Endurance

"Endurance" is a Documentary in which we follow the remarkable story of a person who, despite overwhelming odds, showed the world the true meaning of endurance. It is an inspiring tale of overcoming hardship, where perseverance leads to triumph.

I found the documentary highly engaging, especially because of its focus on real, raw emotions and the challenges faced by the protagonist. Both the interviews and behind-the-scenes footage added depth to the story and brought a personal touch to the journey. In addition, the seamless balance between storytelling and the educational aspects of the subject made the difference while the visuals were beautifully conveyed the message of strength. Finally, I have to say that "Endurance" is definitely worth watching since it's a motivational reminder that with enough grit and determination, we can push through the toughest situations so, I highly recommend it.

A case of reality being harder to believe than fiction! The superhuman feat of endurance against hardships and environmental conditions, Shackleton and his crew achieved for such a long period of time can never be overstated.

To think they ALL survived (without our modern gear and equipment) by sheer force of will and spirit, as the only alternative was to lay down and let the cold take them, seems almost impossible by our standards today.

Dan Snow's narrative blends tributes to Shackleton's experiences, with this modern high tech expedition to find the Endeavour's lost wreck 100+ years later, and becomes in effect, an Epilogue for their original story.

Some scenes need re-editing, as saying how tough it was for the deck crew in cold weather, who then had the luxury of a hot shower, a meal and warm bed as needed, does them no favours, as it invites comparison to Shackleton and his crew! That said..still an historic and successful endeavour..

As "Endurance" (2024 release; 103 min.) opens, it is "1914 and we see grainy footage of Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 on the "Endurance" ship heading towards Antarctic. We then go to "2022" at the Weddell Island in the Antarctic, where a new expedition is hoping to find what remains of the Endurance shop wreckage at the bottom of the Antarctic. At this point we are 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary of Oscar-winning Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi ("Free Sole"). While this covers the nowadays expedition to locate the Endurance, the documentary is in fact also, if not more so, about Shackleton's 1914-1916 Antarctic expedition. It is an absolute amazing story in itself. Shackleton, light years ahead of others, realized that if it isn't filmed and photographed, it might just as well not have happened, and hence this documentary features lots of footage and photos of the 1914-1916 expedition (some of the footage has been colored, I might add). Bottom line for me is that I really enjoyed this, and that I will watch any documentary directed by the real life husband and wife team.

"Endurance" premiered last Fall, and is not streaming on Hulu, where I caught it the other day. "Endurance" is currently rated 70% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, which feels right on point to me. If you are in the mood for a great documentary about exploring the Antarctic in the early 20th century and nowadays, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

I came into this not knowing anything about Shackleton's story apart from the ship being stuck in the ice. The documentary was a great way to tell this heroic story, underlaid by the modern day expedition to find the wreck of Shackleton's ship 'Endurance'.

Primarily using original film footage and spoken diary / journal entries plus some TV interviews of Shackleton's crew really brought their stories to life. What they endured definitely put the trials and tribulations of the modern crew into context, and their highs and lows of searching for the wreck paled into insignificance compared to the life and death struggles of 100 years ago.

Really interesting but perhaps my main criticism was the lack of detail given to the Endurance once it had been found. A 3D scan of the ship was pictured but without showing how that was created, given the challenge of capturing high quality data at that depth and in total darkness. Would have happily had some details of the Shackleton or modern crew stories reduced to give more time to that.

Overall, definitely recommended.

This film has much going for it, esp for those who don't know the Shackleton story. Views will differ on the usefulness of colorizing the old photographs, AI-reproducing the voices of the dead, and the recreations; I didn't find these to be improvements, and believe recreations should always be tagged as such (even when they're obvious). But I see no excuse for almost completely ignoring the captain and ice pilot, Knowledge Bengu and Freddie Ligthelm. Mensun Bound's book is clear on their challenges and extraordinary skills. I can think of various reasons why the film ignores them, but all of them leave a bad taste in my mouth.