Shackleton (2002 TV series)

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Shackleton
Shackleton DVD Cover.jpg
Collector's Edition DVD cover
Genre Biography, drama
Written by Charles Sturridge
Directed byCharles Sturridge
Starring Kenneth Branagh
Theme music composer Adrian Johnston
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languagesEnglish
Norwegian
German
No. of series1
No. of episodes2
Production
ProducerSelwyn Roberts
Cinematography Henry Braham
EditorPeter Coulson
Running time206 minutes
Original release
Network Channel 4
Release2 January (2002-01-02) –
3 January 2002 (2002-01-03)

Shackleton is a 2002 British television miniseries. It was written and directed by Charles Sturridge and starring Kenneth Branagh as explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. The film tells the true story of Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic expedition on the ship Endurance . The cast includes Kevin McNally, Lorcan Cranitch, Embeth Davidtz, Danny Webb, Matt Day and Phoebe Nicholls (also the director's wife) as Lady Shackleton. It was filmed in the UK, Iceland and Greenland. The film used first-hand accounts by the men on the expedition to retell the story. Shackleton biographer Roland Huntford was a production advisor.

Contents

Shackleton was first broadcast in two parts by Channel 4 in January 2002. In North America the film was first broadcast by the A&E Network in April 2002. The film was nominated for seven Emmy Awards, [1] six BAFTA Awards, [2] and a Golden Globe Award. [3]

Plot

The films tells the true story of explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton (Kenneth Branagh) and his 1914 Antarctic expedition on the ship Endurance . The story begins with him planning the expedition and finding sponsors, particularly Sir James Caird. Shackleton's goal is to drive dog sled teams from one side of Antarctica to the other, which would make Britain the first nation to undertake such a trans-continental journey.

Once the expedition is underway, trouble arises due to thick sea ice and low temperatures. Endurance becomes trapped and eventually crushed by pack ice. Shackleton vows to find a way to rescue the men. He undertakes an epic journey across the ice, followed by 800 miles of the Southern Ocean and then an uncharted mountain range on South Georgia Island. He finds a whaling station from which rescue parties are sent to collect his entire shipwrecked crew. The otherwise failed expedition is made famous for every crew member surviving despite seemingly insurmountable odds.

Cast

(In order of appearance)

Awards and nominations

AwardCategoryNomineeResult
Golden Globe Awards [3] Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards [1] Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Movie Henry Braham (Part II)Won
Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Dramatic Underscore) Adrian Johnston (Part II)Won
Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Peter Coulson (Part II)Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Kenneth BranaghNominated
Outstanding Miniseries Francesca Barra, Delia Fine, Emilio Nunez, Selwyn RobertsNominated
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Kevin Brazier, Philip Barnes, Blair Jollands, Wayne BrooksNominated
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Charles SturridgeNominated
BAFTA Awards [2] Best Drama Serial Selwyn Roberts, Charles SturridgeWon
Best Costume DesignShirley RussellWon
Best Actor Kenneth BranaghNominated
Best Editing (Fiction/Entertainment)Peter CoulsonNominated
Best Photography and Lighting (Fiction/Entertainment)Henry BrahamNominated
Best Production DesignMichael HowellsNominated
Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Sound Mixing for Television, MOW's and Mini-SeriesDave Humphries, John Rodda (Part I)Won
Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television Selwyn RobertsNominated
Royal Television Society Best Art DirectorLynne Huitson, Matthew RobinsonWon
Best Production Design, DramaMichael HowellsNominated
Best Make Up Design, DramaJeremy WoodheadNominated
Satellite Awards Best Miniseries Nominated

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Primetime Emmy Awards". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 2002. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  2. 1 2 "BAFTA Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 2003. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Golden Globe Awards". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. 2003. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
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