The read
It runs a compact 1h 10m.
Synopsis
Originally called White Thunder, American producer Varick Frissell's 1931 film was inspired by his love for the Canadian Arctic Circle. Set in a beautifully black-and-white filmed Newfoundland, it is the story of a rivalry between two seal hunters that plays out on the ice floes during a hunt. Unsatisfied with the first cut, Frissell arranged for the crew to accompany an actual Newfoundland seal hunt on The SS Viking, on which an explosion of dynamite (carried regularly at the time on Arctic ships to combat ice jams) killed many members of the crew, including Frissell. The film was renamed in honor of the dead.
Ratings
IMDb6/10
8 audience votes
Key crew
- Varick FrissellDirector
- George MelfordDirector
Cast
- Charles StarrettLuke Oarum
- Louise HuntingtonMary Joe
- Arthur VintonJed Nelson
- Bob BartlettCaptain Barker (as Captain Bob Bartlett)
- Wilfred GrenfellPrologue Speaker
Stills
Themes
newfoundland and labradorseal (animal)seal hunting