This silent film was one featured near the beginning of the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I didn't know what to expect from reading the title, but it sounded like a worthwhile thing to watch. Basically this is a silent documentary about the Terra Nova Expedition, where the British made an effort to plant the British union jack flag on the South Pole, using a group of men, horses (ponies), dogs and primitive snowmobiles hauling sledges. The expedition started from a base located on the Antarctic coastline, all footage was captured at the time of the event, expedition leader was Robert Falcon Scott, he and his men left from New Zealand and sailed into the Southern OCeon and its ice floes. They safely landed on the icy coastline of Ross Island, filmmaker Herbert G. Ponting followed the men setting up tents, practising skiing and preparing to travel southward toward the Pole. The film ends with the explorers pushing off from their base, but title cards remind the viewer that this story has a tragic conclusion, Scott and the four companions never returned from the Pole, but they said that they would die trying to do what man had never done before. This film is interesting with all the footage of the men going through the many icy landscapes and waters, you also see good footage of the wildlife, including killer whales, seals and penguins, but what is really fascinating to watch is the icebergs and other strange ice structures on the journey, it is a worthwhile silent documentary. Very good!
Review of The Great White Silence
