Plot
A visually stunning chronicle of what it is like to live in Antarctica for a full year, including winters isolated from the rest of the world, and enduring months of darkness in the coldest place on Earth.
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 7.7/10 (118 voted)
Critic's Score: /100
Director: Anthony Powell
Stars: Anthony Powell, Genevieve Bachman, Michael Christiansen
Storyline
This feature-length film reveals what it is like to live and work at the bottom of the planet, in Antarctica, for a full year. The story is not from the point of view of scientists, but of the people who spend the most time there; the everyday workers who keep the stations running in the harshest place on the planet. Filmed over 15 years by Frozen Planet photographer Anthony Powell, the film features a unique insiders point of view, with unparalleled access, and never before seen stunning footage of the deep Antarctic winters.
Writers: Anthony Powell, Simon Price
Cast: Genevieve Bachman -
Herself
Michael Christiansen -
Himself
Tom Hamann -
Himself
George Lampman -
Himself
Peter Lund -
Himself
Keri Nelson -
Herself
Casey O'Brien -
Himself
Anthony Powell -
Himself
Christine Powell -
Herself
David Prutsman -
Himself
Josh Swanson -
Himself
Andrew Velman -
Himself
Trivia:
Some shots were taken without knowing exactly what the camera was actually seeing, as the LCD display had frozen solid. See more »
Quotes:
User Review
Author:
Rating: 9/10
Watching Antarctica: A Year on Ice, you'll run out of superlatives to
describe the experience. Then you'll start using them all again, in
combination, and you'll still be unable to adequately describe what
you've seen.
This masterpiece of a film was made by Anthony Powell, a Satellite
Communications Technician working out of McMurdo Base, the United
States station in Antarctica. It's obvious that the film was born of a
deep passion for the place, which he and his wife Christine have
returned to, whenever possible, year after year.
How do you share your thoughts about a place which defies description -
a place vital to our planet, but which the vast majority will never
see? Powell began by taking photographs, recording video, documenting
life on the base, the idiosyncrasies of those who work there, and the
beauty of the landscape. Over the years, whenever not working on the
communications equipment he is responsible for, he's been working on
techniques for gathering images in unusual and hostile conditions,
often refining or even creating his own gear in order to capture the
experience of living in Antarctica for a year.
The result is brilliant; by turns funny, terrifying and heartbreaking -
but always awe-inspiring. It's not about the cinematography, (although
the photography is frequently top-notch, and some of the time-lapse
sequences are stunning,) and other than a few matter-of-fact mentions,
nor does Powell delve into political or environmental debate. His
purpose here is showing the audience what Antarctica is LIKE: how it
feels to work there, what it really looks like, what happens there. His
success in this endeavour is as superlative as the film.
See Antartctica: A Year on Ice in the cinema - on the biggest screen
you can - and then just wonder at it.
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