Synopsis
A frozen, snow-swept Arctic field introduces us to life around the Arctic Ocean as a narrator explains the barren wasteland is also an important source of oil as well as a strategic military point for the United States Navy in this circa 1975 film, “Window to the Arctic.” “The United States Navy has been studying the Arctic for over a century,” it’s explained beginning at mark 1:30, every since US Naval vessels entered the area in 1850. Their mission was partly to find British Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin, who had disappeared on an Arctic expedition, but also “in search of the fabled Northwest Passage to the Pacific.” In 1870, the USS Jeannette became trapped in the ice during a scientific mission and drifted for almost two years before eventually sinking, with only a handful of men surviving the ordeal. The narrator explains that her wreckage floated around the North Pole with remnant being found on the southern coast of Greenland. “Five years after her expedition started, Jeannette’s remains finally proved the circular motion of the polar sea.” Come mark 2:50, the film introduces us to Admiral Robert Peary, who famously claimed to have been the first to have reached the geographic North Pole in 1909. (In the late 20th century, Peary's claim to have reached the North Pole became the subject of doubt). In 1926, Admiral Richard Byrd claimed to have led an expedition that was the first to circle the North Pole by air. (That claim also came under scrutiny by historians). In…
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Details
- Running time
- 24 minutes
- Language
- English
- Collection
- Ephemeral Films
Subjects on the Internet Archive
- Stock Footage