Antarctica: A Year on Ice

source: Antarctica: A Year on Ice

A documentary made through the lenses of Anthony Powell, photographer who spent many years in Antarctica lead you to the incredible journey to the world we really don't know much. The author describe just a portion of this amazing place over one year of time, combining short interviews, wonderful time lapse photography and just a glimpses of ordinary life of the small population that works on Antarctica. The movie opened many fascinating phenomena, from the mighty storms and winds, cold, 4 months in constant daylight and than darkness and the ways people adapts to those conditions, (T3 Syndrome, for example) which can really be a separate topics for more than one documentary. Although the movie is not perfect, by my opinion, as it lack some inside to the geography of the place and at least some facts about the conditions there, it basically opened many more questions form me. This movie and its amazing topic with conditions where it was filmed basically don't give you the space to moan about imperfection that surely exists. Instead, it make you wondering about all what is seen, with a feeling that you would like to see much more.

Powell's time-lapse cinematography, which seems to take up about half the running time, is astonishing - eerie, hypnotic and beautiful. This is a world very few will ever know firsthand - or want to - but Powell certainly reveals its beauties. The film is meant to be a chronicle, and there is no narrative per se. The last third of the film drags a bit here and there and some of the interviews get a tad repetitive. Those who like this will find Werner Herzog's "Encounters at the End of the World" an interesting contrast. Werner Herzog's focus is less on the place but the filmmaker's fascination with the people who go Antartica and their reasons for wanting to be there.

Antarctica. Perhaps it is a place more unknown to us on the big screen than the likes of our moon or Mars. It is intriguing to have a relatively untouched frontier still left on our planet. I tuned into Antarctica: A Year on Ice to quench my curiosity on the matter, and despite the wondrous offerings, was left feeling only slightly satiated. Anthony Powell gives us a glimpse into what it's like living at a station in Antarctica, but strangely, it's more tell than show. What I mean by that is instead of interviewing people and them giving obvious answers (they're going to feel isolated and they'll get to know each other pretty well pretty quick, who would have thought? totally shocking), which got boring pretty fast, it would have been more interesting to show what a typical day was like. Does the station only have one dining area? What's on the menu? Do they get vitamin supplements considering they've noticed how sickly pale they've become during the winter months? Is there an exercise facility? They get paid in cash? How do they cope with the perpetual daytime or nighttime? Or freezing temperatures? Negative 50 is no laughing matter. I won't ever know, because what's focused on are a bunch of clichéd information you probably already know or could easily look up on wikipedia. I also found it ironic how people kept saying the people that came there to work were "odd," and yet all of them seemed to complain of lack of sunlight, cold temperatures, and the monotony. Oh dear, they've all turned a ghastly shade of pasty white. Oh the horror! I thought the sunlight bouncing off the snow would intensify and give them a beachy sun glow. Actually, if they were really that odd, they wouldn't have complained like any other "normal" person, but what do I know? Okay, I promise to stop with the sarcasm now, because I have to give credit where credit is due and that's with the photography. Some of the time-lapse sequences are absolutely amazing. They border on repetitive near the end, but they alone are worth watching this documentary for. So, if you'd like a glimpse into the lives of Antarctica folks, you'd probably do better by researching the topic yourself or waiting for a better documentary to come along, but for now, this will have to do.

This is a beautifully filmed, amazing work of craftsmanship. If I ever meet someone that doesn't find this fascinating and involving, I don't think I'd want to be their friend. I'm sure the creator has glossed over a lot of the negative aspects of life in Antarctica: Scant showers, little fresh food, inevitable interpersonal conflicts, and just the doldrums of being cooped up for months, among other things. But upon seeing this, especially the gorgeous long nighttime time lapse shots of the skies and stars, and the wonderful, untainted pure landscapes, I actually started searching on how to sign up. True, I am one of those weird souls that likes fall and winter probably best. If I was a bit younger and had less ties, I might give it a go. If NASA ever seriously looks for people for a Mars colony, they should ask some of these understated, competent, calm old souls if they'd be interested in signing up. I am not the most environmentally conscious person. Sure, I recycle and try not to waste too much, but the thought that mankind might someday spoil this pristine area, one of the last on Earth, and one of the only places no war has ever been fought makes me slightly ill. I can't thank the people involved in this enough for adding a bit of beauty to the world or at least bringing it to mainstream attention. I hope there never will be any reality shows filmed there like the ones that have invaded Alaska, though if there were, I would find it hard to not watch them.

This informative and visually fascinating documentary centers on two themes primarily, and is set on the continent of Antarctica, which lies at the very bottom of our planet. First, the film gives us a rather intimate look at the people who venture there to live and work at McMurdo Station, the U.S. camp in Antarctica, and which is by far the largest of the some 30 international stations set up and protected by treaty. Secondly, the movie treats us to the spectacular celestial shows that occur there, as well as looks at Mt. Erebus, the southernmost active volcano on the globe, the Dry Valleys (considered by many to be closest to the topography of Mars), as well as some glimpses of the surrounding animal population, namely penguins and seals, who can survive the incredibly harsh conditions on the continent. Anthony Powell, who grew up on a dairy farm in New Zealand, directs, narrates, and often appears in the documentary (which was 10 years in the making), as he's a veteran of travel there, and whose job it is to set up radio communications in remote areas outside the camp. He allows the viewer to get a real feel of a full year in Antarctica, which basically has only two seasons summer and winter, with the incredibly stark contrasts between the two. Overall, this film gave me a strong sense of what it would be like to live and work there, and I found it to be an absorbing experience highlighted by nature and one of the very few areas in the world not yet changed by mankind.

There are some beautiful shots and a sense of holed-up camaraderie. Unfortunately, there was too much time-lapse photography. So that I frequently just wanted to see stills or real time video and the over abundance of time lapse became distracting, I would also like to have had a better understanding of what the people working at the various national stations actually do. For example, there was a fireman, what does a fireman do in Antarctica? How often do fires occur? How to you get the water-hose to work when it's so cold? There was a man taking about avocados and toast with lots of scientific equipment behind him. What was the equipment? We were told that there is no time to dally in Antarctica, it's work work work as soon as you step off the plan. But there was scant clear evidence of any work. There seemed to be a lot more sitting about chewing the cud or having meals or making movies. There was mention of the crucial role of scientific research worked on by internationals who would not usually be cooperating so readily, but were working for the betterment of mankind. What were they researching and how?

Several years ago I watched Werner Herzog's documentary "Encounters at the End of the World", and I know that I would be interested in this movie. It's hard to say this movie is better. They are both similar, but the photographer in "Antarctica: A Year on Ice" had the time to think and explore and set up shots that are just out of this world. I feel like I had the wonderful experience of living in Antarctica and for that I am thankful to this movie. I won't go on at length, because this is a movie that has to be experienced. I sadly notice that some people have rated this low and it is hard to believe. Were they forced to watch it? I can't figure out why other than they are just not ready in a place to experience this idea. This would be a little like going to another planet or living in a generation ship, isolated from humanity and yet maybe feeling your humanity so much the more. Great movie ... 10/10.

The cinematography was good, and the time-lapse was beautifully done. However, I quit watching this "promotional video for Antarctica" when he said, "It's heartbreaking to see the wildlife in distress, but we're not allowed to help. We just have to let nature takes its course." oh, the humanity! If we as humans will not step up to be stewards of our fellow creatures - who will!? Nature itself - that we're invading and destroying!? I will not consciously recommend watching this "promotional video for Antarctica." It had the connotation of - 'Come on down! Let's continue to invade and take over!'