Film & TV Database

Herbert Ponting's version of Scott's Antarctic expedition.

ACTUALITY. The filmic record of the British Antarctic Expedition 1910-13 to the South Pole under the leadership of Captain Robert Faloon Scott, R.N. Rl.1 Still picture of Scott in naval uniform (122-136); still of Ponting (191-197); Ponting operating his camera in the Antarctic (207); the Terra Nova entering the Harbour of Lyttelton, N.Z., October, 1910 (229-277); ponies being shipped (286-304); the crew during recreation, dancing, boxing, etc. (323-430); Scott on the bridge (Iris) November 29th (440-455); the ship leaving harbour (464-482); Ponting with dogs on board ship (521-546); ponies in their stalls (552); Captain Oates with ponies (559-563); Dr. Wilson having his hair cut (573-598); Oates clipping Mr. C.H. Mears's hair (608-630); last view of New Zealand coast (656); setting full sail (664-684); en route (723); in a gale (723-746; 770-794); seagulls on the water (807-833); a floating iceberg (847-862); closer shots (871-883; 894-917; 932-945); entering pack ice (960-990); map tracing route (1002-1021); ice floes (1078). End of Part 1 (1084). Rl.2 Part 2. The ship imprisoned in the ice (1101-1110); the ice field viewed from the main top mast (1119-1126); penguins (1139-1157); seals basking on ice (1176-1184); seal carcases being dragged aboard for food (1221); the prow of the ship breaking through the ice (1233-1249; 1265-1326); Ponting photographing the prow (1327-1333); the open sea (1355); the Great Ice Barrier (1370-1398); the cliffs of Ross Island and Mount Terror (1410-1428); map showing progress (1447); further shots of ice-barrier (1457-1464; 1483-1490); entering McMurdo Sound (1500-1666); various ice formations in light of the midnight sun (1675-1686); the volcanic Mount Erebus (1698-1712); establishing Headquarters at the foot of the mountain (1726-1969). End of Part 2 (1989). Rl.3 Part 3. "Nigger", the ship's cat, jumping through the arms of a sailor (2005-2016; 2025-2060); Weddell seals with their young (2070-2691); unloading sledges and equipment for the main exploring party (2704-2737); a killer whale (2757-2817); a pack of killer whales attacking a mother seal and her pup who are saved by firing a harpoon from the ship (2827-2959); shots of "frost smoke" (2975-2995). End of Part 3. (3000). Rl.4 Part 4. The Terra Nova leaves for New Zealand (3018-3029); a group photograph of the explorers who remained: Left to right. Standing: Griffith Taylor, Geologist, A. Cherry-Garrard, Assistant Zoologist, B. Day, Motor Engineer, E.W. Nelson, Biologist, Lieut. E.R.G.R. Evans, R.N., Second-in-Command, Captain L.E.G. Oates, in charge of Ponies, Dr. E.L. Atkinson, Parisitologist, Captain R.F. Scott, R.N. (with ski stock) Leader, C.S. Wright, Physicist, Petty-Officer P. Keohane, Transport, Lieut. T. Gran, Ski Expert, Petty Officer W. Lashly, Transport, F.J. Hooper, Steward, Petty-Officer R. Forde, Transport, Anton Kondrachenko, Russian Groom, Pony Transport, Dimitri Geroff, Russian Dog Driver. Left to Right. Sitting: Lieut. H.R. Bowers, R.I.M. Commissariat. C.H. Mears, Dog Transport, F. Debenham, Geologist, Dr. E.A. Wilson, Chief of the Scientific Staff, Dr. G.C. Simpson, Meteorologist, Petty Officer Edgar Evans, Transport, Petty Officer T. Crean, Transport. (3044-3063); the Polar night during May (3082-3109); ice cliffs in moonlight (3118-3126); still of Scott writing his journal in the "hut" (3136-3150); the Polar spring - September (3164-3194); a game of football (3208-3277); instruction in skiing (3285-3314); icebergs (3322-3367); an ice cavern (3375-3391); the same cavern a year later (3397-3409); further shots of icebergs and ice-formations (3414-3461); the dog teams at work (3475-3700); Dr. Wilson with "Nobby", a pony (3712-3727); Lieut. Bowers with "Victor" (3731-3746); Petty Officer Evans with "Snatcher" (3754-3768); various shots of Antarctic Skua gulls, including female bird with eggs (3786-3897); the hatching of an egg in close up (3905-4023); young gulls with parent birds (4025-4093). End of Part 4. (4102). Rl.5 Part 5. A colony of Adelie penguins (4122-4129); mating (4146-4393); nesting (4402-4419); Ponting with penguins (4542-4613); Skua gulls taking eggs (4630-4662); penguins sitting on eggs during blizzard (4680-4794); newly hatched chicks (4810-4854); one week old (4862-4885); at two weeks (4890-4899); at three weeks (4917-4967); at six weeks - taking to water (4984-5020). Rl.6 November 2, 1911 - the start of the expedition to discover the South Pole (5049-5135) with Scott and Wilson in the rearguard (5146-5174) (Sixteen members of the expedition started on the Polar journey, eleven acting as supporting parties, with supplies for the five who would attempt to reach the Pole): map showing progress and location of first store depot (5185-5202); long shot of caravan from above (5231-5244); map of progress (5231-5244); Beardmore Glacier is reached where the work of the ponies is finished (5244-5258); blizzard (5273-5290); packing the sledges (5299); members of the expedition proceed, hauling the sledges (5319-5327; 5345-5366; 5383-5396); long shot from above (5398-5418); close shots (5432-5479); using skis (5498) pitching tent and entering to eat and sleep (5509-5693); map showing location of supply depot on summit of Beardmore Glacier (5707-5725); one of the supporting parties return after depositing supplies (5764); they reached Headquarters (5772-5795); closer shots of the party showing their faces scarred by exposure (5806-5811); map of progress (5835-5848); the last supporting party turn back and Scott and the others go on (5873); close shots of the Polar party - Evans, Bowers, Wilson, Oates and Scott (5892-5900); changing their footgear (5922-5956); cooking and eating (5971-6064); preparing for sleep (6078-6188). End of Part 6. (6194). Rl.7 Part 7. Packing the sledge and starting the day's journey (6209-6230); January 18, 1912 - the South Pole is reached - map showing route (6286-6303); stills follow of the tent left by Captain Amundsen who had reached the Pole on December 14th., 1911 (6318) and a still of Oates, Bowers, Scott, Wilson and Evans (in that order) at the Pole (6330-6340). The remainder of the film consists of various diagrams and maps tracing the return route interposed with quotations from Scott's journal, Dolman's picture of that "very gallant gentleman" (Captain Oates) and stills of the ill-fated members of the party; the film concludes with a shot of the cairn of ice, surmounted by a cross, erected over the bodies of Scott, Wilson and Bowers (7017-7029) followed by the third verse of Owen Seaman's In Memoriam (7078). Finis (7086). Subject refs: 910.4 : 999 EXPLORATION : Antarctic 999 : 551.324 ANTARCTICA : Beardmore Glacier 999 : 551.324 ANTARCTICA : Icebergs 523.73 SUN : Midnight sun 551.21 : 999 : 993.1 VOLCANOES : Antarctica : Ross Dependency : Erebus 598.422 SKUA GULL 598.45 PENGUINS 591.55 : 598.45 MATING : Penguins 599.745.3 SEALS 636.73 SLEDGES DOGS Biog. refs: SCOTT, Robert Falcon WILSON, Edward Adrian BOWERS, Henry Robertson EVANS, Edgar OATES, Lawrence Edward Grace PONTING, Herbert George Note: Original unedited negative material is contained in (BRITISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION, 1910-13). First released in parts during 1911-12 under the titles WITH CAPTAIN SCOTT TO THE SOUTH POLE; EPIC OF THE SOUTH POLE: The UNDYING STORY OF CAPTAIN SCOTT. This version was reissued in 1924. Other versions are NINETY DEGREES SOUTH (1933) and The STORY OF CAPTAIN SCOTT (qq.v.). (1936). Review refs: Related material, no.120. Bioscope, 11 (239) - May 11, 1911. p.235 Bioscope, 13 (267) - November 23, 1911. p.583 Bioscope, 16 (306) - August 22, 1912. p.545 Bioscope, 59 (918) - May 18, 1924. p.51 Bioscope, 77 (1156) - November 28, 1928. p.24 Kinematograph weekly, 93 (828) - March 8, 1923. p.77 Kinematograph weekly, 86 (887) - April 17, 1924. p.63 Kinematograph weekly, 87 (890) - May 8, 1924. p.60 Kinematograph weekly, 141 (1128) - November 29, 1928. p.50