The Great White Silence
Encyclopedia
The Great White Silence is a 1924
English documentary
that contains brief cinematograph sequences taken during the Terra Nova Expedition
of 1910—1913. Originally a silent film
, the documentary was restored and re-released in 2011 by the British Film Institute
with a musical soundtrack by Simon Fisher Turner
.
, to plant the Union Jack on the South Pole
by means of men, ponies, dogs, and primitive snowmobile
s hauling sledges from a base located on the Antarctic coastline
. The documentary portrays expedition leader Robert Falcon Scott
and his ship, the Terra Nova, and men as they leave London
to sail into the Southern Ocean
and its ice floes. Safely landed on the icy coastline of Ross Island
, the filmmaker follows the men as they set up tents, practice skiing
, and prepare to probe southward toward the Pole. The film concludes with a sequence of the explorers pushing off from their base, and title cards reminding viewers of what, to the 1924 viewer, would have been the familiar story of the expedition's tragic conclusion. Scott and his immediate support group of four companions never returned from the Pole.
Filmmaker Herbert Ponting
was the first known photographer to bring a cinematograph to the Antarctic continent and to take brief video sequences of the continent's orcas, penguins and other fauna, as well as the human explorers who were trying to "conquer" it.
Scott did not choose cinematographer Ponting to accompany him to the South Pole. Ponting remained on base and survived with his film sequences, eventually returning to England.
, and The Great White Silence was unearthed, restored, and re-released in 2011.
1924 in film
-Events:* Entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures to create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
English documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that contains brief cinematograph sequences taken during the Terra Nova Expedition
Terra Nova Expedition
The Terra Nova Expedition , officially the British Antarctic Expedition 1910, was led by Robert Falcon Scott with the objective of being the first to reach the geographical South Pole. Scott and four companions attained the pole on 17 January 1912, to find that a Norwegian team led by Roald...
of 1910—1913. Originally a silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
, the documentary was restored and re-released in 2011 by the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
with a musical soundtrack by Simon Fisher Turner
Simon Fisher Turner
Simon Turner is an English musician, songwriter, composer, producer and actor.After portraying Ned East in the 1971 BBC TV adaptation of Tom Brown's Schooldays and roles in films such as The Big Sleep , Dover-born Simon Turner quickly rose to fame as a teen star in Britain thanks to his mentor...
.
Synopsis and production notes
The Terra Nova Expedition was an effort, by governments and concerned citizens of what was then the British EmpireBritish Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, to plant the Union Jack on the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
by means of men, ponies, dogs, and primitive snowmobile
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
s hauling sledges from a base located on the Antarctic coastline
Cape Evans
Cape Evans is a rocky cape on the west side of Ross Island, forming the north side of the entrance to Erebus Bay.The cape was discovered by the Discovery expedition under Robert Falcon Scott, who named it the Skuary. Scott's second expedition, the British Antarctic Expedition , built its...
. The documentary portrays expedition leader Robert Falcon Scott
Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...
and his ship, the Terra Nova, and men as they leave London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to sail into the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
and its ice floes. Safely landed on the icy coastline of Ross Island
Ross Island
Ross Island is an island formed by four volcanoes in the Ross Sea near the continent of Antarctica, off the coast of Victoria Land in McMurdo Sound.-Geography:...
, the filmmaker follows the men as they set up tents, practice skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, and prepare to probe southward toward the Pole. The film concludes with a sequence of the explorers pushing off from their base, and title cards reminding viewers of what, to the 1924 viewer, would have been the familiar story of the expedition's tragic conclusion. Scott and his immediate support group of four companions never returned from the Pole.
Pioneering cinematographer
Herbert Ponting
Herbert George Ponting, FRGS was a professional photographer. He is best known as the expedition photographer and cinematographer for Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Expedition to the Ross Sea and South Pole...
was the first known photographer to bring a cinematograph to the Antarctic continent and to take brief video sequences of the continent's orcas, penguins and other fauna, as well as the human explorers who were trying to "conquer" it.
Scott did not choose cinematographer Ponting to accompany him to the South Pole. Ponting remained on base and survived with his film sequences, eventually returning to England.
Reception
The Great White Silence, and a successor film with a soundtrack based upon some of the same film sequences, 90° South, were not great commercial successes, and Ponting, the director, died impoverished. However, his work was eventually acclaimed as one of the highest-quality group of images surviving from the so-called Heroic Age of Antarctic ExplorationHeroic Age of Antarctic Exploration
The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration defines an era which extended from the end of the 19th century to the early 1920s. During this 25-year period the Antarctic continent became the focus of an international effort which resulted in intensive scientific and geographical exploration, sixteen...
, and The Great White Silence was unearthed, restored, and re-released in 2011.
External links
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1764657/ Imdb - The Great White Silence