![]() The quest is not without controversy: Roald lies about his intentions in order to borrow a ship, treats some of his fellow crew members with disdain and disrespect, and - perhaps most controversial of all - uses polar dogs not just as transportation, but as food, in order to survive. That only one Amundsen is fated to go down in history is a recurring note of contention that nearly destroys their relationship.Īfter Roald learns that other explorers have claimed to be the first to reach the North Pole (despite those explorers having no evidence to prove it), he decides to abandon a planned trip north and instead head south in the hope of becoming the first to reach the South Pole. ![]() However, this causes an emotional rift between the brothers that variously widens and narrows over the rest of their lives, as Leon grows exasperated with Roald’s recklessness while Roald judges Leon for living a more conventional life. Leon quickly realizes that his brother has an innate passion for danger and adventure that he does not share, and segues from fellow explorer to business manager, helping Roald raise the necessary funds for his expeditions. To pass the time, Leon relays the story of Roald’s life to Bess, beginning with their childhood in Southern Norway and their early explorations in the Northwest Passage. His brother and business manager, Leon ( Christian Rubeck), with whom he has a tumultuous relationship, and his lover, Bess Magdis ( Katherine Waterston), a married woman he met on an expedition in Alaska, meet each other by chance at Roald’s home, both drawn to it like a beacon of comfort as they await news of the missing Roald. The film begins showing us Roald Amundsen ( Pål Sverre Hagen) in his twilight years as the plane he is in crash-lands somewhere in the Arctic. For in attempting to fit a lifetime of legendary adventure and personal upheaval into a mere two-hour film, Amundsen: The Greatest Expedition doesn’t manage to tell us that much about any of it. two years after its largely panned Norwegian release - should have perhaps warned me of what to expect from the film. However, that it is only just now being released in the U.S. A statue of him stands in the middle of Tromsø just outside their Polar Museum, which chronicles the history of polar exploration through stories and artifacts related to this “Gateway to the Arctic.” A Norwegian national hero, Amundsen embarked on many groundbreaking expeditions in both the far north and the far south of the world, including leading the first group of explorers to reach the South Pole and being one of the first verified to have reached the North Pole when he flew over it in an airship.Īs someone fondly familiar with this part of the world, I was looking forward to Amundsen: The Greatest Expedition, a biopic of Amundsen and his escapades from Norwegian filmmaker Espen Sandberg ( Kon-Tiki, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales). ![]() As someone who has visited the Arctic Circle city of Tromsø, Norway not once, but twice (it’s beautiful and charming, and they run a great Midnight Sun Marathon), I am not unfamiliar with Roald Amundsen.
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