Shackleton

I have only just finished watching this compelling two parter. I have previously been a fan of the Scott of the Antarctic story and the John Mills film of the same; I was apprehensive of the outcome of this made for TV version.

However, the result was superb. The acting , cast and script matched the quatilty of the original tale. An epic true human story of Endurance, deserved to be well presented and it was. You can only be left in awe of the men who took part in the original incident. Treat yourself to this if you have not already seen it, but wear some warm clothing, you feel the chill of the realism - I loved it. 10/10

This is a worthy drama, relating in reasonably accurate terms, the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton's expedition to the Antarctic in 1914/16. Ironically, though this expedition failed, it probably gained more fame for its leader than if it had succeeded. Amundsen had already reached the South Pole in 1912; and Scott had tragically perished with his colleagues in the same year; so Shackleton's aim was not just to reach the Pole, but to cross the continent. But his ship, the Endurance, got stuck in the pack-ice and eventually went down. Shackleton's fame rests on his untiring efforts to lead his team of about 30 men to safety, which after two years he finally did - not a man was lost.

Kenneth Branagh, who physically resembles Shackleton, plays the man in full British hero mode, though at the same time he displays his human side, and the obsessive streak which drove him first to organise the expedition in the face of much opposition; and then to make a priority of saving himself and his men, when the Antarctic crossing became impossible. It was as though Shackleton could feel the ghost of Scott urging him on.

Much of the first of the film's two parts is taken up with Shackleton's private life; not only do we meet his wife Emily (Phoebe Nicholls) and children, but his mistress Rosalind Chetwynd (Embeth Davidtz), and his brother Frank (Mark Tandy) who embarrassingly was serving a gaol term for an unconnected fraud while Shackleton was trying to raise money for his venture. But most of all in the first episode, we learn how difficult it was for Shackleton to convince private sponsors and organisations like the Royal Geographical Society to support him.

The expedition itself is covered in the second part, when we see how after the Endurance became stuck, the team had to camp on the ice for months before rowing 800 miles in small boats, to Elephant Island. From there, Shackleton with a few others sailed, again in a small boat, to South Georgia. Even then, he had to scale and descend a difficult mountain to reach help. We then cut to the rescue of the men on Elephant Island, and we are informed only via voice-over that this eventual rescue was achieved only at the fourth attempt. It would have been more satisfying to see some of this final portion of the tale related in visuals, with some of the preliminary scenes in the first episode being cut - but production and budgetary considerations probably played a part in this.

All the acting is of a high order; but particular mention should be made of Matt Day in the key role of Frank Hurly, the Australian photographer (who shot both stills and moving film); and Ken Drury as McNish, the carpenter, the one man to argue with Shackleton about his plans and actions. Much of the action was shot in the snow and ice of Greenland and Iceland, but in the event not as much as was originally planned, and on occasion the transition from location to studio shots is apparent.(See the TV documentary - Shackleton: Breaking the Ice - about the making of the film.) Nevertheless, the film as a whole is convincing, exciting and at times moving.

The true story of Shackleton's 1914 Endurance expedition to the South Pole, and his heroic fight to lead his twenty-eight man crew to safety after his ship was crushed in the pack ice . On the brink of death , key expedition members carry out extreme courage as their only weapon.

Nice and breathtaking miniseries formed by two long episodes , shot in enough budget . It contains great production design, spectacular scenes and notorious as well as charming British actors. However , the film relies heavily on the complex relationships between Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton/Kenneth Branagh , his wife/Phoebe Nicholls and lover/ Embeth Davidtz . The movie gives engaging messages about fraternity, comradeship, compassion, forgiveness, love, courage and struggle for life . Including a lot of flashbacks and helping of the footage and still photos shot on the expedition. Shackelton is pretty well portrayed as the magnificent leader that he was, but is not presented as an infallible genius. He was a man who demonstrated extraordinary qualities in difficult circumstances, and he was a man who understood the burden of his leadership and the importance for getting his men home safely . Kenneth Branagh as Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton gives a very good acting . He is well accompanied by a fine plethora of Englsih players such as Corin Redgrave , Nicholas Rowe , Shaun Dooley , Kevin McNally , John Grillo , Mark Williams , Joseph Long , Mark Tandy , Robert Hardy , among others .This mini-series was written and directed by Charles Sturridge . He directed FairyTale: A True Story (1997) , A handful of dust , The scapegoat , Brideshead revisited (1981) ,Runners . And has directed various episodes , miniseries and Telefilms as Gulliver's Travels , Longitude ,The spoils of war , World in Action ,The Road to Coronation Street , Churchill's Secret , Cormoran strike , Crown Court , The Storyteller , Marcella , Sandition , Da Vinci's Demons , and several others

The miniseries finely based on historical facts , adding more remarks , these are the following ones : Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 - 5 January 1922) was a British polar explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Kilkea, County Kildare, Ireland, Shackleton and his Anglo-Irish family moved to Sydenham in suburban south London when he was ten. His first experience of the polar regions was as third officer on Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery expedition of 1901-1904, from which he was sent home early on health grounds, after he and his companions Scott and Edward Adrian Wilson set a new southern record by marching to latitude 82°S. During the Nimrod expedition of 1907-1909, he and three companions established a new record Farthest South latitude at 88°S, only 97 geographical miles from the South Pole, the largest advance to the pole in exploration history. Also, members of his team climbed Mount Erebus, the most active Antarctic volcano. For these achievements, Shackleton was knighted by King Edward VII on his return home. After the race to the South Pole ended in December 1911, with Roald Amundsen's conquest, Shackleton turned his attention to the crossing of Antarctica from sea to sea, via the pole. To this end, he made preparations for what became the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914-1917. Disaster struck this expedition when its ship, Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed before the shore parties could be landed. The crew escaped by camping on the sea ice until it disintegrated, then by launching the lifeboats to reach Elephant Island and ultimately South Georgia Island, a stormy ocean voyage of 720 nautical miles and Shackleton's most famous exploit. In 1921, he returned to the Antarctic with the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition, but died of a heart attack while his ship was moored in South Georgia. At his wife's request, he was buried there. Away from his expeditions, Shackleton's life was generally restless and unfulfilled. In his search for rapid pathways to wealth and security, he launched business ventures which failed to prosper, and he died heavily in debt. Upon his death, he was lauded in the press but was thereafter largely forgotten, while the heroic reputation of his rival Scott was sustained for many decades. Later in the 20th century, Shackleton was "rediscovered¨, and rapidly became a role model for leadership as one who, in extreme circumstances, kept his team together in a survival story described by cultural historian Stephanie Barczewski as "incredible".

I've read a lot of very good comments on this movie, but I have one more to add.

A lot of people are complaining about the length of the movie, but I believe that it adds to the quality of the movie. Rather than just a two hour "short flick" about the year-plus long voyage, it drags out for 4 hours, and rather slowly at times. I have to believe that this mirrors the ordeal that these men went through and adds to the viewer's already deep plunge into the frozen ice world.

This is by far one of the best TV movies I have ever seen. Kenneth does another fabulous job in a quality role, and to comment on someone else's observation about the film's lack of personalizing Shackleton in the second half, I also believe that to be a good choice and an accurate one. If you're leading an expedition and are dead set on keeping everyone alive, you cannot let your own emotions get involved in your decision-making, else you die with everyone else.

I give this movie a 10 because I can find no obvious flaws or anything that takes away from the experience.

Screened in two parts, each of two hours this made-for-television film is a must see for anyone wanting to know more about the voyage of the Endurance in 1914 and Sir Ernest Shackleton's attempt to be the first to journey directly across the Antarctic continent.

This drama was very polished in all respects, right down to the authenticity of the camera angle that the expedition's photographer Frank Hurley used when we was on the trip. Branagh is probably the best choice to play Shackleton and he supported by an able cast, who it has to be said, do not get to share very much of his limelight. But then this is a very remarkable story about a very remarkable leader of men and the sheer power of the courage displayed, together with the stunning visuals makes up for the lengthy first half, based mostly in Britain.

This is a powerful drama with a fine supporting cast. Overlong in places but for their patience, the viewer is rewarded with detailed authenticity and first class entertainment.