You think you’re cold. You may not be able to feel every toe on your foot at the moment but you should still drag them to this, a fantastic two-parter of icy swooning. The main draw is up first: live musical lushness from Steepways Sound, a sweet coming together of heads from S>A>A>B, Evening Chorus, In Chapters and a few more, laid over archival footage of ’50s adventuring and bloody big mountains. Then from the Himalayas to the Antarctic for the bleak and unsettling Captain Scott film Great White Silence. No live music for that one but still: it’s immersive, brain-sharpening stuff, and you get to sit down too.
Join us for a live score from Steepways Sound (Jon Ruddick, Past Collective joined by songwriter Matt Joseph and Eugene Capper of Evening Chorus) for a film from the Welsh Film Archive. This is followed by the feature The Great White Silence introduced by Dr Peter Lloyd Jones from the Scott Society.
The Welsh Himalayan Expedition
When Sydney Wignall set off from Llandudno on a climbing expedition to the Himalayas in 1955, little did he think that he would become involved in a life-threatening adventure involving the Indian and Chinese governments. His group was captured and interrogated before being abandoned in an inhospitable Himalayan pass. Sydney’s film camera footage gives a captivating account of the long and rewarding journey.
When Sydney Wignall set off from Llandudno on a climbing expedition to the Himalayas in 1955, little did he think that he would become involved in a life-threatening adventure involving the Indian and Chinese governments. His group was captured and interrogated before being abandoned in an inhospitable Himalayan pass. Sydney’s film camera footage gives a captivating account of the long and rewarding journey.
The Great White Silence
A hundred years ago Captain Scott set out on his ill-fated race to the South Pole. Official photographer Herbert Ponting filmed almost every aspect of the expedition: the scientific work, life in camp and local wildlife. Most importantly, he recorded the preparations for the assault on the Pole, giving us a real sense ofthe challenges faced. In 1924 he re-edited the footage into this remarkable feature. The BFI National Archive has restored the film and introduced a new score by Simon Fisher Turner.
A hundred years ago Captain Scott set out on his ill-fated race to the South Pole. Official photographer Herbert Ponting filmed almost every aspect of the expedition: the scientific work, life in camp and local wildlife. Most importantly, he recorded the preparations for the assault on the Pole, giving us a real sense ofthe challenges faced. In 1924 he re-edited the footage into this remarkable feature. The BFI National Archive has restored the film and introduced a new score by Simon Fisher Turner.
