I therefore looked forward with huge anticipation to watching South and the footage shot by Frank Hurley. However, what was assembled - presumably with the help of Shackleton himself - is a fairly tame tale of good old British comradeship and a lot of uninteresting footage of various birds and animals.

Perhaps all of this was interesting and new and in the spirit of the age back in 1919. But having read Lancing's book in particular, it seems unworthy of such an epic adventure. My recommendation is to not just rely on the film to understand how the events unfolded back in 1914/15 but to read more comprehensive accounts. Shakleton and his men were truly quite heroic!


The restored 1919 documentary by Frank Hurley   November 3, 2004
 20 out of 20 found this review helpful

With the recent two-part television movie of "Shackleton," there should be renewed interest in this documentary feature. "South: Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition" is Frank Hurley's 1919 film record restored in 199 by the British Film Institute. Quite simply, this is the historic film record of the now famous survival story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance taken by Australian cinematographer and documentararian Frank Hurley, who accompanied the expedition on the first leg of its voyage from Buenos Aires to the Antarctica. It is still absolutely amazing to see the actual film of the Endurance, trapped and being crushed by the ice flow. The details of what happened after that always seem to pale in consideration of the fact that not a single one of the crew lost their lives. The only disappointment is that because Hurley stayed behind on South Georgia to await rescue while Shackleton and a small group traveled by small boat 800 miles to find help, the last part of the film becomes more of a nature documentary. But then, reality is like that sometime. Hurley's amazing film has been restored with its original, intended tinting, and a new piano score (uncredited). This DVD includes audio commentary by the British Film Institute's Luke McKernan and an excerpt from "Southward on the Quest." My understanding is that the British version runs 81 minutes. Hurley's original working title for this film was "Endurance," but when it was released in known as "In the Grip of Polar Ice" in Australia and "Shackleton's Expedition to the Antarctic" in the UK. Clearly, any one interested in the story of the Endurance Expedition is going to want to Hurley's unforgettable documentary.


Priceless   September 22, 2003
 26 out of 26 found this review helpful

I couldn't bear to give this less than five stars after everything expedition photographer Frank Hurley went through. The film from Shackleton's expedition is wonderful glimpse into a past age, and Hurley's daring efforts provide some awesome and dramatic images. The last twenty minutes or so is of little interest to the modern viewer as it consists mainly of wildlife film of South Georgia - fascinating to the public in 1919 perhaps but far surpassed by more recent work.
The commentary adds greatly to the disc, pointing out many details that might otherwise be missed, such as Shackleton in the background of one shot, evidently in a grumpy mood and kicking a dog.
Curiously, some of the most interesting film is in the 'deleted scenes' section - the crew playing football on the ice, and playing with the dogs - being unedited, these scenes have a greater feeling of naturalness and spontanaiety than the film itself.
Also on the disc are a few scenes that appear to record a whaling voyage, though there are no notes or commentary to accompany these pieces so I can only guess.
Anyone interested in the history of polar exploration hardly needs me to recommend this. I hope the BFI follow it up with Ponting's '90 Degrees South', from Scott's last expedition.