A good historical film which was put together very well .I know the story but it was good to see it made in this way .It really showed the extreams that the explorers had to go through in order to survive.
16 Reviews
Shackletons Captain
a-2948812 April 2021
Interesting Real Life Story
mehlikaozdemir25 August 2020
Interesting real life story told in a mixed way of documentary and film. The acting and movie plot is sub par while the documentary quality is high: the scholars giving information and the real film and photographs from the story make it worth watching.
A different view
brockfal11 March 2022
This excellent made for TV drama-documentary retell's the story of Shackleton's legendary 1915/16 expedition to the Antarctic but from the viewpoint of the captain of Endurance, Frank Worsley. It is, perhaps justifiably, a bit negative about Shackleton, but in any case you can't fail to be awed once more by the guys involved and the feats achieved. It's all rather well done, mixing Frank Hurleys images contemporary interviews and dramatic reconstructions well.
I am in awe of all these men
robertguttman13 July 2020
I read about Shackleton's expedition many years ago. Having spent 30 years going to sea, and having experienced some pretty terrible conditions, I am still in awe of these individuals. Worsley's feats of navigation in getting the expedition to Elephant Island, as well as the subsequent voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia stand among the greatest achievements in the history of navigation. As if that weren't enough, the men followed that up by crossing the island of South Georgia on foot, something which no one had ever done before, with nothing but a length of rope and a carpenter's adze. I don't know how they made it, except that they simply knew that failure was not an option. Although the movie centers on Captain Frank Worsley, these were all truly iron men, of a sort whose like we shall never see again. For example, First Mate Frank Wilde deserves a tremendous amount of credit for keeping the shipwrecked survivors on Elephant Island alive for over four months, during which they had no idea whether rescue was ever going to come. And, of course, although the film plays down Shackleton's contributions in favor of Worsley's, it was Shackleton who was the supreme leader, "The Boss", who held everyone together throughout the entire ordeal.
This is one of the most incredible true stories you will ever see. If anyone ever wrote this story as a work of fiction, no publisher would ever accept it because they would consider it too far removed from realm of possibility. However, this all actually happened just the way it is depicted here. They even brought back the pictures to prove it, thanks to the expedition's photographer, Frank Hurley. This film will make Hollywood action-adventure movies seem tame by comparison.
This is one of the most incredible true stories you will ever see. If anyone ever wrote this story as a work of fiction, no publisher would ever accept it because they would consider it too far removed from realm of possibility. However, this all actually happened just the way it is depicted here. They even brought back the pictures to prove it, thanks to the expedition's photographer, Frank Hurley. This film will make Hollywood action-adventure movies seem tame by comparison.
Outstanding Docudrama!
jason-21010 November 2018
An outstanding docudrama which tells the true story of the Shackleton adventure from the perspective of Captain Worsley, the captain of Shackleton's ship "Endurance". The film gives us an accurate, rather than a popular sensationalist account, of the adventure in which Shackleton is revealed to be not as big a hero as he has been made out to be. Here we learn through a gripping portrayal of how the survival of the stranded adventurers depended on the skill and judgement of Captain Worsley, rather than Shackleton; and that Shackleton himself showed poor judgement in undertaking the expedition in the first place, given the pack-ice conditions. The filming combines contemporary footage and dramatised reconstructions with interviews of writers, mountaineers and other experts in the field. The narration is achieved through a dramatised portrayal of Captain Worsley giving a lecture to a small audience at a club in the 1920s, in the calm manner of an English gentleman. The information presented is accurate and great attention is given to the visual details using CGI in a subtle but highly effective way. The casting is spot on and the acting is excellent.
Excellent movie
vturnbull6 June 2012
This film is very well done! We watched this in NZ while visiting there, and thought it was brilliant.
History not many of us hear about!! Being a true story added even more to the feeling of the plot line and the tension as Shakelton was attempting to save the crew. The acting was extremely good, and the sets very realistic. I especially liked the attention to detail of the period costumes during the lecture.
As a Canadian, who has experienced it, the cold was portrayed brilliantly.
Frank Worsely himself is an unknown hero to most of us for his saving of the crew, and the crew's ability to maintain relative calm while stranded for 2 months while awaiting word as to what Worsely and Shakelton had or had not accomplished in their attempt to save them is a major storyline unto itself.
Everyone we were with, as Canadians, felt the same way as we did. We hope the feature films in Canada for two reasons. 1. To allow people to learn about this adventure. 2. Be proud of a Canadian born filmmaker who is doing so well in NZ.
History not many of us hear about!! Being a true story added even more to the feeling of the plot line and the tension as Shakelton was attempting to save the crew. The acting was extremely good, and the sets very realistic. I especially liked the attention to detail of the period costumes during the lecture.
As a Canadian, who has experienced it, the cold was portrayed brilliantly.
Frank Worsely himself is an unknown hero to most of us for his saving of the crew, and the crew's ability to maintain relative calm while stranded for 2 months while awaiting word as to what Worsely and Shakelton had or had not accomplished in their attempt to save them is a major storyline unto itself.
Everyone we were with, as Canadians, felt the same way as we did. We hope the feature films in Canada for two reasons. 1. To allow people to learn about this adventure. 2. Be proud of a Canadian born filmmaker who is doing so well in NZ.
Amazing Adventure Documentary Drama
Turnbull06316 May 2012
I was in Germany and caught this on television. Even though my German is pretty average I really enjoyed it. I hope it ends up on television in Canada so I can watch it again in English. It was everything a great adventure story should be; exciting, frightening, moving and inspirational. The balance of documentary alongside drama was perfect. I'd known a little bit about Shackleton himself but nothing about his Captain. Typical that we never hear about the people who were behind the front-man. This story really made you think about what a hero is and what it takes to keep going when all seems lost. If it wasn't a true story there is no way I would have believed it. I enjoyed the way the programme was put together as well, with the Captain telling the story himself. I thought this was an interesting way to make a documentary seem more personal. All and all it was a ripper of a yarn and anyone who is interested in sailing will really love it.
Inspiring!
grapes-389-6698615 June 2012
I saw this movie on TV in New Zealand. It is the most incredible story. I didn't really know anything about it and now I don't know why everyone in NZ isn't aware of this incredible Kiwi. This movie explains that while the explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton was a great leader, without Frank Worsley he may have been just another dead English explorer. I love to sail and I was in awe of what Worsley achieved. The journey on the lifeboat must be one of the great sailing journeys of all time. Anyone who is into yachting should see this film. Aside from anything else it is incredible to see what these men endure. Just inspiring that they could keep going. The movie itself is really great it mixes old footage, with interviews and scenes with actors. I was pulled into the story and by the end I was actually cold. I thought Craig Parker who played Frank Worsley was wonderful.
Pathetic Rewrite of History
sehanley23 May 2020
Where to start? The quasi movie-documentary is so far off in its OPINION of Shackleton it is laughable.
Who raised the funds to finance the effort? -Shackleton
By the way there is incredible pressure to deliver on your expedition when you are funded by "free money".
Who begged the King of England to allow his men to serve in WWI rather than complete the expedition? - Shackleton
By the way there is life and death pressure to deliver on your expedition when your country men are dying by the tens of thousands in war.
The movie completely lacks context, has no basis in fact on Shackleton's character and turns the opinion of fat, haggard arm chair experts of our current day into fact.
If you want to understand why the story of the Endurance and Shackleton have been referred to by millions as THE EXAMPLE of how failure can be success, watch the PBS series of the the topic instead. If you want a "modern snowflake" revision of history, watch this garbage.
Who raised the funds to finance the effort? -Shackleton
By the way there is incredible pressure to deliver on your expedition when you are funded by "free money".
Who begged the King of England to allow his men to serve in WWI rather than complete the expedition? - Shackleton
By the way there is life and death pressure to deliver on your expedition when your country men are dying by the tens of thousands in war.
The movie completely lacks context, has no basis in fact on Shackleton's character and turns the opinion of fat, haggard arm chair experts of our current day into fact.
If you want to understand why the story of the Endurance and Shackleton have been referred to by millions as THE EXAMPLE of how failure can be success, watch the PBS series of the the topic instead. If you want a "modern snowflake" revision of history, watch this garbage.
Outstanding retelling of the Shackleton story, with lots of original film and images
richardspritz25 May 2020
I know this story intimately, and I was a member of the National Geographic 2016 Shackleton Centennial South Georgia Expedition. This is an easy-to-watch retelling from the viewpoint of Frank Worsley, Captain of the Endurance. Lots of original film and photos. After you watch this, then read Shackleton's expedition book 'South'. How these guys survived is beyond my imagination!
If this were fiction...
gesges-1349120 June 2020
...you would never believe it. You would roll your eyes and complain about how ridiculous a story it was. Truly an unbelievable survival story. I've read about this Shackleton expedition before but this gives another angle on the story. Well worth watching.
They don't make them like this anymore...
archcarlospereira13 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
...the people, portrayed in the movie. It is certainly an interesting viewpoint from someone supporting the project sponsor. Same as any other business, if you wish to succeed, you need to surround yourself with people who can help you do this. The sponsor failed in his project, which we all learned about in school, but all the men who took part in it, were not losers, far from it. It was sad to see the closure information before the end credits, where some of these hardy Antarctic survivors didn't make it past the end of the war, that had started and overtaken them, while they were struggling for their lives in the icy desert.
The story behind another's "fame".
donm5221 May 2020
Capt. Frank Worsley of New Zealand deserves as much if not more recognition than his employer, Sir Ernest Shackleton in regards to the latter's Imperial Trans-Arctic Expedition. What Capt. Worsley accomplished on more than one occasion borders on miraculous. This docu-drama is enhanced with the outstanding work of Australian expedition photographer Frank Hurley. He managed to save numerous stills and silent film footage that speak to the conditions that the crew of "Endurance" had to exist in, or die. Well done production!
Worsley and his ball-and-chain, Shackleton
lindasue-5013321 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
(I dunno, I've indicated they are spoilers, but can you have spoilers for historical events?)
Excellent movie! A well-balanced story using a bit of documentary information, good reenactment, and wonderful archival film footage.
I know only the most basic information about Shackleton, I'm not interested in sailing, I'm not interested in explorers (mainly because they screw up anything that they find), and I'm not any more interested in Antarctica then I am in any other part of the world, and I'm passionate about the world...and somehow this is the second movie about Antarctica in as many weeks that I've seen! The other one being the Korean fiction movie, Antarctic Journal.
However, I love history, I do like biographies, and I always enjoy archival footage. I despise mega-egos (Shackleton), so I knew that would be my biggest hurdle in being able to stick with this.
The great lesson here is that we see that nothing changes in the workplace: "the boss" will do it their way regardless of what experts tell them, even if they have selected those experts themselves! Folly then, as it is now.
Excellent case in point: when they leave Elephant Island, Shackleton determines to go with them. I question the morality of that decision, but then his colossal ego is spotlighted when he says he has no knowledge whatsoever of small boats. A dead weight, in other words. I'm sure he had no interest in staying on the island (who would??) and no doubt he would want to look like the golden boy if and when he came back with the rescue party. In this entire story, Worsley is the hero, Shackleton is his ball and chain.
I'm not sure if the exemplary behaviour from this team is something we would see nowadays, with a typical lack of manners (here in North America, anyway) and the age of self-entitlement. That exemplary behaviour alone probably went an extraordinarily long way to saving them.
I'm cutting the shipbuilder some slack... Shackleton really deserved to have a mutiny. He was lucky it didn't pan out.
Excellent movie, so many things to commend it... just try to ignore ES's gigantic head.
Excellent movie! A well-balanced story using a bit of documentary information, good reenactment, and wonderful archival film footage.
I know only the most basic information about Shackleton, I'm not interested in sailing, I'm not interested in explorers (mainly because they screw up anything that they find), and I'm not any more interested in Antarctica then I am in any other part of the world, and I'm passionate about the world...and somehow this is the second movie about Antarctica in as many weeks that I've seen! The other one being the Korean fiction movie, Antarctic Journal.
However, I love history, I do like biographies, and I always enjoy archival footage. I despise mega-egos (Shackleton), so I knew that would be my biggest hurdle in being able to stick with this.
The great lesson here is that we see that nothing changes in the workplace: "the boss" will do it their way regardless of what experts tell them, even if they have selected those experts themselves! Folly then, as it is now.
Excellent case in point: when they leave Elephant Island, Shackleton determines to go with them. I question the morality of that decision, but then his colossal ego is spotlighted when he says he has no knowledge whatsoever of small boats. A dead weight, in other words. I'm sure he had no interest in staying on the island (who would??) and no doubt he would want to look like the golden boy if and when he came back with the rescue party. In this entire story, Worsley is the hero, Shackleton is his ball and chain.
I'm not sure if the exemplary behaviour from this team is something we would see nowadays, with a typical lack of manners (here in North America, anyway) and the age of self-entitlement. That exemplary behaviour alone probably went an extraordinarily long way to saving them.
I'm cutting the shipbuilder some slack... Shackleton really deserved to have a mutiny. He was lucky it didn't pan out.
Excellent movie, so many things to commend it... just try to ignore ES's gigantic head.
A Prelude to Space Exploration in Years to Come - Amazing
dgorie26 March 2021
I rarely write reviews so this will be brief, but this is more than a movie. Its a story that evokes your imagination in the same way that a good book does. Sure the computer generated effects aren't the best but wow what a tale. The old photos a film FROM OVER 100 YEARS AGO merged with actors and CGI tell a tale of human spirit and endurance. Simply put the great reviews aren't about the movie at all - more about the true tale of how strong humans are. In maybe 1000 years (give or take a few 100) our ancestors will watch a similar tale about space exploration!
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