Antarctica: A Year on Ice (2013)

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.

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.

Watching Antarctica: A Year on Ice, you'll run out of superlatives to describe the experience. Then you'll start using them all again, in combination, and you'll still be unable to adequately describe what you've seen.This masterpiece of a film was made by Anthony Powell, a Satellite Communications Technician working out of McMurdo Base, the United States station in Antarctica. It's obvious that the film was born of a deep passion for the place, which he and his wife Christine have returned to, whenever possible, year after year.How do you share your thoughts about a place which defies description - a place vital to our planet, but which the vast majority will never see? Powell began by taking photographs, recording video, documenting life on the base, the idiosyncrasies of those who work there, and the beauty of the landscape. Over the years, whenever not working on the communications equipment he is responsible for, he's been working on techniques for gathering images in unusual and hostile conditions, often refining or even creating his own gear in order to capture the experience of living in Antarctica for a year.The result is brilliant; by turns funny, terrifying and heartbreaking - but always awe-inspiring. It's not about the cinematography, (although the photography is frequently top-notch, and some of the time-lapse sequences are stunning,) and other than a few matter-of-fact mentions, nor does Powell delve into political or environmental debate. His purpose here is showing the audience what Antarctica is LIKE: how it feels to work there, what it really looks like, what happens there. His success in this endeavour is as superlative as the film.See Antartctica: A Year on Ice in the cinema - on the biggest screen you can - and then just wonder at it.