Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5096 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-09-02
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 97 minutes

Amazon.com
Several films have documented or dramatized the incredible saga of Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated trans-Antarctic expedition, but The Endurance offers the most comprehensive one-source reference. Originally presented as a PBS Nova special and narrated by Liam Neeson, this excellent film--based on Caroline Alexander's acclaimed book, also titled after the ironic name of Shackleton's doomed ship--chronicles the astonishing events of 1914-16, when Shackleton and 27 crewmen survived against all odds after their ship was crushed in the polar ice floes. This is the only "Shackleton" film to incorporate new footage, expert interviews, dramatic recreations (without dialogue), and expedition photographer Frank Hurley's archival film and photographs. The cumulative effect of this extensive material gives the viewer an almost palpable sense of the expedition's hardship and unlikely survival, made possible in part by a man who had precisely the required experience and leadership skills, and in part by what can only be described as divine intervention. No matter how you interpret it, this is rightly called "the greatest survival story ever told." --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker
A documentary about Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic expedition-a triumph of human will, or, more literally, the ultimate example of sangfroid. Caroline Alexander wrote the concise narration, and the director, George Butler, takes care to etch the awesome physical realities at the bottom of the world. His camera hovers inches above the frigid dark-blue waters and pans across a merciless horizon of frozen sea. Frank Hurley, the expedition's original documentarian, performed a small miracle by saving his photo negatives and film reels. The scenes he shot of the men exercising the Canadian sled dogs and working furiously to extract their trapped ship are the gem within the film's careful cASINg. -Michael Agger
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Fantastic True Story on human will
The story of Shakelton's antarctic expedition is a fantastic look at human nature and what can be accomplished with strong teamwork and leadership. In a nutshell, a bad situation turned worse and a expedition to cross the antarctic turns into a battle for survival.

This version of the Shakelton Story starts out a little slow, but is well organized and keeps your interest. The fight for survival is thrilling and just gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. For those interested in human psychology, sociology, and human interaction this would be for you. I consider it a must watch.

The one thing I wish it had more of was information on what the crew did on elephant island. A PBS documentary was stronger in that regard over "The Endurance".

I highly recommend.

Shackleton - Still the Story of Stories
In the annals of exploration, there may be no greater story than Shackleton's. It is told with all the detail and none of the embellishment from which other chronicles suffer. You will feel the heartbreak and joy of perhaps the greatest adventure in Antarctic history. A great story superbly told on film!!

Excellent Shackleton Resource
This item, along with "Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure", are fantastic multi-media resources for a unit on Shackleton's fatefull expedition. These DVDs pair wonderfully with the book we cover with our seventh graders: "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong. Both are highly recommended for teachers as well as lovers of documentaries. The original photographs and film from expedition photographer Frank Hurley are amazing and really neat for the kids.