Scott of the Antarctic (1948) YTS

Reviewed by CinemaSerf 7 / 10

I found myself reaching for a blanket as

I found myself reaching for a blanket as I watched this on the telly the other night. A wonderfully evocative combination of sound effects (mostly a howling wind) and snowscape cinematography help give this epic tale of grit and determination a solid bedrock. Not being John Mills' biggest fan (I always thought David Niven would have made for a far better Robert Falcon Scott) I was prepared for his usual jolly-good-show performance; but not here - he does capture some of the character of the intrepid Antarctic explorer well. Along with a strong supporting cast - Derek Bond; John Gregson & a slimmed down looking James Robertson Justice we get a true sense of the teamwork and struggle as they face the dangers of the rugged continent, the fierce elements, hunger and deprivation racing Amundsen to the South Pole and, of course, to get home again.

Reviewed by tomgillespie2002 7 / 10

One of Ealing's most overlooked efforts

Produced by Ealing Studios, Scott of the Antarctic is a stiff upper- lipped depiction of Captain Scott's infamous, ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. Facing freezing storms, starvation, lack of fuel, and having just digested the sobering revelation that Norwegian rival Roald Amundsen had beaten them too it, Scott and his remaining team of four settled and died just 11 miles from camp, where food, warmth and undoubtedly survival awaited them. Trading very much on the legend of Captain Scott, the film charms thanks to it's post-WWII optimism and gorgeous colour cinematography.Beginning with a determined Scott, played heartily by John Mills, rounding up his crew, the film takes it's time to get to the Arctic. Relying on Captain Scott's beautifully written diary for its source of information, the film feels more documentary than straight feature. It is all the more detailed and authentic for it, but it comes at the expense of any real character development. By the time the credits roll, we know little more about Scott than when we started, apart from that he was obviously a determined and courageous man. But it makes up for this neglect with a startling final third, where director Charles Frend puts us through every step of Scott's exhausting final thrust to get back to civilisation.Mills and the supporting cast (James Robertson Justice, Kenneth More, Harold Warrender et al) are excellent throughout, starting out as eager and boisterous, and later, as the last survivors wait to die in the tent that would become their tomb, withdrawn and contemplative. The setting plays as the main villain, and it's captured as both a place of isolated beauty and uninhabitable terror , thanks to Jack Cardiff's stunning cinematography, and it's the encroaching sense of doom that gives Scott of the Antarctic a raw power. Although it obviously ends badly, Scott's death proved to be the making of him. Amundsen was (somewhat cruelly) dismissed as a bad sportsman, and Scott was instantly labelled a hero for daring to stare such overwhelming odds in the face and hold his head high. For a country still recovering from the ravishes of war at the time of the film's release, it must have been a powerful sentiment indeed. One of Ealing's most overlooked efforts.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

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Scott of the Antarctic

1948

Action / Adventure / Biography / Drama / History

Scott of the Antarctic

1948

Action / Adventure / Biography / Drama / History

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Movie Reviews

I found myself reaching for a blanket as

One of Ealing's most overlooked efforts

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