The Secret Land (1948)

This documentary, filmed entirely by military photographers, recounts the U.S. Navy's 1946-47 expedition to Antarctica, known as Operation High Jump. The expedition was under the overall ... See full summary »

Writers:

Harvey S. Haislip (commentary), William C. Park (commentary)

Stars:

Robert Montgomery, Robert Taylor, Van Heflin

Won 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Montgomery	...	Narrator (voice) (as Comdr. Robert Montgomery U.S.N.R.)
Robert Taylor	...	Narrator (voice) (as Lt. Robert Taylor U.S.N.R.)
Van Heflin	...	Narrator (voice) (as Lt. Van Heflin A.A.F. Ret.)
James Forrestal	...	Himself (as James V. Forrestal)
Chester W. Nimitz	...	Himself
Richard E. Byrd	...	Himself (as Admiral Byrd)
Richard Cruzen	...	Himself (as Admiral Cruzen)
Robert S. Quackenbush	...	Himself (as Captain Quackenbush)
George J. Dufek	...	Himself (as Captain George Dufek)
Paul A. Siple	...	Himself (as Dr. Siple)
Charles W. Thomas	...	Himself (as Captain Thomas)
Vernon D. Boyd	...	Himself (as Captain Boyd)
Charles A. Bond	...	Himself (as Captain Bond)
David E. Bunger	...	Himself (as Commander David E. Bunger)
John E. Clark	...	Himself (as Captain Clark)

Storyline

This documentary, filmed entirely by military photographers, recounts the U.S. Navy's 1946-47 expedition to Antarctica, known as Operation High Jump. The expedition was under the overall command of Admiral Richard E. Byrd, no stranger to the Antarctic. This was a large undertaking involving 13 ships and over 4000 thousand men. The fleet departed from Norfolk, Virginia traveling through the Panama canal and then southward to their final destination. The trip through the ice pack was fraught with danger and forced the submarine that was part of the fleet to withdraw. The trip was a success meeting all of its scientific goals. The film is narrated by three Hollywood stars, all of whom served in the US Navy: Robert Taylor, Robert Montgomery and Van Heflin (I)' .

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Plot Keywords:

military | antarctica | exploration | part animation | united states navy | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 October 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Med Admiral Byrd til det hemmelige land Sydpolen

Filming Locations:

Antarctica

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), United States Navy, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

The three narrators identify the other credited actors.

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Connections

Featured in Movies Are Adventure (1948)

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Soundtracks

"Anchors Aweigh"
(uncredited)
Music by Charles A. Zimmerman

User Reviews

Well Worth Checking Out

Secret Land, The (1948)

*** (out of 4)

Oscar-winning documentary from MGM takes a look at the dangerous expedition of Admiral Richard E. Byrd and thousands of American soldiers who tried to make it to Antarctica. The documentary, shot in beautiful Technicolor, shows the men leaving America and shows us the constant dangers of exploring one of the most dangerous places in the world (and especially at this point in history). If you're a fan of adventure then you're going to really eat this thing up. The film really plays out like an action film and it contains some pretty good drama as well as some great visuals. I'm really not sure how many cameras MGM sent to capture this footage but we get a lot of great stuff. Everything from the wildlife to a Christmas dinner to even a helicopter crashes into the sea are here for us to see and we get just about everything else that you can think of. One of the more dramatic moments happen towards the end when a plane crashes in the fog and two weeks later they're found alive but they're going to have to walk ten miles to reach a point where someone can get them. Knowing that all of this stuff is real just adds to the entertainment and the Technicolor also adds a lot. Robert Montgomery, Robert Taylor and Van Heflin narrate.