Antarctica: A Frozen History is a docudrama which premiered on the History Channel in 2002.
Here are some basic facts about it:
** Written and produced by Sean Dash
** Narrated by Edward Herrmann
** Edited by Jason Steinberg
** Music by Guy Thomas
** The historical consultant is Donal Manahan, who is also one of the participants
** Released on DVD in 2012
** Run time: 90 minutes
This docudrama presents the history of Antarctica from the nineteenth century until the present time. This period of almost two hundred years can be divided into four parts.
Part one
The first decades of the twentieth century: the early explorations of the continent and the different attempts to reach the South Pole on foot. This period is known as the Heroic Age of Antarctica (1895-1922).
Part two
The time between World War One and World War Two: the first attempt to fly over the South Pole in an airplane.
Part three
The first decades after World War Two when the Cold War (almost) came to Antarctica and several states made territorial claims on the frozen continent.
The conflict was solved with the Antarctic Treaty of 1959 which says that Antarctica is a de-militarised zone, which no nation can claim. Scientific studies are allowed and some states have established a scientific station there.
Part four
The present time when pollution from the industrial world has become a serious threat to Antarctica.
The environmental balance is in danger. The amount of sea-ice is diminishing. A hole is the ozone layer has been observed above the continent. Global warming.
About two-thirds of the film (60 minutes) are devoted to parts one and two, while one third (30 minutes) is devoted to parts three and four.
The participants
Several persons are interviewed in this film. Most of them appear in parts one and two. The others appear in parts three and four.
Here are the names in order of appearance:
** Raimond Goerler, chief archivist, Byrd Polar Research Institute
** Robert Headland, curator, Scott Polar Research Institute
** Sven Lindblad, chairman and founder, Lindblad Expeditions
** Wayne Ranney, research associate, Museum of Northern Arizona
** Donal Manahan, Institute of Biological Science, University of Southern California (the historical consultant on the film)
** William Mills, chief librarian, Scot Polar Research Institute
** Sian Flynn, curator of exhibitions, National Maritime Museum, UK
** Bernard Stonehouse, Antarctica historian, Scott Polar Research Institute
** Tom Smith, marine biologist
** Kathryn D. Sullivan, former astronaut
** Kenny Sanders, co-director of Frozen Heart: A film about Roald Amundsen (1999)
** Keith Shackleton, artist and naturalist, a member of the Shackleton family
** Eugene Rodgers, author of Beyond the Barrier: The Story of Byrd’s First Expedition to Antarctica (1990) (1997)
** Dick Bowers, construction officer, US Navy (retired), Mobile Construction Battalion
** Dian Olson Belanger, author of Deep Freeze: The United States, the International Geophysical Year and the Origins of Antarctica’s Age of Science (2006) (2010)
** Karl Erb, director, Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation
** Steve Forrest, research associate, Oceanitis, Antarctic Site Inventory Project
As stated above, this is a docudrama. There is a mix of several elements. To cover the oldest history, photos and some rare film clips; all of course in black-and-white.
This evidence is supplemented with re-enactments of explorers walking on the ice, sometimes with dogs or ponies to pull the sleighs.
To cover recent history and contemporary developments, photos and film; all of course in colour.
Between the old and the new evidence, the participants appear from time to time. Some of them appear several times, while others appear only once or twice.
While parts three and four cover some serious issues, I suspect many viewers will be more interested in parts one and two about the different expeditions to reach the South Pole on foot or in an airplane. This is why I will focus on them in the remaining part of this review.
The Race to the South Pole
Antarctica is a special place. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world. It is a beautiful and dangerous place. If you are not careful, if you are not prepared, it will hurt you, perhaps even kill you.
The summers are short and cold, the winters are dark and extremely cold. This is why this continent was the last part of the globe to be discovered and to be explored.
During the nineteenth century, sealers and fur-traders came close to it. It seems the first landing on the continent was made by an American sealer whose name is John Davis. An international geographical conference held in London in 1895 called for more explorations of this continent.
The year 1895 is regarded as the beginning of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctica. The race to reach the South Pole was on. All the famous explorers are presented here:
Robert Falcon Scott (1868-1912) was in charge of an expedition 1901-1904. His ship was the Discovery.
Several participants point out: Scott was an officer in the British Navy, but he had no polar experience. The latter fact proved to be fatal. His first attempt failed. He and his companions had to turn back before they reached the goal in order to survive.
One member of Scott’s team was Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922), who almost died on the journey back to the ship.
Ernest Shackleton was in charge of an expedition 1907-1909. He used ponies to pull the sleighs. This was not a good idea. In the end, the men had to pull the sleighs, which slowed them down. His first attempt failed. Like Scott before him, Shackleton and his companions had to turn back before they reached the goal in order to survive.
Roald Amundsen (1872-1928), a Norwegian explorer, was in charge of an expedition 1910-1912.
Several participants point out: he had polar experience, because he had lived among the native people near the North Pole.
He gathered a team of expert skiers to back him up; he used the right clothing; and he used dogs to pull the sleighs. These factors explain his success.
Amundsen and his team sailed in August 1910 in a ship called Fram. Only two months before, Scott and a new team had sailed in a ship called Terra Nova. The two teams started almost the same time, but they chose different routes to the goal.
Several participants point out: Amundsen moved faster than Scott, sometimes 20 miles per day, while Scott would cover merely 10 miles per day.
In December 1911, Amundsen and his team reached the goal. They were the first men in history to stand on the South Pole. Their journey back to Fram was secured by food depots which had been placed at regular intervals.
Because of meticulous planning and careful preparations, Amundsen and his team suffered no accidents.
According to this film, Amundsen reached the pole on 15 December. Amundsen himself says he was there on 14 December. Both dates can be considered correct. The eastern and western hemispheres are conjoined at the South Pole.
Scott and his team reached the pole in January 1912, only to find that Amundsen had already been there and left a marker. This was a huge disappointment for them.
As they began the journey back, the arctic winter was approaching fast. Their journey was not secured as well as Amundsen’s.
In the end, none of them made it back to the ship. The last entry in Scott’s diary is dated 29 March 1912. Their bodies were discovered in November 1912.
Shackleton was in charge of a new expedition, 1914-1917. His ship Endurance was frozen in the polar ice and eventually swallowed up by the ocean. Shackleton and his men did not reach their goal.
Instead, they had to struggle to survive. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. But Shackleton did not give up. Because of his tenacity and a good portion of luck, he and his men survived.
During the period between World War One and World War Two a new type of expedition was planned.
Richard E. Byrd (1888-1957), a former officer in the US Navy, planned to be the first to fly over the South Pole in an airplane. His dream came true.
In November 1929, a plane on which he was the navigator flew over the South Pole.
Byrd was also involved in Operation Deep Freeze (1955-1956), but it seems his actual role in this operation was limited.
This time he spent only one week in the arctic area (1956). He was an old man by now; he died in March 1957.
CONCLUSION
Antarctica: A Frozen History is an excellent introduction to the history of this continent.
The dramatic race to the South Pole is covered in parts one and two, while important issues of the modern world are covered in parts three and four.
I like this film. But I have to mention two flaws:
(1) The native peoples who live near the North Pole are referred to as “eskimos.” Today this word is considered a derogatory term. The proper word is “inuit.”
(2) Temperatures are given in the Fahrenheit scale, which is common in the US. But the Celsius scale is used in the rest of the world.
The right way would be to use both scales. If they do not want to mention both, they could say one and show the other on the screen.
Apart from these minor flaws, I have no complaints. This drama-documentary is informative and instructive. The script is well-written, and the story-line is captivating.
If you are interested in the global history of the modern world, this product is definitely something for you.
PS # 1. Amundsen is a historical and biographical drama about the Norwegian explorer which premiered in 2019.
** Director: Espen Sandberg
** Run time: 125 minutes
PS # 2. For more information about the general topic, see the following item:
Antarctica: An Intimate Portrait of the World’s Most Mysterious Continent
by Gabrielle Walker
(2012) (2013)
*****
Antarctica: A Frozen History
A docudrama
(2002)
*****
The famous Norwegian explorer
Roald Amundsen
(1872-1928)
In December 1911, Amundsen and his team
were the first men in history
to reach the South Pole
*****
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