Underplayed Gems

Siege of the South (1931)

Siege of the South poster
Directed by
Frank Hurley
Genre
documentary film
Country
Australia
Runtime
1h 26m
Rating
10.0 of 10 from 1 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

This 1931 documentary follows the second British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition led by Douglas Mawson. It shows the voyage of the ship Discovery and the work of the explorers in the Antarctic. The filmmaker added cartoon and animal scenes to make it more fun for children.

exploratoryharsheducationalnostalgicwhimsicalslow-pacedobservationalhistorical

What happens

Siege of the South is a 1931 Australian documentary film by Frank Hurley. It was based on footage taken on the second British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) in 1930-31, led by Douglas Mawson aboard Discovery, and is the official record of the voyage. An earlier film, a silent film under the title Southward Ho with Mawson, released the previous year, recorded the first BANZARE voyage. The film debuted in Brisbane, Queensland, in October 1931, and was widely screened across Australia during the remaining months of that year. It was described in one source as "100% talkie, and contain[ing] many songs". Takings from the film contributed to defray the costs of the expedition, and schoolchildren's attendance contributed significantly to the takings. Union Theatres insisted on Hurley travelling with the film to promote it, and Hurley was keen to make the film a box-office success. He even added scenes with Mickey Mouse and penguins listening to a gramophone in order to appeal to children. When screened in Queensland, it was reported that the film had been recommended by the state education minister for schoolchildren, and the state government had recommended it to the Commonwealth Government. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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