Scott of the Antarctic (1948)

The true story of the British explorer Robert Falcon Scott and his ill-fated expedition to try to be the first man to discover the South Pole - only to find that the murderously cold ... See full summary »

Director:

Charles Frend

Writers:

Walter Meade (screenplay), Ivor Montagu (screenplay),

Stars:

John Mills, Diana Churchill, Harold Warrender

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Mills	...	Captain R.F. Scott R.N.
Diana Churchill	...	Kathleen Scott
Harold Warrender	...	Dr. E.A. Wilson
Anne Firth	...	Oriana Wilson
Derek Bond	...	Captain L.E.G. Oates
Reginald Beckwith	...	Lt. H.R. Bowers R.I.M.
James Robertson Justice	...	P.O.'Taff' Evans R.N.
Kenneth More	...	Lt. E.G.R. 'Teddy' Evans R.N.
Norman Williams	...	Chief Stoker W. Lashly R.N.
John Gregson	...	P.O. T. Crean R.N.
James McKechnie	...	Surgeon Lt. E.L. Atkinson R.N.
Barry Letts	...	Apsley Cherry-Gerrard
Dennis Vance	...	Charles S. Wright
Larry Burns	...	P.O. P. Keohane R.N.
Edward Lisak	...	Dimitri

Storyline

The true story of the British explorer Robert Falcon Scott and his ill-fated expedition to try to be the first man to discover the South Pole - only to find that the murderously cold weather and a rival team of Norwegian explorers conspire against him

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Plot Keywords:

explorer | antarctic | ealing | antarctica | character name in title

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Taglines:

The noblest adventure man ever dared!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements and brief language

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 April 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Scotts letzte Fahrt

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ealing Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The hut where Scott and his party stay throughout the winter months before their final push to the South Pole still exists today and is a tourist attraction for those few who travel down to that part of the world. The intensely cold, dry air has preserved everything almost exactly as it was a century ago.

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Quotes

[At the South Pole]
Captain Scott: Great God! this is an awful place.

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Connections

Referenced in Help! (1965)

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Soundtracks

"Will Ye No Come Back Again?"
(uncredited)
Traditional Scottish tune, and lyrics by Carolina Oliphant, Lady Nairne
Heard as the ship leaves New Zealand

User Reviews

Beautiful movie

OK, we've heard a lot about the "real" history and the debate over whether Scott was a hero or a complete imbecile. Whatever the truth is and whatever revisionist or hagiography history is being peddled, "Scott Of The Antarctic" is a beautifully made film: One of the best looking early colour films which evokes a bye-gone era and is strangely compelling and haunting at the same time. The music by Vaughn-Williams, the greatest British classical composer of his time, is powerful and, again, haunting. In some scenes, they've recreated exactly some of the photos taken during the Scott expedition. The casting is spot on; look at the original photos and Millsy is uncannily like Scott, Kenneth More is Teddy Evans, Reginald Beckwith and James Robertson Justice do their real counterparts well and John Gregson, in one of his first film roles, captures Tom Crean perfectly (compare his performance with Paul McGann's Crean in "Shackleton", which was pretty good). Many film critics feel that "Scott of the Antarctic" was somewhat robbed at the 1949 Oscars.