Endurance

Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition is re-examined in the context of 2022’s discovery of his ship.

Image courtesy of Dogwoof Releasing.

January 2022 was the centenary of the death of the Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and it was marked in a very special way by the re-release of the film South splendidly remastered and with a specially commissioned music score by Neil Brand. That film first appeared in 1919 and was historic in every sense since it was a feature-length record of Shackleton's ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic on the ship Endurance initiated in 1914. It was also in this anniversary year – two months later on 5th March 2022 – that the wreck of the ship was discovered by the search team Endurance 22 acting under the auspices of the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust.

What we have now in Endurance is a new documentary feature concerned with the work of Endurance 22 told in a manner that also replays the story of Shackleton's voyage. It does so by using substantial footage from South while incorporating on the soundtrack the words of Shackleton himself and of several of his crew members. For this the filmmakers drew on diaries and letters but in addition AI processes have been applied to recordings of the actual voices of Shackleton and others so some of their written words can be heard in that form. It is an extraordinary endeavour and it is the work of three directors. Two of them are Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin the married couple who have previously proven their talent in the field of documentaries (most notably in 2018’s Free Solo and 2021’s The Rescue) and have also given us the 2023 drama Nyad. Here they have joined up with Natalie Hewit while for the editing of the film they are working once again with Bob Eisenhardt but with the additional services of Simona Ferrari.

What has resulted is a film which for its first half can surely be considered something of a masterpiece. However, the very unusual nature of the project leads to a second half in which the approach changes, a fact that I found disconcerting but which some viewers may readily take in their stride. Up to that point the blending of the old and the new is brilliantly achieved. In theory to cut back-and-forth again and again between the material mainly derived from South and the modern scenes on the search vessel S.A. Agulhas II in the Weddell Sea could well be distracting if not disruptive. That this is not so is partly down to the editing but also to the parallels which link the two elements so closely. As Endurance goes on its way eventually becoming caught in the ice, Agulhas II moves through the same waters in a race against time because it too is at the mercy of the ice and must complete its work within a limited time before returning.

However, while editing is usually to be associated with images, in this instance the editing of what we hear on the soundtrack is no less crucial to the hold which this film has on one There is, of course, included here the kind of standard material that one expects as several figures involved with Endurance 22 are seen speaking direct to camera. They include the leader, John Shears, the sub-sea manager Nico Vincent and Mensun Bound the director of exploration while the historian and broadcaster Dan Snow takes on a broader role as an on-screen commentator. Mixed in with all that to add extra detail and depth to the scenes set between 1914 and 1916 are the direct quotations from diaries and letters together with original spoken statements. The narrative here is intensely gripping and it is aided by Daniel Pemberton's music score which knows just when to hold back and when to underline the tension of what happened. A few extra details about Shackleton the man and about his life are adroitly incorporated and whatever form is being utilised there is a great sense of authenticity in everything. 

The second half of the film blends the ultimate success of the 2022 discovery with the tale of the harrowing circumstances after the Endurance went down which found Shackleton and five of his men managing against the odds to reach South Georgia in small boats and thus eventually able to obtain help for those left behind.  By this stage the parallels that had helped the first half of the film to cohere so effectively are naturally absent as the two narratives cease to have much in common. But even more importantly Frank Hurley, the brilliant photographer recording Shackleton’s expedition who then went on to direct South, was not in the boats and therefore did not provide a source for telling the later stages of Shackleton’s story in full. Consequently, for Endurance to cover that the filmmakers have to resort to lengthy re-enactments. These are played down in the sense that the recreation cast are not given dialogue to speak but with this stylistic development introduced without acknowledgment we gradually come to realise what is happening and how strong this element has become. Furthermore, it's at exactly the same time that the terrible weight of the journey illustrated in dark images becomes something of a burden for the viewer too. Ultimately the film’s running time of 103 minutes feels a bit of a strain itself.

There has also been an adjustment that involves playing with the original material. South did in fact incorporate some colour tinting but the footage from it seen here has to some extent been colourised. It's a device which when applied to old black-and-white film can make it seem unreal but the colours added are very muted and it works well. Indeed, it is only later on when the authentic feeling which is so crucial is undermined by the scenes involving actors that one senses that the character of Endurance suffers from this element of fakery. If this move does not worry you, you will give the film a higher rating than mine and either way this is a film to see.

MANSEL STIMPSON

Featuring  John Shears, Mensun Bound, Nico Vincent, Dan Snow, Knowledge Bengu, Maeva Onde, Lasse Rabenstein and with the voices of Tim Palmer, John Hedigan, David Rosenberg, Jefferson Reardon and Tim Garner.

Dir Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin and Natalie Hewit, Pro Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Natalie Hewit, Ruth Johnston and Bob Eisenhardt, Ph Clair Popkin, Wolfgang Held, Cam Riley, Paul Morris and James Blake, Ed Bob Eisenhardt and Simona Ferrari, Music Daniel Pemberton.

Little Dot Studios/History Hit/Little Monster Films-Dogwoof Releasing.
103 mins. USA/UK. 2024. UK Rel: 14 October 2024. Cert. PG.