This film is part of Free
Southward on the "Quest"
Potent record of the 1921 Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic expedition, marked by the death of Sir Ernest Shackleton.
Overview
Sir Ernest Shackleton’s fourth and final voyage to Antarctica marked the end of the “Heroic Age” of Antarctic exploration. Restless after the War, the great explorer originally intended to go north to the Arctic, but instead planned a circumnavigation of the Antarctic continent to map around 2000 miles of uncharted coastline and take soundings to investigate the possibility of an underwater continental connection between Africa and America. Although most of this film was shot after Shackleton’s death, the first shot shows the great man bathing and “Query”, the expedition’s dog, on board the Quest. Some views of Grytviken, South Georgia, were taken before Shackleton’s sudden death there, of a coronary thrombosis.
The ship, under Frank Wild, sailed to Montevideo, from where they intended to send the body back to England, but Lady Shackleton requested that they bury him on South Georgia. On the ship’s return members of the expedition and crew were filmed visiting Shackleton’s grave and erecting a memorial cairn. We know very little about the film: JC Bee-Mason, having filmmaking and expedition experience, was appointed as cinematographer, but succumbed to seasickness and was forced to quit the ship at Madeira. Hubert Wilkins, who had been his cabin mate in the ship’s darkroom, undertook the rest of the filming.
Related
Shackleton South Georgia Birds Shackleton South Georgia Birds
1920 13 mins Silent
Wildlife in the remote South Atlantic, captured during the ill-fated Shackleton-Rowett Expedition
Jenny's Dog Team Journey Jenny's Dog Team Journey
Documentary 1975 25 mins
Travels with my camera: inspirational seventy-something Scottish film-maker Jenny Gilbertson travels through Northern Canada by dog sled, with four adults and a baby.
The Conquest of Everest The Conquest of Everest
Documentary 1953 78 mins
Colour film (narrated by Meredith Edwards) telling the story of the ‘Mount Everest Expedition 1953’, which saw the first successful ascent of the mountain.
Preparing for an Expedition Preparing for an Expedition
Travelogue 1959 8 mins Silent
Scenes from a documentary or educational programme filmed in South America on the subject of how to prepare for an expedition.
Under Sail in the Frozen North Under Sail in the Frozen North
1926 40 mins
Compelling travel feature edited from footage of the 1925-26 Worsley Algarsson Arctic expedition.
Cape to Cairo Cape to Cairo
Travelogue 1926 1 mins
The Court Treatt expedition arrives in Luxor in this fragment from the film record of their journey across Africa.
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.