### The Remarkable Legend of Shackleton’s *Endurance* and Its Rediscovery: A Fresh NatGeo Documentary
The saga of *Endurance*, the ill-fated vessel of renowned Arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, has enthralled audiences for more than a hundred years. Shackleton’s 1914 mission to navigate Antarctica ended tragically when his ship became trapped in ice and ultimately sank. Nonetheless, the story of survival, determination, and leadership that ensued has attained legendary status. A new National Geographic documentary, helmed by Oscar-winning directors Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi (*Free Solo*), revives this astonishing tale once more. The documentary, named *Endurance*, is currently available for streaming on Disney+.
#### An Interwoven Narrative Structure
*Endurance* unfolds two connected tales: Shackleton’s arduous 1914 mission and the 2022 finding of the shipwreck, which had lain beneath Antarctic ice for nearly 107 years. The documentary skillfully intertwines these two narratives, presenting viewers with a distinctive viewpoint on both the historical occurrences and the contemporary pursuit to uncover the ship.
As Vasarhelyi notes, Shackleton’s story has long been a source of fascination for her and Chin. “I believe the Shackleton narrative is central to the essence of our films,” she mentioned in a conversation with Ars Technica. “It’s the ultimate human survival story. It truly reflects having bold goals and aspirations.” The discovery of the wreck in 2022 offered the ideal chance to revisit the tale with renewed insights, employing cutting-edge filmmaking methods and advanced technologies.
#### The Shackleton Expedition: A Journey of Survival
Shackleton’s mission set off from Plymouth on August 6, 1914, aiming to be the first group to cross the Antarctic continent. Yet, by January 1915, the *Endurance* was ensnared in the drifting ice of the Weddell Sea. Despite relentless efforts, Shackleton and his crew had to remain patient for the ice to break, a lengthy ordeal lasting nearly 10 months. Throughout this period, the crew faced severe cold, and by October 1915, the vessel was irretrievable. Shackleton instructed his men to vacate the ship and establish camp on the ice.
The *Endurance* ultimately succumbed on November 21, 1915, crushed by the overwhelming forces of the ice. Shackleton and his crew found themselves marooned, yet their adventure was far from finished. After months adrift on ice floes, the crew launched lifeboats and reached Elephant Island. Shackleton and five of his men then embarked on a bold 720-mile trek to South Georgia in search of aid. Incredibly, Shackleton returned to rescue his entire team in August 1916, with no lives lost.
#### The Rediscovery of *Endurance*
The wreck of the *Endurance* eluded discovery for more than a century, despite repeated efforts to find it. Shackleton’s navigator, Frank Worsley, had diligently recorded the ship’s coordinates upon its sinking, but the reliability of his instruments raised challenges for the search.
In February 2022, the Endurance22 expedition, organized by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, embarked on a mission to locate the wreck. Employing state-of-the-art submersibles and sonar technology, the team scoured the ocean floor for weeks. At the last possible moment, they found the wreck lying 3,008 meters below the surface, about four miles south of its last known location. Remarkably, the ship was discovered in immaculate condition, preserved by the frigid waters and absence of wood-eating microbes.
#### Reviving History
Chin and Vasarhelyi encountered the challenge of recreating Shackleton’s narrative in a manner that would resonate with contemporary viewers. They relied extensively on the original images and footage captured by *Endurance*’s photographer, Frank Hurley. Hurley’s visuals, including his 1919 documentary *South*, offered invaluable pictorial records of the expedition. The filmmakers supplemented this with additional footage from various early 20th-century polar expeditions.
In a daring initiative, the directors persuaded the British Film Institute (BFI) to permit them to apply color treatment to some of Hurley’s footage. “The BFI had taken exceptional care of the footage and been great stewards of it, but they had also been very firm about never altering the color,” Vasarhelyi explained. The color enhancement introduced a new dimension of drama and immediacy to the historical footage, enabling viewers to connect more profoundly with the narrative.
For aspects of the Shackleton story that Hurley wasn’t able to capture—like the final rescue operation—the filmmakers conducted re-enactments. These scenes were shot on location in Iceland and on sound stages in Los Angeles. The crew contended with challenging conditions, including icy temperatures and the difficulties of constructing replica boats and acquiring period-specific costumes. Burberry
