Scott of the Antarctic

[DB7]

Tonight on BBC4 as part of the Edwardian season.

[NappieB]

Wow! Wish I could see this again! (passes hat around for contribution towards airfare from US.)

[mrs_emma_peel]

Scott of the Antarctic (1948)
BBC2 ... Saturday 12th January 2013 ... 1.15-3.00pm

Captain Robert Falcon Scott ...
The worst has happened … All the day dreams must go …
Great God! This is an awful place.

Scott wonders if they can make it back – and notes it will be a close run thing …

A fall on 4 February had left Edgar Evans "dull and incapable", and on 17 February, after a further fall - the giant Evans (thought to be the strongest of them all) died near the glacier foot. Scott wrote in his diary that Evans probably suffered a brain injury which resulted in his death.

Captain Oates: ‘I am just going outside and may be some time.’
The bodies of Edgar Evans (thought to be the strongest member of the polar party and Captain Lawrence (Titus) Oates were never found.

Scott’s Diary ...
We took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint, but bow to the will of Providence, determined still to do our best to the last …

Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surely, surely, a great rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent on us are properly provided for.

It seems a pity – but I do not think I can write more ...'

'To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.' - the powerful and poignant line from the poem 'Ulysses' by Alfred Lord Tennyson is inscribed upon the wooden cross on the cairn and tent of Scott, Wilson and Bowers’ final resting place - Dame Judi Dench recites this line, and part of the poem by Tennyson in the latest Bond film - Skyfall.

Many film critics feel that Scott of the Antarctic was somewhat robbed at the 1949 Oscars.

I think Scott of the Antarctic is a superb film - very powerful and moving – deftly directed by documentary film-maker Charles Frend, the savage cold and chilling beauty of ‘this awful place’ - is stunningly photographed in colour by two of the finest cinematographers in film-making - Jack Cardiff and Geoffrey Unsworth - and the movie is further enhanced by a magnificent symphonic music- score of devastating foreboding power and resonance by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Perhaps as John Mills thought - Scott's complex and enigmatic character could have been developed much further than was shown in the screenplay yet the tale is told in fine and hauntingly dramatic style.

Scott's Diary is one of the most affecting, chilling (in every sense of the word) and haunting books I've ever read.



Scott of the Antarctic is preceded by
Talking Pictures
BBC2 ... Saturday 12th January 2013 ... 12.30-1.15pm

John Mills
A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by the Oscar-winning actor Sir John Mills, capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career (including Scott of the Antarctic and the complex character of Robert Falcon Scott). The documentary is narrated by Sylvia Syms – Mills’ co-star in Ice Cold in Alex.

Emma

Sources: DigiGuide/Wikipedia/BBC2