Interesting..the fact is, the most amazing part of the trip was NOT that 800 mile voyage in the Southern Ocean (even thogh missing South Georgia wold have meant death). It was the crossing of South Georgia-something not redone until 1965. THe final descent (where they all sat down and slid off the glacier) was the ultimate gamble-there was no choice (if they stayed throgh the night they would have died).
How does the 800 mile voyage to South Georgia from the Ross Sea compare to Captain Bligh’s voyage from the Sandwich Islands to Australia?
Was a movie ever made of the book “Men Against the Sea” ?
Good point and to illustrate it even further, when the Falklands War broke out in 1981 the British SAS were landed by helicopter high on South Georgia. Their objective was to walk down and capture the Argentine forces already there.
SAS are hardened soldiers who train in Norway etc for mountain work but South Georgia defeated them. They couldn’t do it and had to call the helicopters for rescue with the awful result of one of the helicopters crashing on the mountain.
Shackleton’s crossing was an extraordinary feat.
I don’t think a film could do it justice, without it being six hours long! IOW the Branagh miniseries is the definitive version of it. Don’t see much point in trying to improve on what was essentially its perfect telling of the story.
My favorite part of the miniseries was after this, after all they’ve gone thru, over a year of desperate struggle, they’re literally footsteps away from finally reaching civilization, and the one man stops and says, “My breeches are torn, there may be women here”, and they stop so Shackleton can pin closed his tattered pants so his butt isn’t showing! Really a different time…
Well, at least they had sandwiches. 
Interestingly some chaps are about to re-create this voyage http://www.sailmagazine.com/talisker-bounty-reenact-captain-blighs-journey
Yeah, but there was that giant penguin with the tentacles…
I first read of Shackleton’s expedition in a story told from the POV of the ship’s cat, Mrs. Chippy. It was a cute story…right up until the end.
So have Michael Bay make it.
Yes. My parents have been to see that as well. They’ve travelled a lot in their retirement, but these two things (the James Caird and Shackleton’s grave) were two things in particular that were very high on their bucket list).
“Grreat! Have a drrink!”
[semi-hijack]
Until I saw this movie a few months ago, I had no idea it was a real movie. I tuned it in because it starred John Mills, who I love. I have a feeling it was a popular movie to show to British schoolboys as a demonstration of manly stalwart stiff-upper-lippism, but it’s rather bleak and Scott doesn’t come off as anyone to emulate in the end. All it did for the Monty Python boys was give them excellent lampoon fodder.
[end semi-hijack]
We are going to see this on Saturday.
I’ll report back with what we thought of it.
OK, so we went to the performance last night.
It was…unusual.
It was “inspired” by the Shackleton expedition in the same way that a confection is inspired on “Sweet Genius.”
If you like minimalist theatre, then you might enjoy it, but if you want to see a play about the expedition - look somewhere else.
That said, the use of video to dress the set was inspired.
I know that you are thinking of a movie and not a television documentary. But if you haven’t seen the extensive film footage of the actual voyage, you have missed the most riveting story-telling of the trip. I can’t remember if it was produced by PBS or not. Netflix might have it.
There is a 3 part show of modern folks trying to duplicate the feat. They are even eating the same type food and wearing the same type of clothes. I just finished episode one - almost got seasick just watching it.
Brian
That was a pretty good little series (we’ve seen all three eps). Those guys had to be just a little nuts to attempt something like that. Shackleton, of course, had no parachute like these guys did if something went wrong. But still, an at-sea rescue in those conditions would likely result in a death or two.
Worked for Apollo 13, though that had rocket porn.
The movie audience today has little interest in historical films. Lincoln was an exception, but you had Stephen Spielberg behind it, and it takes a lot of convincing to get financing for a film that has little marketing value and is aimed at older audiences.
It would have been possible twenty years ago, but now the blockbuster mentality has taken hold.
Spielberg could do it, and so could one or two others, but if they pass, it won’t happen.
In fact, it has been pitched. Didn’t go well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6lTcZ5qoUk
This is from the BBC’s Horrible Histories, a show ostensibly aimed at kids but actually just brilliant.
10 they weren’t Americans.