The Endurance - Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition (2000)

Fantastic True Story on human will

The story of Shakelton's antarctic expedition is a fantastic look at human nature and what can be accomplished with strong teamwork and leadership. In a nutshell, a bad situation turned worse and a expedition to cross the antarctic turns into a battle for survival.

This version of the Shakelton Story starts out a little slow, but is well organized and keeps your interest. The fight for survival is thrilling and just gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. For those interested in human psychology, sociology, and human interaction this would be for you. I consider it a must watch.

The one thing I wish it had more of was information on what the crew did on elephant island. A PBS documentary was stronger in that regard over "The Endurance".

I highly recommend.
March 30, 2008

Shackleton - Still the Story of Stories

In the annals of exploration, there may be no greater story than Shackleton's. It is told with all the detail and none of the embellishment from which other chronicles suffer. You will feel the heartbreak and joy of perhaps the greatest adventure in Antarctic history. A great story superbly told on film!! February 18, 2008

Excellent Shackleton Resource

This item, along with "Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure", are fantastic multi-media resources for a unit on Shackleton's fatefull expedition. These DVDs pair wonderfully with the book we cover with our seventh graders: "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong. Both are highly recommended for teachers as well as lovers of documentaries. The original photographs and film from expedition photographer Frank Hurley are amazing and really neat for the kids. February 8, 2008

Some Losses Shine More Brightly Than A Dozen Victories

...to steal a line from Herodotus or some such ancient sage.

An ad appeared in the London Times in 1913:

"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success. Ernest Shackleton."

5000 men applied. 27 were selected, and thus was born the Antarctic expedition led by one of the great leadership models of any age, Irishman Sir Ernest Shackleton. In fact, the expedition was slated to leave just as the Great War broke out. Shackleton offered himself and his men to the war effort but was instructed to be about his voyage to the south. And so they took off on their ship, The Endurance, skippered by Captain Worsely. This was quite a crew; they turned around to pick up the carpenter's cat when it fell overboard.

Once they arrived in the Antarctic area, they started working their icebreaker ship through the floes, but ended up getting stuck. As the ice locked them in and attempts to free themselves failed, Shackleton simply and calmly told his men that they'd have to winter there. And so they did. Shackleton was well aware of other ships in similar conditions where the crews had descended into madness. He scheduled work projects, periods of reward and entertainment, kept an eye on morale and quickly dealt with behaviors that threatened team integrity. He worked alongside his men, and reminded them that they were more important than the expedition. Despite months of fighting the battering, shifting ice, the crew eventually lost The Endurance. They abandoned ship, and found themselves homeless on the ice. At that point, Shackleton told the men that they were simply now going home.

The rest and best parts of the story are the various scenes as Shackleton manages himself and his men in the efforts to get home.

This documentary benefits from the beautiful narrative skills of actor Liam Neeson in his native Irish accent. The footage, re-enactments and still shots support the story without distracting from it. Numerous experts and survivors' descendants offer their contributions to the film.

Shackleton was a great leader of men, but struggled with things like being a husband. He recognized his inability to submit to a standard family life. He was just wired differently. He sought and - in the end - received public greatness. Shackleton's greatest contribution may be in what he teaches us about managing other people. February 6, 2008

The Endurance, by Liam Neeson

This book was easy to read and offered great insight on Shakleton's experience. It provided great insight, based on notes kept by the crew, on the reason many decisions were made and how they affected Shackleton. A great book on how the mind of a great leader thinks. September 1, 2007

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