Scott Of The Antarctic Revisited
On Monday 19th December the BFI and STUDIOCANAL will present a very special screening of Ealing Studios classic adventure film Scott Of The Antarctic for one night only at London’s Royal Geographic Society in Kensington. Legendary explorer and author Sir Ranulph Fiennes will be in attendance for a Q&A session following the screening. The film, which received a brand new Blu-Ray and DVD release earlier this year has been meticulously restored in 2K from its original Technicolor three strip negative as part of the BFI’s Unlocking Film Heritage programme.
Based on the real life adventures of Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his fellow explorers Charles Frend’s Scott Of The Antarctic tells the story of the infamous but ill-fated 1912 expedition – a race against the Norwegians to reach the South Pole. Sir John Mills (Ice Cold In Alex) stars as the celebrated hero, alongside a stellar supporting cast including Harold Warrender, Derek Bond, Reginald Beckwith, James Robertson Justice, Kenneth More, John Gregson, Diana Churchill and Sir Christopher Lee. This tale of adventure and daring was one of Ealing Studio’s most ambitious features, with the crew hauling a huge Technicolor camera on location to Norway and Switzerland. The choice to shoot in colour was interesting given the bleak, white landscape and cinematographer Jack Cardiff based shots on the original 1912 expedition footage. Scott Of The Antarctic encapsulates the British spirit of endeavour – to the point of foolhardiness – as Scott and his team approach their doom, the unfolding drama heightened by a beautiful Vaughan Williams score.
Tickets for the event go on sale on Tuesday 1st November to BFI members and publicly on Tuesday 8th November via the BFI Box Office and are priced at £13 / £16. (No concessions). Due to the format at Royal Geographical Society seating will be unallocated.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes was born in the UK in 1944 but brought up in South Africa, his father having died in the war before he was born. Following a decorated career in the SAS, Fiennes embarked on a series of record-breaking expeditions, planned with his childhood sweetheart and first wife, Virginia Fiennes. These include becoming, alongside Charles Burton, the first person to reach both Poles, the first to cross the Antarctic and Arctic Oceans, the first to circumnavigate the world along its polar axis (still never repeated), and the oldest Briton to reach the summit of Everest. To date Fiennes has raised over £18.3 million for different UK charities including the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Breakthrough Breast Cancer, the British Heart Foundation and Marie Curie Cancer Care. He is the author of 23 books including the Times top-selling book of 2003: a biography of Captain Scott. Sir Ranulph will be signing copies of his recent books Cold and Colder (both for £20) following the screening and Q&A of Scott Of The Antarctic on 19th December.
Scott Of The Antarctic is available now on Blu-Ray, DVD and EST as part of the ‘Vintage Classics collection’ – showcasing iconic British films, all fully restored and featuring brand new extra content: www.facebook.com/vintageclassicsfilm
The Digital Film restoration was funded by STUDIOCANAL in collaboration with the BFI’s Unlocking Film Heritage programme (awarding funds from the National Lottery).
Paula Hammond - Features Editor
