Endurance (1919)

The story of the 1914-1916 Antarctic exploration mission of Sir Ernest Shackleton. The ship sails south, breaking the ice, and ultimately getting trapped by the fast-changing weather. The ... See full summary »

Director:

Frank Hurley (uncredited)

Stars:

Ernest Shackleton, Frank Worsley, J. Stenhouse

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ernest Shackleton	...	Leader of the Expedition (as Sir Ernest Shackleton)
Frank Worsley	...	Captain of the Endurance (as Captain F. Worsley)
J. Stenhouse	...	Captain of the Aurora (as Lieut. J. Stenhouse)
L. Hussey	...	Meteorologist (as Captain L. Hussey)
Dr. McIlroy	...	Head of Scientific Staff
Mr. Wordie	...	Head of Scientific Staff (as Wordie)
Dr. Macklin	...	Doctor
Frank Wild	...	Second in Command of the Endurance
Tom Crean	...	Crewman
Mr. James	...	Crewman (as James)
Mr. Clark	...	Crewman (as Clark)
Mr. Greenstreet	...	Crewman (as Greenstreet)

Storyline

The story of the 1914-1916 Antarctic exploration mission of Sir Ernest Shackleton. The ship sails south, breaking the ice, and ultimately getting trapped by the fast-changing weather. The ship breaks up in the ice, and while 22 men and 70 dogs wait on Elephant Island, Shackleton and a crew of five take a 20-foot lifeboat 800 miles to South Georgia Island to mount a rescue mission. We also get a good look at the exotic animals of the region, particularly the penguins.

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Plot Keywords:

crab | seal the animal | ship | ice | rescue | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Adventure | History

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

Australia UK

Release Date:

19 October 1920 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

The Bottom of the World

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ralph Minden Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min (restored) 53 min (restored)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Alternate Versions

The 1999 Milestone release is a restoration made by the National Film and Television Archive under the auspices of the British Film Institute (BFI). It has an uncredited piano score and runs 81 minutes.

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Connections

Featured in Shackleton's South with James Cracknell (2011)

User Reviews

Considering the equipment and hardships of 1914, it's an amazing film

This film has recently been shown with the title "SOUTH Sir Ernest Shackleton's glorious epic of the Antarctic". Considering what cinematographer Frank Hurley had to work with as equipment and the hardships under which he was working, it really is an amazing film. Think, too, that probably most of his footage and still photographs had to be abandoned as the 28 men fought just to stay alive after their ship "Endurance" was crushed by the ice and sank. Shackleton hoped to land on the coast of Antarctica and cross the continent using dog sleds, then be picked up on the other coast by his ship. Alas, the winter of 1914-1915 turned out to be one of worst in the known history of the frozen continent to that time, and their ship was ice bound and destroyed before they ever reached the shore south of Elephant Island and the farther north island of South Georgia. What we are shown here is mostly the earlier part of the saga before the conditions grew really bad. The latter part is covered mostly by still pics and some artists drawings, pieced out by movies of bird and seal life around South Georgia. This last may prove tedious for some, but the rest is very interesting. For a really detailed account of Shackleton's adventure consult ENDURANCE: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing (McGraw-Hill, 1959) which I imagine many libraries will have.