The Great White Silence (1922)

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

A lot of fun.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

A documentary about the quest to the south pole, where oddly, the best parts are less about the quest, than about the sideshows: The dancing of crew on board the ship is highly entertaining, while the observation of animal life in the Antarctic can be as cute and humorous and informative as later documentaries devoted just to those subjects.The photography of the landscape scenery is so beautiful that the first half of this film or so is worth watching for that alone, but unfortunately it falls away just as the climax begins because they couldn't get any footage of it. What we are left with then is a third act filled mostly with title cards - like reading a book - and while interesting subject matter, and the impossibility of filming the task completely understandable, lessens the filmgoing experience.

This silent film was one featured near the beginning of the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I didn't know what to expect from reading the title, but it sounded like a worthwhile thing to watch. Basically this is a silent documentary about the Terra Nova Expedition, where the British made an effort to plant the British union jack flag on the South Pole, using a group of men, horses (ponies), dogs and primitive snowmobiles hauling sledges. The expedition started from a base located on the Antarctic coastline, all footage was captured at the time of the event, expedition leader was Robert Falcon Scott, he and his men left from New Zealand and sailed into the Southern OCeon and its ice floes. They safely landed on the icy coastline of Ross Island, filmmaker Herbert G. Ponting followed the men setting up tents, practising skiing and preparing to travel southward toward the Pole. The film ends with the explorers pushing off from their base, but title cards remind the viewer that this story has a tragic conclusion, Scott and the four companions never returned from the Pole, but they said that they would die trying to do what man had never done before. This film is interesting with all the footage of the men going through the many icy landscapes and waters, you also see good footage of the wildlife, including killer whales, seals and penguins, but what is really fascinating to watch is the icebergs and other strange ice structures on the journey, it is a worthwhile silent documentary. Very good!

An extraordinary account of the doomed expedition on the Terra Nova by Captain Robert Falcon Scott to the south pole between 1910 and 1913, by cinematographer, Herbert Ponting. This document follows the ship from New Zealand as it lands on the antarctic coastline where the team set up a camp. Here, Ponting films both the people and their actions, along with the wildlife that inhabits the area. Much of the middle section of the film focuses on the wildlife, documenting the habits of seals, penguins and gulls. Throughout these animal parts, the "narrator" (obviously being a silent film , these narrations are provided within inter titles) almost seems to place human characteristics to them (such as stating that a male penguin searches for his "bride"), his observations at times entertaining and occasionally amusing. Unfortunately, some of the practices for capturing footage seems very archaic to modern viewers, as Ponting often interrupts nature to capture certain footage; a practice that I'm sure David Attenborough would be astounded with. Obviously, Ponting did not follow the five men who set off from camp to reach the south pole. As history is now aware, those men never returned alive. With some incredibly stunning images of polar caps, icebergs etc, the film is a beauty to behold. Unfortunately, the film was not really successful at the time, and Ponting died in poverty 10 years after its release. However, the British Film Institute has released the film in a beautiful digital transfer that means that this film of historical importance may live on for future generations to enjoy.

This film is a true inspiration. The level of patience and care that has gone into capturing these stunning images in the frozen wastes of the Antarctic, way back in the early days of cinematography - 1912, is amazing.It's beautifully shot and edited, (recently cleaned up for the BFI), with a suitable score which gives the film a playful tone- especially as Ponting spends time following the penguins, which was comical.Towards the end the film becomes much more emotional and by this point you truly realise the scale of the expedition, the sacrifices made and how brave Captain Scott, the explorers and Ponting with his camera were to undertake such a daring journey.