Abandoned in the Arctic (2007) User Reviews

Chilling adventure

[xWRL · 9/10 · 24 October 2020]

The documentary cleverly juxtaposes the original expedition led by Adolphus Greely with one in which Greely's great-grandson retraces his steps. Both journeys run into unforeseen problems, and the element of suspense adds to the already extreme sense of adventure.

Thanks to technology and better luck, the practical and human challenges for second expedition were less harrowing than the ones faced by the first one. What's most surprising is that so much graphic documentation remains from the first journey, which dates back to 1881-1884.

It's fascinating adventure story, grippingly told.

A brilliant film of a tragic expedition

[drrap · 10/10 · 12 October 2007]

This is one of the best Arctic documentaries of the past ten years -- a vivid, beautifully photographed story, told through both re-enactment and re-tracing, of the ill-fated Lady Franklin Bay expedition led by Adolphus Washington Greely. Rarely have the stark beauties of Ellesmere Island been so strikingly filmed, and yet it is the human drama that holds the center of attention here. Greely, his conflicted first officer, and his resentful but ultimately faithful sergeant, carry the narrative forward with the weight of a Shakespearian tragedy. And, at the same time, Greeley's descendant James Shedd, re-traces his great-grandfather's sledge-tracks in the long, perilous retreat from Fort Conger, whence Greely once set the record for furthest north. The conclusion will bring tears to the eyes of even the most hardened of armchair travelers.