Add your email and we'll match picks to the services you stream at home.

Poster for The Endurance

The Endurance

Seen it?

2000 | 97 min | Documentary, History

Sunday Safe Betearly rating

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

Critics loved it (95% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had a box office flop and almost no lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for the curious and history buffs. If you loved Schindler's List or Amadeus, start here.
The mood
Eye-opening.
The pace
Moves along nicely, at 1 hr 37 min.
What might put you off
Nothing much for most grown-ups.

Documentary on the Shackleton Antartic expedition. A retelling of Sir Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated expedition to Antarctica in and the crew of his vessel 'The Endurance', which was trapped in the ice floes and frigid open ocean of the Antarctic in 1914. Shackleton decided, with many of his crew injured and weak from exposure and starvation, to take a team of his fittest men and attempt to find help. Setting out in appalling conditions with hopelessly inadequate equipment, they endured all weather and terrain and finally reached safety. Persuading a local team of his confidence that the abandoned team would still be alive, he set out again to find them. After almost 2 years trapped on the ice, all members of the crew were finally rescued.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    95% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Box office & staying powerWeak

    $2 million worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 13K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

More like this

Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks

Cast & crew

Directed by George Butler

  • Liam NeesonNarrator (voice)
  • David CaleHubert Hudson (voice)
  • Brian d'Arcy JamesFrank Wild (voice)
  • Julian AyerHimself (Grandson of expedition member)