Original subtitles

Herbert Ponting's original negatives were acquired by the BFI National Archive in 1944. From these and a Dutch release print from the Eye Film Institute Netherlands,

we have reconstructed Ponting's silent feature The Great White Silence with its tinting and toning as released by him in 1924.

The Antarctic Continent is an ice clad wilderness of dazzling whiteness and appalling silence.

It is the home of Nature in her most savage and merciless moods, and it is there that the hurricane and the blizzard

Though larger than Europe, that vast continent has never been inhabited by man;

it is utterly devoid of vegetation and no land animals of any kind exist there.

Only a few of the hardiest and most determined explorers have ever penetrated to its icebound shores;

and at the heart of that dread and sterile desolation there is a spot that only ten human beings have trodden since God made the World.

That spot is the uttermost end of the earth... the SOUTH POLE.

The immortal story of the Scott South Pole Expedition now belong to History as the greatest peace adventure of the Age.

II is a proud heritage of our Race. The Leader was Captain Robert Falcon Scott, R.N., C.V.O.

When Mr. Ponting had the honor to show this record of the Expedition...

by Royal Command at Buckingham Palace, His Majesty King George said:

I wish that every British boy could see this film for it would help to foster spirit...

of adventure on which the Empire was founded.

The story of the film will now be told in the words of Mr. Herbert G. Ponting,

who took and developed it under circumstances hitherto unparalleled in the history of photography.

At the end of October, 1910, there steamed into the harbor of Lyttelton, New Zealand, the old Dundee...

Whaler TERRA NOVA, which had seen more Polar service than any other vessel that had ever sailed the seas.

On board were members of the British Antarctic Expedition. This was to be not only an endeavor to reach the South Pole;

it was one of the greatest scientific enterprises ever sent out from any land.

At Lyttelton, the TERA NOVA was overhauled and restored, and finally nineteen ponies were shipped.

Whilst the ship was at New Zealand, the crew spend their leisure hours in sailor fashion.

There were some good dancers amongst them, and the orchestra consisted of banjo, bones and gramophone.

We had plenty of this sort of talent on board.

And here is another little bout between two of the stokers.

On November 29th. Captain Scott bade farewell to friends on the bridge of the TERRA NOVA.

Then we cast off from the wharf, where crowds had gathered to watch our departure...

And the TERRA NOVA proceeded on her lonely way, with her load line nearly a foot below water.

We had many tons of deck cargo, amongst which our thirty Siberian dogs were berthed.

I soon got busy amongst them with my camera.

And here are some of our Siberian ponies.

They were in the care of that gallant cavalry officer, Captain Oates.

Soon after we had started on our way, an epidemic broke out aboard...

...of HAIRCUTTING! Dr. Wilson's locks were the first to go.

Then Captain Oates clipped Mr. Meares... and he didn't pay much attention to a request for "merely trimming".

When evening fell upon the sea, the green hills of New Zealand softly merged into the night.

Then all hands were piped on deck to set full sail.

And the next day we were well upon our southward way, with all our canvas pulling and swelling to the breeze

But before another dawn a full gale was shrieking through the riffing, and hissing and raging over the now mountainous waves.

There is no land in these latitudes to break the fury of the seas;

and in that gale two of our ponies died, two dogs were drowned, and we lost some tons of our deck cargo.

Whenever the ship was hove-to for soundings, seabirds swarmed about us and they squabbled noisily for any scraps thrown overboard,

Ten days after leaving New Zealand we felt the first breath of frozen seas. The "Look-out" reported an iceberg ahead.

We steamed close to it to enable us secure this picture.

The floating island was all gleaming in the sunlight, and the waves were dashing with a thunderous roar against its crystal cliffs.

Tough nearly 100 feet of ice appeared above the surface of the sea,

it was estimated that not more than the eighth part of the berg was above water.

Then we entered the pack-ice, and it was thrilling to learn over the rail and watch our iron-shod prow crashing through the floes.

We were now fairly across the Antarctic Circle, and ice-floes covered the surface of the sea.

But the TERRA NOVA would ram and split them, and into the "leads" thus formed she would force her way.

More than once, however, the floes became too thick, and the ship was imprisoned until the swell broke up the ice.

The ice field was a desolate scene when viewed from the main top-mast.

About this time we met with the first Penguins. I shall have a lot to tell you about these extraordinary creatures later.

We saw many seals basking on the ice, and occasionally we shot them and brought them aboard,

for fresh meat was necessary to guard against that dread disease scurvy.

Now let us take a peed at the iron-shod prow of the ship shearing a way through the ice.

The TERRA NOVA was built of oak, fourteen inches thick,

and her iron-sheathed bow was backed with nine feet of solid teak. Now just watch her batting with the ice!

This is how I took these pictures.

After fighting the floes for three weeks, we emerged from the ice,

which was drifting northwards, and steamed into the open sea.

Two days later a mighty rampart loomed up before us it was the Great Ice Barrier,

the Polar Ice-cap which barred all further progress all further progress southward.

To the westward it terminated at the cliffs of Ross Island, above which rose the volcanic foot-hills of Mount Terror.

The Great Ice Barrier is the most extensive mass of ice on earth, approximating the size of France.

It is the birthplace of the icebergs...

...which break away in great masses, sometimes many miles in length.

THE LARGEST BERG SIGHTED DURING THE EXPEDITION WAS 22 MILES LONG.

SUCH AN ICEBERG COULD BEAR THE CITY OF LONDON AND ALL IT'S SUBURBS ON ITS BACK.

We now steamed past the coast Ross Island and entered McMurdo Sound...

...by the light of the Midnight Sun, which shed its radiance on snow-clad mountain peaks...

...and magnificent glaciers.

All that night we steamed leisurely along, carefully scrutinizing the land.

Then young ice began to form upon the sea...

...and growing rapidly, it speedily congealed into pancakes which looked like lily-leaves upon the sea,

and for a time we repeatedly ran into and out of this beautiful ice formation.

When at length we reached firm ice, we moored the ship to it.

In the morning, a glorious prospect opened out, with the great volcano Mount Erebus towering over 13,000 feet into the heavens.

At the foot of this magnificent mountain we decided to establish winter-quarters,

and we began immediately to unload our equipment and stores on to the ice.

Then we disembarked the ponies.

They had come from distant Siberia, and were almost wild with joy to be "ashore" once more.

For hours they whinnied and nibbled at the snow in sheer delight.

After a day's rest they were set to work hauling light loads of stores.

The Motor Tractors also got busy; they worked on the Caterpillar principle, and were the forerunners of the "Tanks".

Each Tractor could haul two tons on trailer sledges, at a speed of three miles an hour.

The dogs put in some good work, too.

THEY seemed to regard work as the only sort of fun to be had in these regions... and they were not far wrong!

So, they're back... for a little more FUN!

We built a wooden house for winter-quarters; it had to stand terrific storms, and heavy drifts of snow.

The great volcano, Mount Erebus, rose high into the skies in the background,

and it often vomited clouds of smoke into the heavens...

This produced an extraordinary spectacle by the light of the Midnight Sun.

And now, I want to introduce to you "Nigger", the Expedition mascot, with one of his sailor friends.

Nigger had been further South than any cat that was ever a kitten. Now, watch him jump!

Hard luck, Nigger! But you're allowed three tries.

That's better! Now another, please - to convince these nice people that it wasn't a fluke.

Now come to the end of our Cape and see some of the inhabitants of these regions - the Seals.

They go "home" for dinner.

And though they come ashore to sleep...

...they return for the morning dip... which some prefer to take this way.

Whilst other prefer this method.

They dearly love to play in the waves...

...for surf bathing is very popular in the summer-time when the temperature rises above Zero.

This one taking "a stroll" among the rocks, found he had come the wrong way.

So he back-pedalled.

And this one objected to my presence and "went" for me.

The reason the picture stops suddenly is because I picked up the camera and gave him the right of way.

Now come with me and my photographic sledge on to the ice again, to get some more seal pictures.

When taking pictures in Polar temperatures one has to protect oneself well against the frost.

In the spring the baby Seals are born, and in sheltered places on the ice there are hundreds of mothers with their little ones.

The mothers suckle their cubs, just as other mammals do.

Some had twins but that was unusual.

Weddell Seals have handsome coats of rich brown, streaked and spotted with black and fawn and silver, but of course hair, not fur.

The mothers showed obvious affection for their cubs.

Now, watch baby learning to walk, when Mama says Come along!

The cubs are pretty, fluffy little creatures; but look at Mama! Not much hope of improving in looks as they grow up!

I was fortunate in being able to illustrate remarkable habits of Seals, hitherto unknown.

This Seal is cutting away the ice with her teeth in order to make a way on to it, so that she may sleep in the fresh air.

Which, after a lot of hard work, she succeeds in doing.

When a baby Seal is in the water, the mother's task is a long one, for she has to make the way very easy for the cub.

I had to camp out on the ice in Zero temperatures to get these Seal pictures;

and I felt grateful to this big fellow for he didn't keep me waiting long.

Here is a monster... nearly twelve feet long and weighing about half-a-ton

And finally here's a fight!... Mostly bluff, and lasts for one round!

Now come in the ship to "Glacier Tongue", where we unloaded the sledges and equipment for the main exploring party.

Whilst at the glacier, we saw many Killer Whales... the most ferocious creatures in the ocean.

They prey on Seals. Sailors call these monsters the "Wolves of the Sea". Here is one rising and blowing.

One day a big fellow came close alongside the ship, and dived under it.

This is a pack of killer Whales, hunting their prey. Only their dorsal fins can be seen.

They have sighted a Seal on the ice. Watch this mother Seal frantically trying to save her baby from the fearful creatures.

Now, watch the LEFT of the next picture please! The mother Seal again leapt on to the ice,

and then once more she dived into the sea, and tried into the sea, and tried to lift the baby out upon her back.

The Whales were drawing nearer every moment!

But just as the terrible creatures were almost upon their prey, a harpoon was fired from the ship.

IT IS ALL OVER IN A FLASH, BUT YOU SEE THE HARPOON STRIKE THE NEAREST WHALE.

Then the frightened monsters followed done another under the ice, and the mother and her baby were saved.

Sometimes we saw the curious phenomenon as "Frost Smoke".

This was due to a cold wind striking the water, which is always much warmer than the air.

In March TERRA NOVA steamed away to New Zealand... to return a year later to take the Expedition home.

And these are the explorers who remained in the South. (Captain Scott with the Ski stick.)

The long Polar night fell in May, and for three months we had a period of darkness...

...almost constant storms, with temperatures from 20 to 50 degrees below Zero.

But when the weather was clear the stately ice-cliffs were marvelously beautiful in the moonlight.

Captain Scott much of his time during the Winter writing up his Diary in our Winter quarters Hut.

In September the welcome sun came back again, and we rejoiced at the Birth of Polar Spring.

With the advent of daylight once more, we sometimes had a game of football,

to make us fit for the arduous work ahead. Captain Scott - last with the ball - kicks off.

This game was played on the frozen sea, 2,000 miles nearer the South Pole than any other football match ever contested,

and the temperature was 70 degrees below freezing.

We also now had daily practice at Skiing under the tuition of an expert.

The Norwegian snowshoes, spelt SKI and pronounced SHE, were alas! The only she's we saw for about two years.

In the Spring I spent much time amongst the icebergs with my cameras.

One berg had a wonderful cavern, which I christened "Aladdin's Cave".

The same Cavern a year later.

The "Matterhorn berg".

The Bastion.

Jack Frost's Castle.

And now I want to show you how our dog teams worked.

First, however, let me introduce to you. "Osman", the leader of the pack.

And also "Kris", another splendid animal.

Feeding time. The dogs are having seal-meat to-day; to-marrow they'll have biscuits.

They led their keepers a dog's life.

But they were gluttons for exercise and were wildly excited whenever any work appeared in sight.

The leader of the team did not have to pull like the rank and file;

His duty was to use brain rather than mudcle, to find the easier track for the sledge.

When all was ready, the sledge had to be anchored, and the dogs held;

otherwise they would bolt... and there would be the very dickens to pay!

A team of ten dogs could pull a load of one thousand pounds twenty miles a day,

and they didn't believe in "ca canny".

Let us now have two minutes with our other four-footed friends. Here is Dr. Wilson leading "Nobby" out of the stable.

And this is Lieutenant Bowers, with Victor.

Petty Officer Evans always worked with Snatcher.

Now let me show you the only moving pictures ever taken of MacCormick's Antarctic Skua Gull.

These beautiful gulls live and breed farthest south of any birds in the world.

See how warily this one returns to its eggs...

not knowing that my camera and I aren't really as bad as we look!

But to settle on them comfortably is a more difficult matter than you might think.

There is only ONE correct way to do it.

And that wasn't it! Neither... is this!

Now, she is going to show you how it OUGHT to be done.

And at last everything fits!

Now see the eggs hatching! The chick is pecking its way out of the shell.

The eggs are, of course, hatched under the mother's wings; but in order to secure these pictures...

...she was driven off a few seconds every hour, so that the chick's progress could be recorded.

One final kick... and then Shell out!

Don't be worried, please! The chick is not dying... it is just beginning to live.

The next stage of its career.

This is not a Yorkshire Terrier. It is still the chick.

Fully hatched now, and waiting for baby sister.

And here she is, too.

Baby brother is fed up with the camera, so he's off!

Here is Mama with the newly hatched clucks- one is under her wing.

Mr. and Mrs. Skua seem very proud of their baby.

And baby knows well enough where it is warm and comfy.

The most interesting inhabitants of the Antarctic are the Adelic Penguins,

and in this scene, on the RIGHT, the local Charlie Chaplin is practicing his famous walk.

In the springtime, when every Penguin lightly turns to thoughts of love, the ladies stand about in little groups,

waiting for gentlemen to come along and succumb to their attraction succumb to their attraction... like this!

And this is a gentleman penguin giving one of these ladies the glad eye.

And this beauty has made up her mind to have him, or else not to.

Sometimes I saw a gentleman picking up stones laying them at a lady's feet.

Penguins make their nests with stones, and this was his way of asking the lady to be his bride!

But in this case the lady does not seem to regard the proposal favorably.

The newlyweds' stating their housekeeping.

A few days later, they are much excited over the arrival of the first egg...

and don't seem to know what to do with it!

Penguins are very proud ïf their eggs and are continually discussing them.

See how reluctant the husband is to leave them, in order to go and do the shopping.

And, when he does stat, he returns for just one more look!

The lady Penguins call for their mates by raising their heads, flapping their flippers,

and making a crooning sound. Here is one doing it.

EVERYBODY'S DOING IT NOW! This are all lady Penguins calling for their husbands to come home.

Now watch one answer the call! He knows he has stayed out too late, and that he's in for trouble.

Penguins are habitual thieves. This rascal is trying to rob a neighbor's nest.

But see what happens when a thief is caught in the act!

A discussion on the vexed question "Do shrimps make good mothers?"...

...ended in heated differences of opinion.

This lady foolishly left nest for a moment.

And a wandering robber at once took possession of it.

Then the rightful owner returned, and sparks began to fly!

And when the neighbors protested against such disgraceful brawling,

the thief made a wobbly retreat, leaving the owner of the eggs once more in possession.

I spent many happy days amongst the Penguins with my cameras,

and whilst most of them don't worry their heads about me, others resented my intrusion.

Look, for instance, at this brave little fellow!

But when they found that I was not such a ruffian as I looked,

I could even stroke them as they sat on their nests.

The Skua-gulls are relentless enemies of the Penguins.

The owner of this nest has left it uncovered for a moment, when, down comes a Skud gull, and off goes the egg!

These audacious rascals often do their robbery quite leisurely and defiantly.

The Penguins can offer no resistance, as they cannot fly.

There are frequent snowstorms during the breeding season. Then the poor Penguins have a miserable time.

Look at this disconsolate little fellow, very tired and unhappy, TRYING TO FIND HIS WIFE!

And when at last, he succeeds, he runs with joy to greet her.

As the snow becomes deeper, the Penguins sit closer on their eggs!

Until, finally the birds are completely covered.

You see only snow here but buried two feet deep, and sitting tightly on its eggs, there is a Penguin.

There are thousands under the snow,

and when this one looked out and saw me, she had some very unpleasant things to say!

Two weeks later the snow had disappeared; and here are some of the newly hatched clicks.

The neighbors are much worried about them, believing them to be deserted.

But the mother has only been removed for a few moments, so that I might secure a picture. Now she returns.

The chicks grow so fast that when they are one week old...

...it is not easy to cover them.

At two weeks, it is impossible.

When three weeks old, the chicks run about so much that they get lost in the crowd.

See how concerned are the kindhearted elders about this little bunch of strays!

And look at this one doing Sentry Go to protect them!

A stranger caresses one of the chicks... but the sentry won't stand any nonsense!

When the chicks are six weeks old they get their full plumage and are nearly as big as their parents.

Then off to the seaside for their first dip.

They are taught by their parents swim, and to catch fish... like this

I can assure you there is hot very much fun in life for the Penguins,

and it is a very unusual thing to see them behaving in this manner.

But soon you will see the cause of all the commotion.

THIS WAS THE CAUSE!

The gallant sailors of the TERRA NOVA loved to have a game with the queer creatures.

And this is what they called The PENGUIN TROT!

All preparation were now complete and on November 2nd, 1911 Captain Scott set out on the primary object of the Expedition...

the discovery of the South Pole. Would he get there before the Norwegian Expedition,

under Captain Amundsen, which was also bound for the same goal?

Four parties out... three to support the main Polar Party.

The first 20 miles of the great 850 mile journey lay across the frozen sea.

From the sea-ice they went on the Great Ice Barrier, which had to be traversed for 400 miles.

Captain Scott and Dr. Wilson formed the rearguard of the long caravan that marched into the Great White Silence.

They waved a last farewell.

200 miles farther on, the First Supporting Party deposited a supply of stores...

...for the use of the Polar Party on the return journey, and turned back.

After travelling 400 miles in 38 days the three parties reached the Beardmore Glacier.

Here they were overtaken by a raging, howling blizzard which delayed them four days. Here, also, the ponies...

unable to traverse the dangerous crevasses and pitfalls of the Glacier... met their predestined end.

Endeavoring to make up for the delay which might lose the coveted honor of priority at the Pole,

we can imagine the terrific labor henceforward entailed in man-hauling each of the heavy sledges.

Under the virgin snow, cracks in the ice cannot be seen, and they often caused dangerous stumbles...

...for an accident to one man might imperil the lives of all.

Upward and onward the determined explorers doggedly toiled over that stupendous cataract of ice which,

stretching from the Great Ice Barrier to the Polar Plateau, rises 8,000 feet in 120 miles.

Among the dangerous crevasses and seracs caused by the terrific pressure of the ice, day after day they struggled on.

But when occasionally they found smooth patches of snow, they were able to make better progress by using Norwegian ski.

The end of each day brought always the same routine. After unpacking the sledge, they pitched their tent.

They then weighted the tent with blocks of snow to prevent it from blowing away.

And after filling the paraffin cooker with snow for water...

...they entered the tent to eat and sleep.

From the summit of the Beardmore Glacier another Supporting Party had turned back,

having first deposited their supplies for the Polar Party.

This Supporting Party got back to Winter quarters in 37 days.

They had man-hauled their sledge for over 600 miles.

Three months exposure to the intense cold had blackened and scarred their faces with frostbite.

Meanwhile Captain Scott, with eight men, set out across the vast and fearful wilderness of ice that caps the undermost end of the world,

and 100 miles farther on the Last Supporting Party deposited their supporting and turned back.

Imagine now the isolated Polar Party in their tent at the end of each Officer Evans striving!

Petty Officer Evans is the cook for the day, and on his left are Lieut. Dowers, Dr. Wilson and Captain Scott.

As the temperature is 20 or 30 degrees below Zero, the explorers change their damp footgear...

...as soon as they enter the tent. Sometimes they camped in more than 100 degrees of frost.

After hanging up their socks to freeze dry overnight, the explorers,

with keen sledging appetites, eagerly watch the cooking of the savoury pemmican hoosh.

Pemmican hoosh is a rich soup made of the finest dried beef, 60% fat.

After the meal, the sleeping bags are unrolled. They are made of thick reindeer skins, and no time is wasted getting into them.

Then all snuggle close together... for greater warmth.

Day after day they toiled, drawing ever nearer to the Goal of their Hopes...

their sole thought, ambition and ideal to be first to plant their country's flag at the uttermost end of the Earth.

On January 18th. 1912, the party reached the South Pole. To their dismay, a mute sentinel was standing at the Goal...

a small deserted tent. It had been left there by the Norwegians, who, having discovered a shorter way, had forestalled Scott by 34 days.

Scott wrote in diary: It is a terrible disappointment and I am very sorry for my loyal companions...

Great God! This is an awful place!

With blasted hopes unbroken spirit, that gallant little band at the end of the earth now faced the terrific 850 mile return journey.

Scott wrote: Now for the run home and a desperate struggle. I wonder if we can do it.

From the Pole to the Beardmore Glacier the distance was over 300 miles, which they covered in 18 days;

and then began the descent of the great icefall.

After two more weeks of tremendous struggling they got into frightfully rough ice at the foot of the Glacier,

and Edgar Evans fell and sustained concussion of the brain. Scott wrote:

It is a terrible thing to lose a companion in this way... His death left us a shaken party!

Petty Officer Edgar Evans, R.N.

Scott's Diary, February 20th: Terribly slow progress, but we hope for better things as we clear the land...

Pray God, we get better travelling as we are not so fit as we were.

February 27th: Desperately cold... We talk of nothing but food...

Pray God, we have no further setbacks... but there is a horrid element of doubt.

March 3rd: We can't keep up this pulling that is certain.

Amongst ourselves we are unendingly cheerful, but what each man feels in his heart I can only guess.

March 8th: The surface remains awful, the cold intense, and our physical condition running down...

We are in a very bad way I fear... Got help us, indeed!

On March 16th, Captain Oates, whose feet were completely maimed by frostbite, could go no further.

Scott wrote: He proposed we should leave him in his sleeping-bag.

That we could not do... At night he was worse and we knew that the end had come.

The next day, Oates, determined no longer to imperil the lives of his comrades with the burden of his presence decided to sacrifice himself.

Scott wrote: He said, I am just going outside, and I may be some time. He went out into the blizzard and we have not seen him since...

...We knew that poor Oates was walking to his death,

but though we tried to dissuade him we knew that it was the act of a brave man. and an English gentleman.

Scott, Wilson and Bowers struggled on for two days longer. On March 19th. they pitched their 60th. Camp from the Pole...

...With food sufficient for only two more days.

Then another terrific blizzard stuck them, and they could not leave the tent.

In that blinding storm it was impossible for them to find the way to a depot of plentiful supplies which lay distant only 11 miles.

Exhausted with hunger and suffering, they could do no more. But those gallant, devoted men met the end with unfailing spirit,

and indomitable courage, trusting in God, and happy in the knowledge that they died for the honor of their country.

As soon as possible a Search Party set out from Winter-quarters, and eventually they reached the fateful tent.

It contained the frozen remains of Captain Robert Falcon Scott...

Dr. Edward Adrian Wilson...

...and Lieut. Henry Robertson Bowers.

It was there that the Leader, with Death staring him in the eyes,

wrote of the last efforts of himself and his comrades, and bequeathed his immortal journal to Posterity.

The following passages are quoted from his LAST MESSAGE in his Diary.

We have been willing to give our lives to this enterprise, which is for the honor our country.

We took risks... we knew we took them. Things have come out against us, therefore we have no cause for complaint,

but bow to the will of Providence, determined to do our best to the last.

Had we lived, I should had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance and courage of my companions.

These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale.

But for my own sake I do not regret this journey, which has shown that Englishmen can endure Hardships,

help one another, and meet death with as great fortitude as ever in the past. Scott

The three explores were reverently buried in the ice, and over their bodies a great cairn of snow was raised.

And this Cross in The Great White Silence is sacred to the memory of England's greatest Polar explorer...

...and his four loyal comrades... whose heroism shall last in the annals of our Race as long as time endures.

So on their record writ all to know - The task achieved, the homeward way half won -

Though cold they lie beneath their pall of snow, Shines the eternal sun.

FINIS