Aboard the futuristic flying machine of his own invention, Professor Mabouloff and his team of intercultural explorers set off on yet another impossible expedition to North Pole's vast landscapes. What wonders await the bold adventurers?
Nearly one decade after his extraordinary feat in The Voyage Across the Impossible (1904), the indefatigable and unorthodox engineering scientist, Professor Mabouloff, convinces his esteemed colleagues at the International Aero Club Congress to join him on yet another impossible expedition: a journey to the vast landscapes of the North Pole. Aboard the futuristic flying machine of his own invention, the intercultural explorers weed out the fierce competition and zoom off to the densely-occupied skies, until the team lands at the glacial terrains of their final destination. What wonders await the bold adventurers?Written by
Nick Riganas
The snow giant that eats some of the crew is based on an entity that would later come to be referred to as the Abominable Snowman in western popular culture. The names Yeti and Meh-The are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their folk beliefs. Stories of the Yeti first emerged as a facet of Western popular culture in the 19th century, but legends near polar regions are much older. In Russian folklore, for example, the creature is called the Chuchuna and is said to dwell in Siberia. It has been described as six to seven feet tall and covered with dark hair. According to the native accounts from the nomadic Yakut and Tungus tribes, it is a well built, Neanderthal-like man wearing pelts and bearing a white patch of fur on its forearms. It is said to occasionally consume human flesh, which may be why this film depicts the creature as capturing and eating crewmen. The name Abominable Snowman was coined in 1921, two years after this film's release, when Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Howard-Bury led the 1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition and discovered the now iconic, mysterious tracks in the snow. This discovery eventually led to several films in the 1950s depicting the Abominable Snowman, starting with United Artist's "The Snow Creature" (1954), Toho's "Half Human" (1955), Jerry Warren's "Man Beast," (1956) and Hammer's "The Abominable Snowman" (1957). "Conquest of the Pole" was released before those large tracks discovered by Howard-Bury were part of the western folklore surrounding this cryptid; nevertheless, a case could be made that it is truly the first film to feature the Yeti. See more »
Why one has to go into outer space to get to the North Pole is a question to ponder. Apparently, there were numerous expeditions going and the airship appears to be the one that succeeds. After forming diverse crew from several countries and throwing out the women, the air bus embarks on its journey. It goes past several constellations, including Scorpio and Pisces as well as Gemini. When the explorers finally get to the North Pole, there is really nothing to do. They run around and meet up with a monster and one of them gets eaten. Since they were from all countries, the monster got to choose between German, French, Chinese, Spanish, etc. This could have been played for laughs but wasn't. Anyway, it is all visual and the whole process of exploring is wasted. These guys really don't have a clue. As for Melies, he is still doing the same stuff.
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Why one has to go into outer space to get to the North Pole is a question to ponder. Apparently, there were numerous expeditions going and the airship appears to be the one that succeeds. After forming diverse crew from several countries and throwing out the women, the air bus embarks on its journey. It goes past several constellations, including Scorpio and Pisces as well as Gemini. When the explorers finally get to the North Pole, there is really nothing to do. They run around and meet up with a monster and one of them gets eaten. Since they were from all countries, the monster got to choose between German, French, Chinese, Spanish, etc. This could have been played for laughs but wasn't. Anyway, it is all visual and the whole process of exploring is wasted. These guys really don't have a clue. As for Melies, he is still doing the same stuff.