Shackleton, aventurier de l'Antarctique

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.

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

I've not visited Antarctica, but I'm told by those who have that its austere beauty grows on you; far from being a frozen hell, it is a land where one can get closer to oneself and the meaning of things. This film uses Greenland for location shooting and is a dramatised version of Shackleton's 1914-16 expedition which started out as an attempt to cross the continent from the Weddel Sea to the Ross Sea, but, after the expedition vessel `Endurance' was first trapped and then crushed in the Weddel Sea ice pack, Shackleton and his party of 28 men, their dogs and one cat, were caught in a grim struggle for survival.

The first 100 minutes is concerned with the origins of the expedition, and Shackleton's efforts to raise support and prepare for it. The son of an Irish country doctor, he served in the Merchant Navy, but by 1914 he was a very experienced polar explorer, having been on two major earlier expeditions; he was in fact the Englishman who had been closest to the South Pole and survived. Although the first half drags at times, Kenneth Branagh's full-on performance as Shackleton gives us a clear picture of the sort of man he is, ambitious, hard-driving, single-minded, yet one who genuinely cares for the men under his command. He is even aware of the effect his exploration obsession is having on his family life (not to mention his relationship with his mistress), but he plows on regardless.

In the second half we are stuck on the polar pack ice, and the story turns into a conventional ripping yarn, but it is told with economy and a certain amount of humour. It is clear that, apart from luck, Shackleton and his men (the animals, alas, did not make it) owed their survival to Shackleton's good judgment and the fact that he was able to get all of them to rise to the occasion. He might have been slightly mad to get into such a fix to begin with, but he had no wish to suffer the fate of his colleague Captain Scott.

Branagh dominates the film of course, but his crew, mostly made up of little-known actors, come through as characters in their own right. Several stand out; Ken Drury as McNiesh, the feisty ship's carpenter, Kevin McNally as Worsley the lugubrious skipper, Celyn Jones as the Welsh stowaway Blackborow, and Nicholas Rowe as Colonel, the expedition odd-man-out. It is melancholy to recall, that several of the crew survived the Antarctic only to die in the trenches in France. Matt Day as the Australian photographer Frank Hurley, who produced some unforgettable images of the trip, also puts in a strong performance. The characters at home seem bloodless by comparison, with the exception of Phoebe Nicholl's determined Lady Shackleton. One wonders how Lord Curzon, that very superior person, who presided over the very tight-fisted Royal Geographical Society (nicely played by Corin Redgrave) would have got by on the expedition.

In 1922 Shackleton went back once more to the Antarctic but died of a heart attack at the whaling station on South Georgia before he was able to set off for the ice. He was only 48. Clearly, the attraction was more than fame and fortune – he was in love with the place. Since then the whalers have gone and Antarctic is now the preserve of scientists and a small but growing number of tourists. Latter-day Shackletons have no great geographical questions to solve but still persist on doing things like trying to ski across the continent. I think I'll settle for the tourist ship myself, but it's vaguely comforting to know there are still such people around.

Branagh is very believable as Shackleton. He has the grace, the poise, the leadership and the sheer presence to carry off such a role. He is one of not many actors who would be believable in the role.

This tale of one of the great heroic rescues of all time has it all, and is excellently shot -- although a cynic might say that it would be hard to find a cinematographer who could not do wonders with the Antarctic landscapes!

Definitely worth seeing, and one of the better historical tales to have been told in recent times.

NOTE: Contains brief plot summary!

If this was a fictional story you watched in the cinema, you would leave thinking how unrealistic it was. You would know, after all, that keeping twenty-eight men alive in the wastelands of Antarctica, stranded and starving, is an impossible task, particularly set at the beginning of the twentieth century with the limited technology available. However, this is fact. This story did happen. And this is one of the most accurate films depicting the story of the "Endurance" expedition that you could hope for.

The story of Shackleton has passed on into legend. His attempt to cross the Antarctic continent on foot ended in disaster; his ship, the Endurance, crushed by the ice fields, leaving its crew on the ice sheet. Determined to survive, and displaying all the valour and courage he had demonstrated in his previous expedition (the "Nimrod", in which he turned back less than 100 miles from the pole in order to save the lives of his men), he began an incredible journey to the uninhabited Elephant Island, before having to contemplate a trip to South Georgia: a trip of 800 miles in a lifeboat...

This wonderful two-part adventure is accurate to almost every detail. A lot of research went into this film, consulting books, articles, experts, and even the diaries of the men themselves. And it doesn't make the mistake of solely confining itself to the story of Shackleton's heroism; indeed, the first two hours concentrates largely on the effort Sir Ernest put into forming the expedition, and the many obstacles that stood in his path - financially and emotionally.

Directed by award-winning Charles Sturridge, the casting is superb, particularly in the case of the protagonist, who - it must be said - looks a little like Shackleton himself. Well done, Celestia Fox! From Kenneth Branagh, a resourceful and irresistible Ernest Shackleton, down to to ex-Coronation Street's Ian Mercer as the simple Holdness, every character is brought into the 21st century with as much life as they had on the frozen shores of Elephant Island, thanks partly to a bombastic score of Adrian Johnston's invention.

There are only a couple of criticisms that one could make; for example, there continue to be references back to England, but there is no reunion at the end of the film between Shackleton and Emily, which could have been a way of saying "I'm back". I feel, however, that this continues to give "Shackleton" more character, as Sir Ernest only felt comfortable when exploring; never when at home with his family.

Another slight flaw is that there is next to no mention of the fate of the Aurora expedition, the crew assigned the task of aiding Shackleton to the other side of the continent (had the expedition gone to plan, of course!) However, this does not really relate to Shackleton himself, and indeed Sir Ernest seemed to forget about them until his men were brought over from Elephant Island.

Really, there is nothing major wrong with this film. It fully deserves 10 out of 10, and despite the DVD having no extras whatsoever, it is still worth the £15 for the pure entertainment you are given for the most enjoyable four hours of the small screen.