Scott of the Antarctic (1948 film)

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Scott of the Antarctic
Directed by	Charles Frend
Produced by	Michael Balcon
Written by	Walter Meade Ivor Montagu Mary Hayley Bell
Starring	John Mills, James Robertson Justice, Barry Letts
Music by	Ralph Vaughan Williams
Distributed by	Ealing Studios
Release date(s)	1948
Running time	111 min.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
IMDb profile

Scott of the Antarctic is a 1948 film about Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated expedition to be the first to the South Pole in Antarctica in 1910-12. John Mills played Scott, with a supporting cast which included James Robertson Justice, Derek Bond, Kenneth More, John Gregson and Barry Letts. Produced by Ealing Studios, the film was directed by Charles Frend largely on location in Norway. It was filmed in Technicolor. The script was by Ivor Montagu, Walter Meade and the novelist Mary Hayley Bell. The film is also known for its score by Ralph Vaughan Williams that was later reworked into his Sinfonia Antartica.

Plot summary

Captain Scott is given the men, but not the funds to go on a second expedition to the Antarctic. As his wife works on a bust of him, she tells him that she's "not the least jealous" that he's going to the Antarctic again. The wife of a scientist whom Scott hopes to recruit has a very different opinion from Scott's wife, but the scientist agrees to go. Scott also visits Roald Amundsen, who insists that a polar expedition must use dogs and also expresses a lack of interest in going to the South Pole. Scott goes on a fundraising campaign, and despite popular skepticism, manages to raise enough money to fund the expedition. After a stop in New Zealand, the ship sets sail for Antarctica. Once there, a camp is set up at the coast, and a small contingent of men, horses and dogs begins the trek towards the pole. About halfway, the horses are shot and some of the men are sent back with the dogs. At the three quarter mark, Scott further winnows the team down to just five. They reach the pole only to find the Norwegian flag already planted there and a letter from Amundsen asking Scott to deliver it to the King of Norway. Disappointed, Scott's team begins the long journey back. Scott is very concerned about the health of his men, one has a hand swollen with a serious gash and another might need to have his foot amputated. The man with the bad hand dies and is buried under the snow. Just 11 miles short of the base, the rest of the team dies, soon after Scott writes the famous "I do not regret this journey..." entry in his log.