Scott of the Antarctic (1948)

Director:

Charles Frend

Writers:

Walter Meade (screenplay) &
Ivor Montagu (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 April 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Plot:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Antarctica | Antarctic | Ealing | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination

Cast

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
Melville Crawford	...	Cecil Meares
Christopher Lee	...	Bernard Day
John Owers	...	F.J. Hooper
Bruce Seton	...	Lt. H. Pennell R.N.
Clive Morton	...	Herbert Ponting F.R.P.S.
Sam Kydd	...	Leading Stoker E. McKenzie R.N.
Mary Merrett	...	Helen Field
Percy Walsh	...	Chairman of Meeting
Noel Howlett	...	First Questioner
Philip Stainton	...	Second Questioner
Desmond Roberts	...	Admiralty Official
Dandy Nichols	...	Caroline
David Lines	...	Telegraph Boy

Directed by
Charles Frend

Writing credits
Walter Meade		(screenplay) &
Ivor Montagu		(screenplay)
Mary Hayley Bell		(additional dialogue)

Produced by
Michael Balcon	....	producer
Sidney Cole	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Ralph Vaughan Williams		(as Vaughan Williams)

Cinematography by
Osmond Borradaile		(director of photography)
Jack Cardiff		(director of photography)
Geoffrey Unsworth		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Peter Tanner

Art Direction by
Arne Åkermark

Makeup Department
Barbara Barnard	....	hair stylist
Harry Frampton	....	makeup artist
Ernest Taylor	....	makeup artist
Harry Wilton	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Raymond Anzarut	....	unit production manager
C.R. Foster-Kemp	....	unit production manager (as Cecil Foster Kemp)
Hal Mason	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Rowland Douglas	....	assistant director
Richmond Harding	....	third assistant director (uncredited)
Simon Kershaw	....	third assistant director (uncredited)
Cyril Pope	....	third assistant director (uncredited)
Gordon Scott	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Norman Dorme	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
R. Hopkin	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
Jack Shampan	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
R. Thurgarland	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
Len Wills	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Arthur Bradburn	....	sound recordist
Stephen Dalby	....	sound supervisor
Tom Otter	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Gordon Stone	....	dubbing editor (uncredited)
Alan Thorne	....	sound camera operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Richard Dendy	....	special effects
Geoffrey Dickinson	....	special effects
Jim Morahan	....	special effects art director
Norman Ough	....	special effects
Sydney Pearson	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul Beeson	....	camera operator
Bob Moss	....	camera operator
Chic Waterson	....	camera operator (as Chick Waterson)
Ian Craig	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Peter Newbrook	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Herbert Salisbury	....	clapper loader (uncredited)
Herbert Smith	....	focus puller (uncredited)

Casting Department
Muriel Cole	....	crowd casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anthony Mendleson	....	wardrobe designer
Fred Birch	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Ernie Farrer	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Lily Payne	....	wardrobe mistress (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Seth Holt	....	assembly cutter (uncredited)

Music Department
Ernest Irving	....	conductor

Other crew
Joan Bridge	....	associate technicolor colour director
Jean Graham	....	continuity
David James	....	technical advisor
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
J. Arthur Rank	....	presenter (as J.Arthur Rank)
Quintin Riley	....	technical advisor
Paddy Arnold	....	continuity (uncredited)
Felicia Manheim	....	assistant continuity (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Ealing Studios

Distributors

• General Film Distributors (GFD) (1948) (UK) (theatrical) (released through)
• Eagle-Lion Classics (1951) (USA) (theatrical)
• J. Arthur Rank Film (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• J.Arthur Rank-Film (1949) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Parvisfilmi (1949) (Finland) (theatrical)
• 905 Entertainment
• Mainostelevisio (MTV) (1977) (Finland) (TV)
• Poderosa Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1989) (UK) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1966) (Finland) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2008) (Finland) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Philharmonia Orchestra, The  music played by
• Survivors and the relatives of late members of Scott's Last Expedition, The  this film could not have been made without the generous co-operation of: to them and to those many other persons and organisations too numerous to mention individually who gave such able assistance and encouragement, the producers express their deepest gratitude

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild thematic elements and brief language

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:U (video rating) | West Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Company:

Ealing Studios

Trivia:

Ralph Vaughan Williams later transformed the score into his seventh symphony, the "Sinfonia Antartica."

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Featured in Suomalainen elokuvaohjaaja: Peter von Bagh (2010) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Will Ye No Come Back Again?

A Moving but Distorted Account of Scott's Disaster

The first thing to remember is that Scott fouled up mightily in his attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole in 1912. He was stubborn, rather arrogant, yet malleable to the wishes of his wife. When his diaries were found on his frozen remains they were in fact later edited and altered by his wife (and the publisher) to depict Scott as a Great Heroic Figure. That was a lie; the depiction of him in the movie is a lie. And in recent years the unedited diaries were released proving the old myth was not the reality. It should be added the U.S. polar explorer Richard C. Byrd was an even bigger fraud - as his recently released personal notes also demonstrated.

This film is generally well done, and the Antarctic (actually Greenland, I believe) scenery is spectacular. The very slow deterioration of Scott's team is fascinating to see; their heartbreak upon viewing Raoul Amundsen's Norwegian flag flying over the Pole in the distance - meaning they had lost the race to the greatest of all explorers - is palpable. From then on it becomes a matter of survival and getting back home. Bit by bit the elements wear them down - untill they can finally go on no longer. When one says "I don't want to wake up tomorrow" with the wind howling just outside their little tent as they try to eat a morsel of cold food. . . you know it's over for them. Heartbreaking.

BUT THE CAUSE OF THE DISASTER IS NOT DELINEATED!! WHY did it happen? Bad luck? Scott's decision not to rely only on sled dogs? Yes. But his planning and leadership was also flawed badly - and that was not shown, as mentioned above.

I had no particular problem with the acting. It could possibly have been more emphatic and emotive, but then I assume the English were indeed as stoic as depicted in the film. Mills' understated Scott is to be expected as part of the MYTHICAL version of Scott - the REAL Scott I have no doubt was more emotional and weaker, as seen in the uneditied diary.

All in all, a moving film worth seeing - so long as you know this is not the reality of the Scott expedition but the cleansed version to make Scott and company as heroic as possible. If you want a better Arctic film try "The Red Tent", and check the reviews on the IMDb for background on it.