The Secret Land

Missing from the documentary is a convincing explanation of why the Navy undertook Operation Highjump: the task force was hastily assembled from ships that were being demobilized after WW2 and it was hastily dispatched --- if memory serves, one ship was never even able to join the convoy due to operational issues. The official line was that Highjump was designed to test Navy preparedness for high latitude operations against the Soviet Union (as well as surveying parts of Antarctica); if that were actually true, wouldn't the Navy have spent more than a couple of weeks assembling and fitting out craft for the experiment? And why send the submarines and Marine combat soldiers at all? There is a "conspiracy theory" regarding Highjump: that Byrd was investigating a possible Nazi submarine base in "Neuschwabenland" --- the huge Antarctic area claimed by Germany in the late '30s, which includes ice caverns (recently discovered, or rediscovered) that are accessible only by submarine. At any rate, Byrd landed opposite Neuschwabenland and deployed his forces in classic fashion -- the naval contingent was divided and advanced on his flanks while his aircraft probed the center. After two planes were lost (shot down?), Byrd cut the mission short. Strangely, his reports and his personal diary covering the period remain secret to this day.

Telling the story of Byrd's 1946 expedition to Antarctica, this is narrated by Robert Montgomery, who himself had been in the service; this one has a whole buncha hollywood bigshots who had served in the military. Van Heflin, Robert Taylor. We were done with WW II, so now we could move on to exploring more places. We had all those war ships with nothing to do, so thirteen ships took the admiral down to Antarctica. We watch as some of the ships get stuck in the ice; they kidnap various types of seals to bring back to the U.S, set up tent-town on the ice shelf, and send out planes to map the area. Directed by Orville (Bunny !) Dull. last thing he did in hollywood. Pretty interesting for history buffs. Certainly gave the military something to do after being so necessary during WW II. won an oscar.

Although released some 71 years ago in black and white, The Secret Land is a living visual documentary testament of the fortitude of the 4,700 men of the United States Navy, Air Force and Army. This film is delivered under the pretense that the United States was interested in exploring the vastness of the sub zero temperature of Antarctica to map out the land for its minerals and oils and was led by Admiral Byrd's post World War II expedition to Antarctica.

This film is just so interesting from so many perspectives. First, Admiral Byrd was responsible for leading more than a dozen ships, even more planes and helicopters, as well a submarine was also deployed. Unfortunately the submarine was unable to make it through the deep thick glacier ice and the film shows us their audience where it got stuck and how the men pulled it out before it sunk with the 300 men aboard and turn around for safer open water. Secondly the planning of this expedition was completed in about three (3) quick months, and if the over 4,000 men was not significant enough, the huge amount of food, visual and technical equipment, husky dogs, sleds, and tents just added to the expanse of the filming in the Antarctica.

I am a believer in conspiracy theories, and since this documentary type film was made shortly after the end of world War 2, I for one am going to assume that the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Army quickly deployed a fleet of ships, planes and a submarine as well to the Antarctica to counter what other large and competitive foreign countries such as Russia, Germany and maybe even China had already deployed in the Antarctica. Regardless of the real reasons the United States made this film, it is a sight to see if for nothing else but to see these hardy men stepping out on to the plains of the Antarctica with what today would be considered antiques and survive in sub 30 degree weather, day in and day out.

I have watched this film twice now and I am sure to watch it again as it is very impressive both for the cinematography of the cold and vast Antarctica, but also for its historical value of the men and their equipment that they used some 70 years ago. I give this excellent film a 9 out of 10 rating.

The oddly named O. O. Dull's last production is, according to Turner Classic Movies, an "authentic reproduction" of Byrd's 1946-47 expedition to the Antarctic, filled with sharp black-and-white photography and blotchy Technicolor footage, narrated by Robert Montgomery, Robert Taylor, and Van Heflin. This nicely edited documentary has some interesting shots of life aboard the ships and ice packs of Antarctica, and some staged shots of three or four admirals droning their lines. Always fun to look at penguins!

Secret Land, The (1948)

*** (out of 4)

Oscar-winning documentary from MGM takes a look at the dangerous expedition of Admiral Richard E. Byrd and thousands of American soldiers who tried to make it to Antarctica. The documentary, shot in beautiful Technicolor, shows the men leaving America and shows us the constant dangers of exploring one of the most dangerous places in the world (and especially at this point in history). If you're a fan of adventure then you're going to really eat this thing up. The film really plays out like an action film and it contains some pretty good drama as well as some great visuals. I'm really not sure how many cameras MGM sent to capture this footage but we get a lot of great stuff. Everything from the wildlife to a Christmas dinner to even a helicopter crashes into the sea are here for us to see and we get just about everything else that you can think of. One of the more dramatic moments happen towards the end when a plane crashes in the fog and two weeks later they're found alive but they're going to have to walk ten miles to reach a point where someone can get them. Knowing that all of this stuff is real just adds to the entertainment and the Technicolor also adds a lot. Robert Montgomery, Robert Taylor and Van Heflin narrate.