses of Scott and two others. A cairn was built over the tent (with the bodies still inside) and a cross placed on the summit. Scott is no more, but his fearlessness and determination to explore one of the most hostile and unforgiving places on earth will never be forgotten. This is a great film. The remastered edition that I saw contains a lot of footage that is dyed different colors for some reason, but the real highlight is the soundtrack which consists of a lot of creepy, ambient music. It really does go with the ominous footage of men walking into the unknown landscapes. For miles in every direction, all you can see is frigid nothingness. Although I knew Amundsen's team would ultimately reach the south pole first, I can't imagine the feeling of disappointment Scott and the others must have felt. Imagine travelling in this frozen hell for months on end only to discover you weren't the first to reach your goal. Even though Scott lost his life due to his ambitions, he contributed much to mapping out a place previously thought impassable.
Review of The Great White Silence
