Scott of the Antarctic (1948 film)
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| Scott of the Antarctic | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Charles Frend |
| Produced by | Michael Balcon |
| Written by | Walter Meade Ivor Montagu Mary Hayley Bell |
| Starring | John Mills |
| Release date(s) | 1948 (England) |
| Running time | 111 min. |
| IMDb profile | |
Scott of the Antarctic is a 1948 film about Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated expedition to Antarctica in 1910-12.
Produced by Ealing Studios, the film was directed by Charles Frend largely on location in Norway. It was filmed in Technicolor.
The script was by Ivor Montagu, Walter Meade and the novelist Mary Hayley Bell.
John Mills played Scott, with a supporting cast which included James Robertson Justice, Derek Bond, Kenneth More and John Gregson.
The film is also known for its score by Ralph Vaughan Williams that was later reworked into his Sinfonia Antartica.
[edit] Plot summary
Captain Scott is given the men but not the funds to go on a second expedition to the Antarctic.
As his wife works on a bust of him, she tells him that she's "not the least jealous" that he's going to the Antarctic again. The wife of a scientist whom Scott hopes to recruit has a very different opinion from Scott's wife, but the scientist agrees to go.
Scott also visits Roald Amundsen, who insists that a polar expedition must use dogs and also expresses a lack of interest in going to the South Pole. Scott goes on a fundraising campaign, and despite popular skepticism, manages to raise enough money to fund the expedition.
After a stop in New Zealand, the ship sets sail for Antarctica. Once there, a camp is set up at the coast, and a small contingent of men, horses and dogs begins the trek towards the pole.
About halfway, the horses are euthanized and some of the men are sent back with the dogs. At 3/4 of the way, Scott further winnows the team down to just five.
They reach the pole only to find the Norwegian flag has already been planted there, and a letter from Amundsen asking Scott to deliver it to the King of Norway.
Disappointed, Scott's team begins the long journey back. Scott is very concerned about the health of his men, one has a hand swollen with a serious gash and another might need to have his foot amputated. The man with the bad hand dies and is buried under the snow.
Just 11 miles short of the base, the rest of the team dies, soon after Scott writes the famous "I do not regret this journey..." entry in his log.
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