After reading the book by Hammond Innes called, "The White South", I was not disappointed with this film. The book was very graphic and, as with most Hammond Innes books, there was a lot of narrative. However, most of the story was quite faithful to the authors work, and Alan Ladd was very good, inasmuch as his quiet, unassuming performance represented the type of hero that every young cinema goer would like to have been.
However, I have to say that the showdown between Duncan Craig (Alan Ladd) and Erik Bland (Stanley Baker) was given a different ending. In the book, Duncan Craig does not win the fight with Bland. Although, Bland does end up meeting a form of poetic justice. Having been to the Antarctic myself, I found that the way Bland met his end in the film was quite disturbing - it was too realistic.
But the way that Duncan Craig was rescued in the book was quite touching, inasmuch as he was rescued by a man almost forty years older than himself - and was more experienced, which suggested that you should never undervalue the skills of an older person.
I have wanted to see this film since I was a child, and missed its rerun at the local cinema, and I have only just managed to catch up with it on Film 4 this afternoon.
It had been on Film 4 several months ago but, as when I was a child, I missed it again. So, I tried to find the film on-line, and also looked for it on YouTube, but could not track it down. As a matter of fact, I could not even find a trailer for it.
I surmised that because of the un-politically correct scenes of whaling would not be accepted on social media now. A film showing scenes of a whale being harpooned and the actors cheering like someone had scored a goal at a football match, would definitely not have been made for audiences to watch today. At one point, I think even Alan Ladd looked uncomfortable with it.
I would advise anyone who has seen this film to read the book, as it is easier to picture the characters if you know which actor or actress some of the characters were played by.
To end with, I would like to say something about the music score. The haunting music suggesting eager excitement, blended against the background of forlorn danger, gave the film the right atmosphere for an Antarctic adventure story.
However, I have to say that the showdown between Duncan Craig (Alan Ladd) and Erik Bland (Stanley Baker) was given a different ending. In the book, Duncan Craig does not win the fight with Bland. Although, Bland does end up meeting a form of poetic justice. Having been to the Antarctic myself, I found that the way Bland met his end in the film was quite disturbing - it was too realistic.
But the way that Duncan Craig was rescued in the book was quite touching, inasmuch as he was rescued by a man almost forty years older than himself - and was more experienced, which suggested that you should never undervalue the skills of an older person.
I have wanted to see this film since I was a child, and missed its rerun at the local cinema, and I have only just managed to catch up with it on Film 4 this afternoon.
It had been on Film 4 several months ago but, as when I was a child, I missed it again. So, I tried to find the film on-line, and also looked for it on YouTube, but could not track it down. As a matter of fact, I could not even find a trailer for it.
I surmised that because of the un-politically correct scenes of whaling would not be accepted on social media now. A film showing scenes of a whale being harpooned and the actors cheering like someone had scored a goal at a football match, would definitely not have been made for audiences to watch today. At one point, I think even Alan Ladd looked uncomfortable with it.
I would advise anyone who has seen this film to read the book, as it is easier to picture the characters if you know which actor or actress some of the characters were played by.
To end with, I would like to say something about the music score. The haunting music suggesting eager excitement, blended against the background of forlorn danger, gave the film the right atmosphere for an Antarctic adventure story.