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(More customer reviews)This dramatization is based on the book, Scott and Amundsen by Roland Huntford. It is a detailed study, centered around the 1910-1912 Great Race for the South Pole by two brave explorers; the Norwegian Capt. Amundsen and the British Capt. Scott. The legend of Capt. Scott had long been considered sacred. Afterall, Capt. Scott and his five-man party died on the return journey from the Pole after having reached it a month after Capt. Amundsen. Roald Amundsen, conversely, has largely been overlooked and even slandered for his achievement of safely reaching the Pole first. Mr. Huntford's research had uncovered so much information about Capt. Scott and Capt. Amundsen that it created a public scandal - a public outcry that even came to condemn the author. After all, a long-cherished British legend was being questioned to its very sanctity. So great was this outcry, that when the book was reissued in 1985 as The Last Place on Earth, it inspired this excellent PBS dramatization.True to Huntford's book, this dramatization plumbs every subtlety of the author's historical revelation. Depicted is the Great Race for the South Pole that pitted the British explorer, Capt. Robert F. Scott against the Norwegian, Capt. Roald Amundsen. Amundsen claimed the Pole in 1911. Captain Scott and his five-man party died of starvation and exposure on their return. This fine production captures the European nationalistic mood of the 1910's and beautifully enshrines the respectful eloquence of an era long past. Every aspect of this dramatization has been meticulously represented, from the period clothing to the detailed manifestation of each expedition's supply stores on the southward journey.Roland Huntford never set out to exploit the incompetence of a British legend. He sought merely to compare and contrast these two explorers in their 1911 quest for the South Pole. For the first time in his book, Amundsen, who had long been characterized as a broody and sour man, is considered an equal to Scott; and is revealed to be extremely charismatic, respectful of men and reverent of nature. On the other hand, the long revered hero Captain Scott, is exposed through extensive research to be insecure, paranoid, petty, careless and vindictive in his leadership. Scott made too many critically foolish decisions - one cannot help to at least question his fitness as a leader. This dramatization reflects the book well in contrasting the differences between the two leaders; in style, in personality, in each party's morale and loyalty, and even the difference between the ageing empire of Britain and the fledgling country of Norway, which at the time had just attained independence from Sweden.I viewed this presentation of "The Last Place on Earth" when it originally aired on PBS's Masterpiece Theater in 1985. This historical tale, and understanding the lengths to what ALL these brave men were willing to subject themselves to, is truly inspiring. I have been deeply interested in this epic story ever since. Being a mountain climber myself, I know what it takes to be prepared in case of the unexpected. And although the footage is extraordinary, one cannot truly understand how these brave men felt as they traveled hundreds of miles across a barren, inhospitable landscape, where losing one's bearings is easier than freezing to death. As excellent as this dramatization is, anyone who views it must read Huntford's book The Last Place on Earth, revised for 1999 whereby Huntford has since found much more background information to support his account.
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Item Name: The Last Place on Earth; Studio:Bfs Entertainment
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