Shackleton: The Greatest Story Of Survival – REVIEW
Image: Explorer/adventurer, Tim Jarvis.
This enthralling documentary details the expedition led by Sir Ernest Shackleton to Antarctica, the most uninhabited and unexplored continent on Earth.
The expedition set out in 1914 on a ship named Endurance with a crew of 28 men ,and what commenced as a glorious expedition to the last unexplored continent quickly transformed into a voyage of fear, starvation and hopelessness.
The Endurance became trapped in an ‘ice prison’, completely crushed under the pressure of millions of tons of ice. In a continent where 6 months of the year are freezing and in complete darkness, what do you do when something goes wrong and you have no control over the situation? How do you survive when you are trapped and isolated from the outside world?
The mission to cross the Antarctica quickly altered to one of survival – to reach the closest land which was a distance of 346 miles. This led to a gruelling and death-defying journey on ice, trekking through mountains and sailing the rough seas.
This story of courage, resilience and the desperate need to survive is presented by modern day explorer/adventurer Tim Jarvis, who recreated Shackleton’s expedition detailing the extremities and hardships endured by the crew of the Endurance.
Utilising archival footage and photographs from the doomed expedition, the film helps audiences experience the tragedy that befell these unfortunate souls as weeks of isolation and desperation turned into months.
This documentary also details the leadership qualities Shackleton possessed which increased the morale of his crew when all hope of rescue was lost, normalizing the cruel and deadly circumstances which they found themselves in.
Against all odds after an incredible 2 years of isolation the impossible was achieved and each of the 28 men triumphantly returned to civilization.
This inspirational story of human endurance should keep audiences captivated throughout, perhaps even nullifying the sense of adventure for wannabe explorers.
★★★★
In Cinemas March 9
