'The Endurance' vs 'Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure'

If you're an adult and have your choice between the two, get "The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition ." If you want to watch it with your 4th grader for "inspiration,", then get "Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure" (SAA).

SAA was shorter than The Endurance by about 57 minutes but those minutes left out a more nuanced account and many unanswered questions. The Endurance answered most of the questions. The only thing that The Endurance left out as opposed to SAA was the fact that before Shackleton proceeded from the last supply depot to Antarctica, he was warned by the whaling ship crews that the ice that year was more hazardous than in anyone's memory. They were heading south into an Antarctic summer, but someone forgot to tell the continent. Just like life is for everyone, the course you take is made one decision at a time.


***Imbedded Spoilers Follow***

Also, the story portrayed by SAA was one of heroism and camaraderie which is both superficial, and according to The Endurance, somewhat inaccurate, but inaccurate enough to misunderstand the story’s true meaning. The Endurance reveals that there was a fledgling mutiny quashed, and there was typical backbiting and resentment along with some terribly downcast moments. It wasn't just the weather and conditions Shackleton and his crew endured, it was each other and their situation. That Shackleton could sense, MOST of the time, that these moments could lead to their destruction is evidence of his incredible leadership. He also benefitted by having a crew which was accustomed to an Edwardian social hierarchy and to taking orders. The human conflict makes The Endurance more interesting than SAA's portrayal of the expedition.

I watched SAA first and I can't say I felt "engaged" in their ordeal. Again, they were portrayed too superficially to really care. Oddly, I think that dramatically, for me, SAA's failure was in part due to the musical score of all things. It felt like the "Heroic" music was blaring from beginning to end without the buildup of a crescendo. The little victories in between should have been accorded some musical respect but the composer "spent" it all well before the payoff.

Finally, The Endurance doesn't ignore that just as this expedition was fitting up, World War I was beginning. This backdrop certainly didn't affect what followed in terms of what happened to Shackleton and his crew, but it effected how this "expedition" was viewed afterwards. Actually, SPOILERS, I would have thought it would have been a great morale booster, like we English can survive anything, we can endure and prevail in this war, but instead Shackleton and his crew apparently were not viewed as heroes but almost as deserters---so many young men had already died in the trenches of France that people said, so what, you suffered and survived, that's more than my Johnny got. Shackleton and his crew needed a better spin doctor than they had.

The Endurance DVD has lot of extras which I want to watch. I would like to read the book on which The Endurance is based. I still have some answered questions.


Bottom line is that if you want to watch a DVD with your youngsters, SAA is better, but if you want to understand the story in an adult way, get The Endurance.