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Shackleton's Captain

  • TV Movie
  • 2012
  • Not Rated
  • 52m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
757
YOUR RATING
Shackleton's Captain (2012)
AdventureDocumentaryHistory

Captain Frank Worsley signs on as Captain of the Endurance to navigate Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew to Antarctica. When the expedition ship is crushed; Worsley's seamanship and navigat... Read allCaptain Frank Worsley signs on as Captain of the Endurance to navigate Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew to Antarctica. When the expedition ship is crushed; Worsley's seamanship and navigational skills saves them all.Captain Frank Worsley signs on as Captain of the Endurance to navigate Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew to Antarctica. When the expedition ship is crushed; Worsley's seamanship and navigational skills saves them all.

  • Director
    • Leanne Pooley
  • Writers
    • Leanne Pooley
    • Tim Woodhouse
  • Stars
    • Craig Parker
    • Charles Pierard
    • Hugh Barnard
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    757
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Leanne Pooley
    • Writers
      • Leanne Pooley
      • Tim Woodhouse
    • Stars
      • Craig Parker
      • Charles Pierard
      • Hugh Barnard
    • 17User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 2 nominations total

    Photos4

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    Top cast36

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    Craig Parker
    Craig Parker
    • Frank Worsley
    Charles Pierard
    Charles Pierard
    • Sir Ernest Shackleton
    Hugh Barnard
    • Tom Crean
    Blake Henshaw
    • John Vincent
    Tony Graimes
    • Timothy McCarthy
    William Hemming
    • Harry McNish
    Robert Ireland
    • Frank Wild
    Terry Burgher
    • George Marston
    Paul Mills
    • Thomas Mcleod
    Andrew Oates
    • Alexander Macklin
    Erik Kaihe Wetting
    • Alfred Kerr
    John Seymour
    • Ernest Holness
    • (as John Anderson)
    Cory Rumble
    • Leonard Hussey
    Peter McCarthy
    • Thomas Orde-Lees
    Brian Vercoe
    • Alfred Cheetham
    Oliver Garea
    • Lionel Greenstreet
    Alfie Dennis
    • Frank Worsley - child
    Marcus Segundo Monguzzi
    • Frank's brother
    • Director
      • Leanne Pooley
    • Writers
      • Leanne Pooley
      • Tim Woodhouse
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews17

    7.5757
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    Featured reviews

    10donm52

    The story behind another's "fame".

    Capt. Frank Worsley of New Zealand deserves as much if not more recognition than his employer, Sir Ernest Shackleton in regards to the latter's Imperial Trans-Arctic Expedition. What Capt. Worsley accomplished on more than one occasion borders on miraculous. This docu-drama is enhanced with the outstanding work of Australian expedition photographer Frank Hurley. He managed to save numerous stills and silent film footage that speak to the conditions that the crew of "Endurance" had to exist in, or die. Well done production!
    10robertguttman

    I am in awe of all these men

    I read about Shackleton's expedition many years ago. Having spent 30 years going to sea, and having experienced some pretty terrible conditions, I am still in awe of these individuals. Worsley's feats of navigation in getting the expedition to Elephant Island, as well as the subsequent voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia stand among the greatest achievements in the history of navigation. As if that weren't enough, the men followed that up by crossing the island of South Georgia on foot, something which no one had ever done before, with nothing but a length of rope and a carpenter's adze. I don't know how they made it, except that they simply knew that failure was not an option. Although the movie centers on Captain Frank Worsley, these were all truly iron men, of a sort whose like we shall never see again. For example, First Mate Frank Wilde deserves a tremendous amount of credit for keeping the shipwrecked survivors on Elephant Island alive for over four months, during which they had no idea whether rescue was ever going to come. And, of course, although the film plays down Shackleton's contributions in favor of Worsley's, it was Shackleton who was the supreme leader, "The Boss", who held everyone together throughout the entire ordeal.

    This is one of the most incredible true stories you will ever see. If anyone ever wrote this story as a work of fiction, no publisher would ever accept it because they would consider it too far removed from realm of possibility. However, this all actually happened just the way it is depicted here. They even brought back the pictures to prove it, thanks to the expedition's photographer, Frank Hurley. This film will make Hollywood action-adventure movies seem tame by comparison.
    10Turnbull063

    Amazing Adventure Documentary Drama

    I was in Germany and caught this on television. Even though my German is pretty average I really enjoyed it. I hope it ends up on television in Canada so I can watch it again in English. It was everything a great adventure story should be; exciting, frightening, moving and inspirational. The balance of documentary alongside drama was perfect. I'd known a little bit about Shackleton himself but nothing about his Captain. Typical that we never hear about the people who were behind the front-man. This story really made you think about what a hero is and what it takes to keep going when all seems lost. If it wasn't a true story there is no way I would have believed it. I enjoyed the way the programme was put together as well, with the Captain telling the story himself. I thought this was an interesting way to make a documentary seem more personal. All and all it was a ripper of a yarn and anyone who is interested in sailing will really love it.
    10grapes-389-669861

    Inspiring!

    I saw this movie on TV in New Zealand. It is the most incredible story. I didn't really know anything about it and now I don't know why everyone in NZ isn't aware of this incredible Kiwi. This movie explains that while the explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton was a great leader, without Frank Worsley he may have been just another dead English explorer. I love to sail and I was in awe of what Worsley achieved. The journey on the lifeboat must be one of the great sailing journeys of all time. Anyone who is into yachting should see this film. Aside from anything else it is incredible to see what these men endure. Just inspiring that they could keep going. The movie itself is really great it mixes old footage, with interviews and scenes with actors. I was pulled into the story and by the end I was actually cold. I thought Craig Parker who played Frank Worsley was wonderful.
    9gesges-13491

    If this were fiction...

    ...you would never believe it. You would roll your eyes and complain about how ridiculous a story it was. Truly an unbelievable survival story. I've read about this Shackleton expedition before but this gives another angle on the story. Well worth watching.

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    Related interests

    Still frame
    Adventure
    Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
    Documentary
    Liam Neeson in Schindler's List (1993)
    History

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Connections
      Featured in Universum History: Shackletons Captain - Held der Antarktis (2013)

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • March 1, 2012 (New Zealand)
    • Country of origin
      • New Zealand
    • Language
      • English
    • Production companies
      • Making Movies
      • Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 52m
    • Color
      • Color

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