Endurance

A case of reality being harder to believe than fiction! The superhuman feat of endurance against hardships and environmental conditions, Shackleton and his crew achieved for such a long period of time can never be overstated.

To think they ALL survived (without our modern gear and equipment) by sheer force of will and spirit, as the only alternative was to lay down and let the cold take them, seems almost impossible by our standards today.

Dan Snow's narrative blends tributes to Shackleton's experiences, with this modern high tech expedition to find the Endeavour's lost wreck 100+ years later, and becomes in effect, an Epilogue for their original story.

Some scenes need re-editing, as saying how tough it was for the deck crew in cold weather, who then had the luxury of a hot shower, a meal and warm bed as needed, does them no favours, as it invites comparison to Shackleton and his crew! That said..still an historic and successful endeavour..

I came into this not knowing anything about Shackleton's story apart from the ship being stuck in the ice. The documentary was a great way to tell this heroic story, underlaid by the modern day expedition to find the wreck of Shackleton's ship 'Endurance'.

Primarily using original film footage and spoken diary / journal entries plus some TV interviews of Shackleton's crew really brought their stories to life. What they endured definitely put the trials and tribulations of the modern crew into context, and their highs and lows of searching for the wreck paled into insignificance compared to the life and death struggles of 100 years ago.

Really interesting but perhaps my main criticism was the lack of detail given to the Endurance once it had been found. A 3D scan of the ship was pictured but without showing how that was created, given the challenge of capturing high quality data at that depth and in total darkness. Would have happily had some details of the Shackleton or modern crew stories reduced to give more time to that.

Overall, definitely recommended.

I can't help but think that this would have been better as two separate documentaries; the story/recreation of Shackleton's journey, and the search for the wreck of the Endurance. Combined, both stories feel very much like they've been edited down into chunks instead of the stories flowing naturally. The modern-day search feels especially disjointed, like they weren't sure about what to show and what not to. The constant reference to "days left" made the whole thing feel cheap, like a reality show. Like they had to add that to insert unneeded tension instead of just telling a story that's worth telling. (Also pointless since you know they'll find it) It's also absurd (and a little gross) to compare the modern mission with Shackleton's. Yes, the mission is tough, but come on. The two voyages aren't even in the same league.

They really should have just split these up. It would have been nice to get some technical info on the research ship and submersible. Then they could have taken their time with the search and showed more of their thought process and how things were done.

This film has much going for it, esp for those who don't know the Shackleton story. Views will differ on the usefulness of colorizing the old photographs, AI-reproducing the voices of the dead, and the recreations; I didn't find these to be improvements, and believe recreations should always be tagged as such (even when they're obvious). But I see no excuse for almost completely ignoring the captain and ice pilot, Knowledge Bengu and Freddie Ligthelm. Mensun Bound's book is clear on their challenges and extraordinary skills. I can think of various reasons why the film ignores them, but all of them leave a bad taste in my mouth.

I enjoyed this documentary film. I think I never read or watched anything about the Endurance before, although it reminded me of a couple of tv shows and books but with different stories. I didn't mind the AI parts at all, it was a nice touch. When made it well, I have no issue with this type of AI, but I hope it doesn't become a trend because some studios might start abusing it.

The modern story of the guys looking for the Endurance wreck starts well but soon starts to get boring, too much time wasting and when we reach the end it's just a couple of minutes with the footage we all wanted to see... Oh well.

Regarding the old story of the Endurance, it's magnificent, but a warning for some people more emotional who love animals: there's a very sad part, be cautious.

Cheers.