The Great White Silence

1924 1h 48m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 61

Documentary

Synopsis

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Herbert Ponting travelled to Antarctica with Captain Scott’s ill-fated South Pole expedition and filmed the stunning images that make up this extraordinary documentary. (Originally released in 1912 as With Captain Scott in the Antarctic, the material was re-edited and re-issued by Ponting in 1924 as The Great White Silence.)

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Robert Falcon Scott
Self
Herbert G. Ponting
Self
Henry R. Bowers
Self
Edgar Evans
Self
Lawrence E.G. Oates
Self
Edward Adrian Wilson
Self
George P. Abbott
Self
Edward Leicester Atkinson
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Herbert G. Ponting
Languages: No Language
Countries: United Kingdom, Antarctica

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 5

ERA

Did you know

102 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 5

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, Antarctica.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 5

CAST

Did you know

Robert Falcon Scott and Herbert G. Ponting and Henry R. Bowers carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 5

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1764657 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 5

WILD

Did you know

Only 61 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Herbert G. Ponting directs. Produced in United Kingdom, Antarctica. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1102 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, Antarctica.
3Robert Falcon Scott and Herbert G. Ponting and Henry R. Bowers carry the top of the cast.
4IMDB entry: tt1764657 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
5Only 61 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Great White Silence (1924)

Also by

Herbert G. Ponting

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-06
★ 7/10
The fact that Capt. Robert Falcon Scott had the presence of mind to ensure that a cinematographer accompanied his expedition to conquer the South Pole allows us - 100 years later - to enjoy this fascinating documentary. It has been recently restored to commemorate the centenary of the ultimately doomed attempt to reach their southernmost tip of the world before his Norwegian rival Amundsen. Using original imagery from their travels, we see the planning, voyage and initial stages of their journey across Antarctica. We get a true sense of the arduous nature of their travails, the weather at sea and on land as hostile as nature can conjure. Wildlife never seen by most of us at the time of filming; their ponies and tractors; their makeshift wooden huts all have you reaching for a jumper. The shades and hues are brilliantly captured, illustrating just how white everything was as they set off. The story is augmented by a map illustrating their progress as they reach then return from their goal. The frustration I felt whilst the dots on the map gradually brought them to within 11 miles of their food dump before... It's captivating in the truest sense of the word, and is really well worth seeing on a big screen.

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