Breathtaking silent-era footage of polar exploration is exploited to surprising — some have said outrageous — effect in this tall tale of mystery and imagination. However you view this elegant act of archival showmanship, one thing is certain: it's the footage, shot (by Frank Hurley, pioneering Australian cinematographer amongst others) on the expeditions of Amundsen, Scott and Shackleton and others, that is truly extraordinary. The astonishment with which these photographers first surveyed the polar wilderness is as evident in their work 70 to 80 years later, as it was the day they shot it.