Here's the sequence that led to this in my life: I read about the Scott disaster, an amazing story. Then last night I saw the 1958 film of it, an extraordinary story and an interesting film.
For those who don't know the story it is of a British expedition to be the first to the south pole. They were beaten by a month by a Norweigian explorer, and on the return lost their lives. They made extraordinary errors, but they were loved by the Brits because, well because they were so heroically aristocratic and gentlemanly in their bearing. This story was huge, just huge.
It was huge enough to serve as the basis for this film, which I saw following the 58 UK film. That film showed the sleds as pulled by humans, as cooking with certain pots, as the sleds with odometer wheels, as certain surely genuine clothing. It shows a man dying of wounds after being pulled in exhaustion; another knowing his fate was sealed and going off into the cold to die in sacrifice. We have all that here.
This is three films in one, two of them palatable. I usually get annoyed at Capra, but this is before he developed his sugary world for us.
One film is of a crew wrecked at the south pole and having to recreate the doomed Scott voyage, in evocation of that great adventure. Keep in mind that this was only 20 years before (and its over 75 years since this film!)
Another is an equally amazing adventure sequence. The story here is that the top dirigible pilot and top plane pilot ("Frisky") are buddies. They plan a joint trip to the pole. The sequences that have these two flying are still darned impressive today, three quarters of a century later. The flying cameras are great. The flying balloons are shown with convincing reality. If all we had were the shots of the real facility and its devices and sailors, this would be worth it.
The third story grows to take over the thing. Its the story of Frisky's wife, played by Fay Wray a couple years before "King Kong." She's upset that Frisky is away so much doing his stunts. The dirigible pilot is his best friend and in love with her. While Frisky is on his way to the pole, she plans to divorce Frisky and marry his buddy. Naturally Frisky is saved by his buddy making a dangerous flight over Antartica, and he generously arranges to hide the affair, knowing that Fay has discovered her "love" for her husband. All this is rather horrible in every dimension.
But see it for the other two components. Darn worthwhile.
Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.
For those who don't know the story it is of a British expedition to be the first to the south pole. They were beaten by a month by a Norweigian explorer, and on the return lost their lives. They made extraordinary errors, but they were loved by the Brits because, well because they were so heroically aristocratic and gentlemanly in their bearing. This story was huge, just huge.
It was huge enough to serve as the basis for this film, which I saw following the 58 UK film. That film showed the sleds as pulled by humans, as cooking with certain pots, as the sleds with odometer wheels, as certain surely genuine clothing. It shows a man dying of wounds after being pulled in exhaustion; another knowing his fate was sealed and going off into the cold to die in sacrifice. We have all that here.
This is three films in one, two of them palatable. I usually get annoyed at Capra, but this is before he developed his sugary world for us.
One film is of a crew wrecked at the south pole and having to recreate the doomed Scott voyage, in evocation of that great adventure. Keep in mind that this was only 20 years before (and its over 75 years since this film!)
Another is an equally amazing adventure sequence. The story here is that the top dirigible pilot and top plane pilot ("Frisky") are buddies. They plan a joint trip to the pole. The sequences that have these two flying are still darned impressive today, three quarters of a century later. The flying cameras are great. The flying balloons are shown with convincing reality. If all we had were the shots of the real facility and its devices and sailors, this would be worth it.
The third story grows to take over the thing. Its the story of Frisky's wife, played by Fay Wray a couple years before "King Kong." She's upset that Frisky is away so much doing his stunts. The dirigible pilot is his best friend and in love with her. While Frisky is on his way to the pole, she plans to divorce Frisky and marry his buddy. Naturally Frisky is saved by his buddy making a dangerous flight over Antartica, and he generously arranges to hide the affair, knowing that Fay has discovered her "love" for her husband. All this is rather horrible in every dimension.
But see it for the other two components. Darn worthwhile.
Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.