South: Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition

In 1914, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton set sail to traverse Antarctica, but his ship, the Endurance, froze fast when a sudden temperature drop turned the sea into one huge saltwater iceberg, and they never reached the continent. After abandoning the ship and camping on cracking ice flows for five months, the crew and their 70 dogs reached Elephant Island (named for the giant sea elephants who lolled and screamed, adorably, on its banks). Shackleton and five crew members then set sail in a tiny open boat to a whaling station 850 miles away. Two years and three rescue attempts later, the entire party (incredibly, not one life was lost) returned home.

This unusual silent film is equal parts historical documentary, vintage travelogue, and nature special tinged with nostalgic heroism. Cinematographer Frank Hurley's archival footage is newly restored, toned, and tinted, a gorgeous effort by the British Film Institute. With a Keaton-worthy piano score by Neil Brand, South ranges from haunting and surreal (flashlamp-lit sequences of the Endurance being sucked into the ice) to warm and fuzzy (plenty of penguins, puppies, and the inexplicably chipper smiles of the crew). This is as engrossing, educational, memorable, and real as anything you might see on Nova this year -- and do bring the kids.

-- Peg Aloi