"Life in the Freezer" (1993) TV series

Director:

Alastair Fothergill

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

18 November 1993 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Series exploring the natural history of Antarctica.

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

David Attenborough

...

Himself - Presenter (6 episodes, 1993)

Series Directed by
Alastair Fothergill		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
David Attenborough		(6 episodes, 1993)

Series Produced by
Alastair Fothergill	....	producer (6 episodes, 1993)
Neil Harraway	....	producer: TVNZ (2 episodes, 1993)

Series Original Music by
George Fenton		(6 episodes, 1993)

Series Film Editing by
Steve Olive		(6 episodes, 1993)
Martin Elsbury		(2 episodes, 1993)
Alan Hoida		(2 episodes, 1993)
Elizabeth Thoyts		(2 episodes, 1993)

Series Art Department
James Hall	....	graphic designer (6 episodes, 1993)

Series Sound Department
Peter Hicks	....	dubbing mixer (6 episodes, 1993)
Errol Samuelson	....	sound recordist (6 episodes, 1993)
Trevor Gosling	....	sound recordist (5 episodes, 1993)
Tim Bevan	....	dubbing editor (2 episodes, 1993)
Susan Goodsall	....	dubbing editor (2 episodes, 1993)
Angela Groves	....	dubbing editor (2 episodes, 1993)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Stephen de Vere	....	camera team (6 episodes, 1993)
Hugh Maynard	....	camera team (6 episodes, 1993)
Hugh Miles	....	camera team (6 episodes, 1993)
Doug Allen	....	camera team (5 episodes, 1993)
Paul Atkins	....	camera team (5 episodes, 1993)
Ian McCarthy	....	camera team (5 episodes, 1993)
Peter Scoones	....	camera team (5 episodes, 1993)
John Tolson	....	camera team (4 episodes, 1993)
Michael deGruy	....	camera team (3 episodes, 1993)
Simon King	....	camera team (3 episodes, 1993)
Michael W. Richards	....	camera team (3 episodes, 1993)
Alan Hayward	....	camera team (2 episodes, 1993)
Markus Horning	....	camera team (2 episodes, 1993)
Gerald Kooyman	....	camera team (2 episodes, 1993)
Andrew Penniket	....	camera team (2 episodes, 1993)

Series Editorial Department
Rex Sawyers	....	series telecine (6 episodes, 1993)

Series Music Department
Adrian Thomas	....	musical associate (6 episodes, 1993)

Series Other crew
Peter Bassett	....	production team (6 episodes, 1993)
Ruth Flowers	....	production assistant (6 episodes, 1993)
Martha Holmes	....	production team (6 episodes, 1993)
Ned Kelly	....	production team (6 episodes, 1993)
Ben Osborne	....	field assistant (6 episodes, 1993)
Jerome Poncet	....	assistance (6 episodes, 1993)
Sally Poncet	....	assistance (6 episodes, 1993)
David Rootes	....	logistics (6 episodes, 1993)
Lance Tickell	....	production team (6 episodes, 1993)

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (BBC Bristol)
• Lionheart Television International (in association with)
• National Geographic Society (in association with)

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1993) (UK) (TV)

Other Companies

• Alfred Wegener Institut  thanks
• Antarctic Heritage Trust  thanks
• Australian Antarctic Division  thanks
• British Antarctic Survey  thanks
• National Science Foundation  thanks
• New Zealand Antarctic Division  thanks
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography  thanks
• TVNZ Natural History Unit  production assistance

Also Known As:

Runtime:

30 min (6 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Antarctica

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Quotes:

Himself - Presenter:At a time when it's possible for thirty people to stand on the top of Everest in one day, Antarctica still remains a remote, lonely and desolate continent. A place where it's possible to see the splendours and immensities of the natural world at its most dramatic and, what's more, to witness them almost exactly as they were, long, long before human beings ever arrived on the surface of this planet. Long may it remain so.

Movie Connections:

Follows "The Living Planet" (1984)

Life in an alien world...

'Life in the Freezer' is an incredible look at life in the most inhospitable place on Earth: the continent of Antarctica. The series is divided up into six parts. The first five deal with different parts of the year and how the wildlife has adapted to survive in the vicious climate at various times in nature's cycle. The final episode details how people have adapted to this alien environment, both historically and in the present day. Because the climate is so aggressive at the South Pole, this series in many ways is about that as much as it is about the creatures that live through it. I think that one of this particular nature series strongest points is that it's genuinely incredible that wildlife has adapted to these conditions, so much so that it's even more life-affirming. I also very much enjoyed the final episode that detailed the experiences of people in this environment; I realize that this is not a typical subject for a nature documentary but in the case of Antarctica it is completely justifiable as human beings are hugely ill-equipped to survive in this land, therefore, it is fascinating to learn how we have adapted, and of course in some famous cases, perished.

As for the creatures who are from this icy land, this series covers – amongst other things - the incredible resilience of the emperor penguins, the violent rituals of mating seals, the sweeping journeys of the petrels, the feeding spirals of the whales and the ever-changing icy aquatic underworld. The myriad of ways in which these incredible creatures adapt to this brutal environment is captured beautifully by the fabulous photography and, as always, David Attenborough's brilliant commentary. As is so often the case in the best nature films, it is the revealing of the mysteries of the natural world that provide most of the genuine thrills that we take away from them. For this viewer, the moment that will always stick with me was the section in the snow-less, dry lands behind the mountains where we see a mummified seal that has lay entirely intact for centuries. It's a truly extraordinary thing to behold.

'Life in the Freezer' is a brilliant series about this most alien of places on our planet. At times it almost seems to be a documentary from another world, it's so unfamiliar. It comes highly recommended for anyone who is interested in life in the extremes of our world.