Scott of the Antarctic

1949 "The noblest adventure man ever dared!"
7| 1h51m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 20 April 1949 Released
Producted By: Ealing Studios
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

The true story of the British explorer Robert Falcon Scott and his ill-fated expedition to try to be the first man to discover the South Pole - only to find that the murderously cold weather and a rival team of Norwegian explorers conspire against him

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Reviews

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.
Leofwine_draca SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC is the famous film version of Scott's ill-fated 1912 journey to the South Pole, acted by John Mills who is supported by a whole slew of notable faces including future greats like John Gregson and Christopher Lee. This Ealing production has exemplary production values and no action or effects of any kind, and yet it grips from beginning to end through the sterling attention to detail and the unending realism. The film is quite lengthy and slowly-paced, but the story is so engrossing and the characters so well-acted that it doesn't really matter. I can't imagine anyone not being affected by this film's moving climax.
jackbenimble This film sucks in so many ways. As an Englishman I find this self conscious stiff upper lip acting style of Mills and his cohorts utterly embarrassing and stupid. That people seem to like this cartoonish drivel only makes it even worse especially when you see real adult English people trying to imitate it in real life. Then in this film we have the heroising of a man who led an expedition which was by all accounts a consummate failure. Why this perverse English need to make a hero out of a loser? Not only did Scott lose the race but all the loss of life, and suffering including the death of horses and dogs for what? Just to try to be the first person to stand on a bit of ice which is the south pole. Why? To satisfy a massive ego. You think it would all be forgotten as an embarrassing mistake in English history. But no. Back when I was young my school was divided up into four 'houses' named after famous explorers: Lawrence, Livingstone, Rhodes and Scott. I was in Scott. Ugh! The shame of it.
mrjmartin This film is magnificent! A true icon of British film making.But a few of the reviewers here see themselves as experts in polar travel, or worse, repeating other people's mistakes:-A common point people repeat WITHOUT PROOF!!; Is that Captain Scott made the decision to take 5 men instead of 4 on the last leg to the pole, BUT TOOK NO FURTHER PROVISIONS!!!Scott was a very experienced Polar traveller, plus Do you really think the 4 other men would NOT have mentioned the fact about rations???And to reviewer Theowinthrop; Did you just read Roland Hateford (Sorry) Huntford's book in a vacuum??? Without referencing other materials? You really ought to read more, instead of repeating one man's vitriol! Who's ONLY experience with cold climates, is being ski correspondent to a Scandinavian newspaper! Some credentials eh? You really should read the works of people who have been to the Polar region, and not some average journalist' who has spent his entire life in libraries fermenting his hatred!!!Honestly!!! It seems that some reviewers take other people's opinions (Without proof...) and repeat them ad-nauseum.
Matthew Kresal History and heroism have always made for fertile ground for storytellers. The story of the ill-fated 1910-1912 British arm of the race to the South Pole that was led by Captain Sir Robert Falcon Scott would prove to be no exception to that rule. While history's opinion of Scott and his expedition has tended to shift back and forth and thus can cloud the issue of this film's historical accuracy one thing is certain though. That is that this film, not matter one's thoughts on its historical accuracy, is a fine film armed with a fine cast, strong production values and a fantastic score. The result is a fine film recreation of the tale of Scott and his men.To begin with the film boosts a fine cast of actors. John Mills plays Captain Scott as a heroic figure doing his best to lead his men in one of the harshest places on Earth, an interpretation that (if other reviews are anything to go by) is certainly cause for controversy six decades on but in the film's context works well. If one needs any proof of just how good Mills is listen to him as he reads out entries from Scott's journal throughout the film. There's also a fine supporting cast including Harold Warreneder as Naturalist E.A. Wilson, Derek Bond as Captain Oates, Kenneth More as Lt. "Teddy" Evans, Reginald Beckwith as Lt. "Birdie" Bowers, Clive Morton as famed Antarctic photographer Herbert Ponting and even a young Christopher Lee in the role of Bernard Day. Sadly the only actresses in the film, Diana Churchill as Scott's wife and Anne Firth as Wilson's wife, seem to be far too constrained by the conventions of wive roles of the time. Overall though it is a fine cast.Scott Of the Antarctic also boosts some strong production values as well. The sets of Arne Akermark are some fine recreations of the various elements of the expedition including the Terra Nova ship, Scott's base of operation and the tent interiors along the way to the pole and back. The costumes of Anthony Mendleson are also fantastic recreations of the outfits and uniforms worn by those who took part on the expedition. Then there's the make-up work which helps to bring a sense of the effects of the Antarctic wilderness upon the men of the expedition. There's also some incredible cinematography as well that reaches not only from the sets but to footage of the Antarctic as well. All together they make for a meticulous and incredible recreation of the places and things involved in the expedition.The film is also blessed with a fine score from composer Vaughan Williams. Williams score is an epic and sweeping piece that makes, all by itself, an incredible portrait not only of the expedition but of the icy continent. Of special mention is Williams pieces for the opening credits, Scott's entry from the end of the Discovery expedition, the Terra Nova's arrival in the Antarctic and the music that accompanies the films last few minutes. The quality of the music makes it no surprise that Williams took this score (of which only half the music he composed ended up in the film) and created his seventh symphony from it.Last, but not least, there is the script. If other reviews that I've read are any indication of things it is that the script is the single most controversial aspect of the film. After some six decades, the controversies surrounding Scott's expeditions make it nay impossible to properly judge the film on its historical accuracy. That said there are some definite changes to the historical events (the death of P.O. Evans being a prime example) but these can be forgiven as virtually every film based on a historical event makes changes to the facts to suit its needs . Judging the script from a writing point of view alone, the script is pretty good in terms of most of its dialogue and compressing years worth of events into under two hours of screen time.While the historical accuracy of the script will continue to be debated I'm sure, there are plenty of other fine things to be found in Scott Of The Antarctic. These include the fine cast, the superb production values and the fantastic score of composer Vaughan Williams. If one can say nothing else about this film it is this: that after six decades it remains a good old fashioned film of adventure and courage.