Amundsen
Amundsen
Directed by:
Espen SandbergScreenplay:
Ravn LanesskogCinematography:
Pål Ulvik RoksethComposer:
Johan SöderqvistCast:
Pål Sverre Hagen, Christian Rubeck, Katherine Waterston, Trond Espen Seim, Glenn André Kaada, Ida Ursin-Holm, Ruby Dagnall, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen (more)VOD (1)
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Nowadays, almost everyone has heard Roald Amundsen’s name at some point in their lives, even if many people would not be able to explain that he was the pioneering explorer who passed through the grizzly Northwest Passage and led the first expedition to the South Pole. The film does not focus on a precise recreation of the Norwegian’s famous journeys into the unknown, but instead tries to explore who Amundsen was before and after, and also what made him push the limits of what seemed possible at the turn of the 20th century. We observe many events from his life that shaped his character and physicality, but also broke him psychologically and made him a somewhat bitter man to the very end of his life. We get to know Amundsen both through his bitter-sweet relationship with his brother Leon, who financed his subsequent expeditions, as well as his romantic dealings with Canadian citizen Bess Magids. We see what kind of man he was in private, and how he changed and reacted to the dangers awaiting on the high seas when given the command of a ship. (Camerimage)
(more)Reviews (3)
Amundsen is a nicely told story with an explorer’s spirit, high-quality CGI and make-up, and a remarkable performance by Pål Sverre Hagen. However, the film is a bit sluggish in depicting Amundsen’s complex nature, primarily through the character played by Katherine Waterston, who, together with Amundsen’s brother, guides us through his story. It's as if she was plugged into the screenplay as an unavoidable female element only to vindicate Amundsen’s positive human qualities. However, the film tells us the minimum about her relationship with Amundsen and rather depicts his relationship with another woman.
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A biography of the man who was the first to set foot on the South Pole and who disregarded his loved ones for his voyages of discovery. But rather than an adventure piece, expect a drama, whose hero is an unfortunately unapproachable stubborn man, with whom the two-hour running time drags quite a bit. Neither his family nor the director could find a way to reach him.
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The great biopic Amundsen is one of the biggest surprises of the season. The film, which no one expected, is absolutely riveting. The excellent co-production of the Nordic countries also took in film workers from the Czech Republic and a remarkable experience was created. Anyone who, like me, was tired of the new style of biographies in which we experience only a miniature slice of a person's life with the person we are following, can now be delighted. Here, we experience Roald Amundsen's entire rich life. This legendary pioneer among polar explorers experienced many ups and downs, but his life is interpreted differently from the Norwegian perspective, and differently from the English. Fortunately, we can supplement our experience of the endless ice plains by reading some of Amundsen's memoirs.
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