21.11.24, 20:30, The Great White Silence (1922)

This landmark of a documentary captures the Terra Nova expedition that took place between 1910 and 1913. Filmmaker Herbert Ponting followed expedition leader Robert Falcon Scott and his ship, the Terra Nova, as it set sail from New Zealand bound for the Antarctic Ocean in a mission to be the first humans ever to reach the South Pole. Once they arrived on Ross Island, an island close to Antarctica, the men set up tents and learn to ski in preparation for their journey, which they will undertake with dogs, ponies and primitive snowmobiles.

In a contemporary setting, the legacy of The Great White Silence is ambiguous. On the one hand, it is the first time in film history that animals like orcas, Weddell seals and Adélie penguins were captured on the moving image and the film continues to stir with its natural beauty. At the same time, it is a period document laced with colonial hubris and white superiority sentiment (the intertitles are not shy of racist language!). Yet the film can also be seen as a testament to imperialist impotence. Ponting follows leader Scott and four men who undertake the expedition, but stops at the South Pole, from which the men will ultimately never return. British greed for conquest devours its own children while nature gets the last word.

This film features live accompaniment by musician Bart Maris and classical music students from KASK & Conservatorium.