Reviews of silent film releases on home video. Copyright © 1999-2026 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

South (1919)

This stirring silent era documentary details Sir Ernest Shackleton’s failed expedition to cross Antarctica by way of the South Pole. From a ship trapped in antarctic ice pack, to a daring sea voyage in a small boat, to an eventual and hard fought rescue, the film documents Shackleton’s relentless determination in the face of certain failure. Amidst the hardship, cinematographer Frank Hurley captured the events of the challenged expedition on motion picture film.

— Carl Bennett

This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered at 2K high-definition from an archival 35mm print held by the British Film Institute.

The film is accompanied by an orchestral music score by Neil Brand performed by Covent Garden Sinfonia.

Supplemental material includes audio commentary by Luke McKernan of the British Film Institute; Southward on the Quest (1922) [extract] with commentary by Shackleton (from a 1909 recording) on his Nimrod expedition of 1907 (8 minutes); Antarctic Expedition: Sir George Newnes’ Farewell to Officers and Crew (1998) (1 minute); and Shackleton’s Boat Journey (1999) produced by Harding Dunnett and John Bardell for the James Caird Society (31 minutes).

This is our recommended home video edition of the film for North American collectors.

This Region A Blu-ray Disc edition is available from MILESTONE FILMS through . . .

The film is likely to be accompanied by an orchestral music score by Neil Brand performed by Covent Garden Sinfonia.

Supplemental material includes audio commentary by Luke McKernan of the British Film Institute; Antarctic Expedition: Sir George Newnes’ Farewell to Officers and Crew (1998) (1 minute); Fram’s South Polar Expedition (22 minutes); Pathé’s Animated Gazette No. 140 (1911) [extract] (1 minute); Topical Budget: Dogs for the Antarctic (1914) [extract] (1 minute); Dogs for the Antarctic — Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Dogs in Quarantine at Beddington (1914) [extract] (1 minute); Australasion Gazette: Captain Davis returns to Sydney (1917) [extract] (1 minute); The Late Sir Ernest Shackleton Bathing Query (1922) [extract] (2 minutes); and Shackleton’s Funeral (1922) [extract] (5 minutes).

Sight unseen, this is our recommended home video edition of the film for European collectors. North American collectors will need a region-free Blu-ray Disc player to view this edition.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available directly from . . .

Supplemental material includes audio commentary by Luke McKernan of the British Film Institute; and an excerpt from Southward on the Quest, with commentary by Shackleton (from a 1909 recording) on his Nimrod expedition of 1907.

This is our current recommended DVD home video edition of the film.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition is available from MILESTONE FILMS through . . .

South features modern audio commentary by Luke McKernan of the British Film Institute.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued and is . . .

North American collectors will need a region-free PAL DVD player capable of outputting an NTSC-compatible signal to view this edition.

This Region 0 PAL DVD edition has been discontinued and is . . .