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Such an interesting life, yet such a boring film. The story is at times too fast and at other times, too slow. The storytelling device involving Amundsen's final mistress was a strange and discordant choice. Pål Sverre Hagen did a fine job with what he had to work with, but I have to say that he was too conventionally attractive to play a unique-looking guy like Amundsen. Amundsen is written as a bitter and frankly unlikeable character. It's hard to root for him. While I am the last person who wants a hero-worship film, this movie does a great disservice to a man who DID possess joie de vivre and a sense of adventure.

A life like Amundsen's demands miniseries treatment anyway. Even the best acted and written film would have been inadequate. Unfortunately this one was not very good, and does not improve upon subsequent re-watchings. The more I learn about Amundsen, the more disappointed I am with this treatment of his life.

I felt underwhelmed by this film even before I learned more about Frank Worsley. As another reviewer mentioned, the acting is weak. The actor playing Worsley looks nothing like him- the real Worsley was 5'7" and had brown eyes, not blue. The negativity in this film about Shackleton is odd. Shackleton was not a born navigator, but Worsley was not a born leader. Take either man out of the equation and there would have certainly been loss of life. It feels disingenuous to play up Shackleton's "failures" in a film about a man who loved and respected him, and was loved and respected by him.

The best film about the Endurance expedition is the 1933 "Endurance", featuring Frank Hurley's spectacular cinematography, and presented and narrated by Worsley himself. You can view the film for free on Tubi.

Frankly (pun intended), Worsley's connection with Shackleton is far from the only interesting thing about him. If you are interested in Worsley, read his books "First Voyage in a Square-Rigged Ship", "Endurance", and "Under Sail in the Frozen North". This way you can piece together his life, in his own words, from ages 0-53. He was a wonderful writer! His books are funny and heartfelt. To adequately cover Worsley's rich life and many adventures would require a miniseries. This docudrama just doesn't cut it.