Scott's last ride

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Movie
German title Scott's last ride
Original title Scott of the Antarctic
Country of production Great Britain
original language English
Publishing year 1948
length 111 minutes
Rod
Director Charles Frend
script Walter Meade
Ivor Montagu
Mary Hayley Bell (dialogues)
production Michael Balcon
music Ralph Vaughan Williams
camera Osmond Borradaile
Jack Cardiff
Geoffrey Unsworth
cut Peter Tanner
occupation

Scott's last journey is a British feature film from the year 1948 . His topic is the last South Pole expedition by the British polar explorer Robert Falcon Scott .

action

On September 9, 1904, Scott is on his ship Discovery returning from his first Antarctic expedition . He notes in his diary that he has now explored the outskirts of Antarctica in the footsteps of Captain Cook and James Ross , but the interior of the continent has not yet been explored. Scott returns to the British Navy , but the idea of ​​being the first person to reach the geographic South Pole continues to preoccupy him. In 1908 he started implementing his project. He wins the doctor and zoologist Dr. Edward Wilson . His plans are meeting with his compatriots with little enthusiasm and even the public financial support in the amount of 20,000  pounds falls short of his expectations. In Norway he tests his snowmobiles (the forerunners of today's snow groomers ) in the presence of the polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen , who, however, strongly advises Scott to only use dogs as a means of transport (and in an emergency as food). Scott replies that the love of animals forbids such treatment in the English and relies on ponies, snowmobiles and dogs. In 1910 his ship Terra Nova was celebrated by the residents of Lytteltons ( New Zealand ) as it sailed . Scott receives the message there that the Norwegian Roald Amundsen is also on his way to the South Pole. Scott emphasizes to his team that scientific research is more important on the expedition than a race to the South Pole. In a private conversation with Wilson, however, he admits the importance of his real goal.

After wintering on the Antarctic coast, Scott's teams start their arduous journey with snowmobiles, ponies and dog sleds across the Ross Ice Shelf towards the South Pole. The snowmobiles fail after a short time, and Scott regretfully recalls Nansen's advice. As planned, groups of supporters and the dog sleds are gradually returning to the base camp. The ponies are shot just before they reach Beardmore Glacier . The remaining three teams laboriously continue their way across the glacier. Then the team under Edward Atkinson also turns around. Scott says goodbye to him, instructing him to expect him in early March. Arrived on the polar plateau , Scott decides for the last stage to the South Pole for four companions. One of them is Edgar Evans , who just injured his hand while repairing the sled, but is hiding it from Scott. The men of the last returning support group watch Scott's team disappear on the horizon on their way south.

When Scott and his companions approach the pole, the men first see a black flag in the distance, and then an uninhabited tent with the Norwegian flag at the South Pole. The men are disappointed, take a group photo and start on their way back. Scott wonders if he'll make it.

On the way back, Scott and his companions struggle with hunger and frostbite due to the deteriorating weather. Evans is the first of the men to die - the cause is not directly named, but the film shows his injured hand and a fall in which he hits his head. In the depots on the way back, there is an inexplicable lack of oil in the canisters, and Lawrence Oates ' frozen foot hinders the marching pace. Wilson investigates Oates and encourages him, even though his case is clearly hopeless. When Oates endangers the progress of his friends because of his frostbite, he leaves the tent in a pitched camp during a snow storm with the words "I'm just going out, and it could take a little longer" and does not return. The other men set off with the aim of reaching the saving one-tone depot. Just a few miles from this depot, another snow storm keeps the men trapped in their tent. While the wind "Eleven Miles!" Whistling in the tent seems to be whistling and they are writing their farewell letters, Scott, Wilson and Henry Bowers dream of country life in England and their wives who await them at home. Scott is writing in his diary for the last time. Months later, a search party from the base camp found the deceased snowed in deep in their tent.

background

The film is based on the diaries of Robert Falcon Scott . The two screenwriters, Meade and Montagu, tried to keep the actual events in chronological order, and John Mills' wife, Mary Haley Bell, fictitiously added the dialogue. Some of the outdoor shots were shot in Antarctica as well as in Norway and Switzerland . The film pays tribute to the team spirit of the crew, but also shows Scott's mistakes that led to the failure of the expedition.

thanksgiving

At the end of the film, the cooperation with survivors and family members of the expedition team is recognized: "This film could not have been made without the generous co-operation of the survivors and the relatives of late members of Scott's Last Expedition. To them and to those many other persons and organizations too numerous to mention individually who gave such able assistance and encouragement, the producers express their deepest gratitude. " (German: "This film could not have been made without the generous cooperation with the survivors and relatives of the deceased participants in Scott's last expedition. The producers would like to express their deepest gratitude to you and the many other people and organizations, too numerous to list express helpful support and encouragement. ")

Deviations from actual events

Slight variations of the actual events are present in the film:

  • In the film, Scott receives a mysterious telegram in New Zealand, but only gets to read it to his crew during his crossing to Antarctica: "I am going south. Amundsen". It is immediately clear to Scott and his crew that Amundsen wants to go to Antarctica. In reality, Scott received this telegram a little earlier, in Australia, and Amundsen's actual text was less clear: "Beg leave to inform you Fram proceeding Antarctic Amundsen - request permission to inform you, Fram is heading for Antarctica. Amundsen" [ Fram is Amundsen's ship]. According to the diary of Tryggve Gran (Scott's only Norwegian expedition member), the real Scott and his companions could not read Amundsen's intentions from the ambiguous telegram.
  • In the film, the Terra Nova Scotts team drops off in Antarctica, sails without Scott along the ice barrier and surprisingly discovers Amundsen's base camp in Antarctica. The ship therefore returns to Scott's base camp and immediately informs Scott of Amundsen's presence. In reality, when his ship returned unplanned, Scott was not personally present at base camp, but was already busy setting up depots in the interior of Antarctica.
  • In the film, Scott's team spots a black Amundsen flag just before the South Pole, and the men realize the race is lost. In the next scene, the men arrive at Amundsen's tent (with a Norwegian flag on the mast) and discover the paw tracks of Amundsen's sled dogs. In reality, Scott and his men discovered the paw tracks (and dog poop) on the black flag the day before.
  • The film gives the impression that Scott doubts at the South Pole whether he will make the way back. In reality, Scott doubted whether he would be able to communicate the conquest of the South Pole to the world press any faster than Amundsen (both Scott and Amundsen were talking about lucrative exclusive interviews). This mistake in the film is based on a small cut in the edited version of Scott's diary that has only been rediscovered since the film.

Reviews

“The film follows Scott's diary exactly. A factually revealing and humanly shocking drama with a documentary character. "

- Lexicon of international film

Awards

The film entered the competition at the Venice International Film Festival in 1949 and was nominated for the British Film Academy Award for best British film.

Soundtrack release

  • Ralph Vaughan Williams : Scott of the Antarctic - Suite From the Film Music (Complete Film Music) , on: The Film Music of Ralph Vaughan Williams Volume 1 . Chandos, Colchester 2002, audio carrier no. CHAN 10007 - digital re-recording of the entire film music by the BBC Philharmonic under the direction of Rumon Gamba

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "Race for the South Pole. The Expedition Diaries of Scott and Amundsen." Roland Huntford . 2010, Continuum, London, New York.
  2. ↑ Scott's last trip. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used