The Endurance (2001)

95% of critics liked it
(65 reviews)
79% of users liked it
(1,076 ratings)

The story of the survival of British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of his vessel 'The Endurance', which shipwrecked in the ice floes and frigid open ocean of the Antarctic in 1914. After a difficult two years, the crew was finally rescued. Shackleton's historic story is recounted and… More The story of the survival of British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of his vessel 'The Endurance', which shipwrecked in the ice floes and frigid open ocean of the Antarctic in 1914. After a difficult two years, the crew was finally rescued. Shackleton's historic story is recounted and re-created.

Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: George Butler
Written By: Caroline Alexander, Joseph Dorman
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Sep 21, 2001 Limited
On DVD: Sep 2, 2003
Studio: Cowboy Booking International

Critic Reviews

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Fascinatingly evokes not just the gruelling, first-person details of this particular polar expedition, but the waning moments of the entire spirit of romantic, white-European Boy's Own adventurism.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Beautifully blends interviews with scholars and descendants of that crew, still photos and movie film from the trip and re-creations of the events of the voyage.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
Hands-down, the most stirring and pertinent documentary of 2001.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Footage from a remarkable silent documentary has been combined with new photography, music and a narration to produce an even more remarkable sound documentary.
John Petrakis, Chicago Tribune
Most of all, it is a salute to Shackleton himself, whose calm and grace under extreme pressure helped guarantee that not a single crew member would be lost.
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
Those who see Endurance, however, are not likely soon to forget what they see, even if they have some difficulty imagining how it could be possibly be true.
Phil Hall, Film Threat
So-so documentary on ill-fated South Pole journey.
Ryan Cracknell, Apollo Guide
The interesting and almost unbelievable subject matter legitimizes the legend of Ernest Shackleton, even if it is a little slow in the process.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
A documentary that instructs as it entertains.
Jeffrey Bruner, Des Moines Register
A compelling story of survival and determination.
Brad Haynes, Orlando Weekly
The key to making this work is to keep the suspense building, which Butler does admirably.
Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
... a good choice for a family movie outing.
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
The tale is so damn compelling, you could do a documentary hosted by Ben Stein in boring teacher mode and the audience would still be gnawing on their fingernails.