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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Dolby Surround Sound, English, French, Subtitled
In August, 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton, a renowned explorer set sail with 27 men on his ship The Endurance. His plan was to be the first expedition to cross the Antarctic continent.His ship was beset in heavy sea ice off the coast of Antarctica and was eventually crushed. Marooned on four feet of ice over 8,000 foot deep water Shackleton and his crew survived some 635 days and nights without proper shelter or rations in some of the harshest conditions imaginable. Eventually by small boat and foot Shackleton was able to get to safety and then rescue his entire crew. The Endurance is considered by many experts to be the greatest of all adventures. Miraculously much of the original story was captured on film and in pictures by the ship's photographer. To make The Endurance, the modern filmmakers went to all original locations to capture this astonishing story in color in one of the most remote motion picture shoots ever recorded.
"An extraordinarily powerful film..." Godfrey Chesire, New York Press
"Nothing short of breathtaking!" Joe Leydon, San Francisco Examiner
Editor's Note
In August 1914, seasoned British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton embarks on his third excursion into Antarctic territory, planning to cross the Antarctic continent on foot--something no other explorer has attempted before. Only a day's journey from his final destination, Shackleton's ship, The Endurance, is trapped in pack-ice, where she will remain frozen for the next ten months, all throughout the harsh Antarctic winter. With dwindling rations, blizzards, boredom, and illness to contend with, and only each other and their faithful sled dogs for company, the crew grows restless, and Shackleton has his hands full trying to keep the peace on board. A turning point occurs when ice floes finally threaten to crush the ship, and the men are forced to take to the lifeboats. Now Shackleton, abandoning any remaining notions of completing the mission, decides instead to bring back his crew alive at any cost, even though the nearest outpost of civilization is on an island 800 miles away. Historic film clips of The Endurance shot by expedition photographer Frank Hurley, new color footage of the eerily beautiful Antarctic landscape, as well as commentary by surviving family members and narration by Liam Neeson all combine to make watching this documentary a gripping experience.
| Features | Bonus Trailers | | Interactive Menus | | Advanced Selections | | Widescreen Presentation | | Audio: English (Dolby Surround) | | Subtitles: English, French | | "Beyond the Endurance" Featurette | | Director Commentary | | Digitally Mastered Audio & Anamorphic Video | | Included Score |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 10/28/2008 |
| Running Time: 92 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2001 | | Catalog ID: 00687 | | UPC: 00043396006874 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: English, French | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew | Caroline Alexander - Based On Novel By | | Sandi Sissel - Cinematographer | | George Butler - Director | | Joshua Waletzky - Editor | | Caroline Alexander - Executive Producer | | John Blackborow - Featuring | | Julian Ayer - Featuring | | Peter Wordie - Featuring | | Simon Prebble - Featuring | | Michael Small - Musical Score | | Liam Neeson - Narrated By | | George Butler - Producer | | Joseph Dorman - Writer |
| Awards |
Sundance Film Festival (2001) | | | George Butler, Nominee, Gand Jury Prize | |
British Academy Awards (2001) | | | Tom Hurwitz, Sandi Sissel, Scott Ransom, Nominee, Best Photography (Factual) | | | George Butler, Caroline Alexander, Nominee, The Flaherty Documentary Award |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...[The story] is so gripping, so full of improbably turns and agonizing reversals that it bears repeating, and Mr. Butler and Ms. Alexander tell it straightforwardly and well..." 10/19/2001 p.E22Chicago Sun-Times
"...[With] remarkable moving and still footage....The result is an astonishing adventure documentary..." 01/20/2002 p.6 Entertainment Weekly
"...Astonishing pictures....The interviews with descendents of the ship's crew add color to frozen black-and-white images of real survivors..." 11/02/2001 p.51 L.A. Times 7 of 10
The Endurance is equally inventive aurally. Aside from Michael Small's fine score and a narration briskly read by Liam Neeson, the film utilizes radio interviews with the actual survivors, excerpts from their journals read by a range of actors, and, most intriguing, interviews with their descendants. Many of these folks say that their progenitors never discussed their ordeal, never let them read those journals while they remained alive. It's not difficult to see why. - Kenneth Turan
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
Footage from a remarkable silent documentary has been combined with new photography, music and a narration to produce an even more remarkable sound documentary... - Roger Ebert
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