The Secret Land

1948
Approved
1h 11m

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

444

YOUR RATING

Van Heflin, Robert Taylor, and Robert Montgomery in The Secret Land (1948)

The 1946-1947 U.S. military expedition to explore and map Antarctica, led by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, is presented from its planning stages through its successful completion.

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Documentary

The 1946-1947 U.S. military expedition to explore and map Antarctica, led by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, is presented from its planning stages through its successful completion.The 1946-1947 U.S. military expedition to explore and map Antarctica, led by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, is presented from its planning stages through its successful completion.The 1946-1947 U.S. military expedition to explore and map Antarctica, led by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, is presented from its planning stages through its successful completion.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

444

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 1 win total

Self - Narrator
(voice)
(as Comdr. Robert Montgomery U.S.N.R.)

Robert Taylor

Self - Narrator
(voice)
(as Lt. Robert Taylor U.S.N.R.)

Van Heflin

Self - Narrator
(voice)
(as Lt. Van Heflin A.A.F. Ret.)

James Forrestal

Self
(as Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal)

Chester W. Nimitz

Self
(as Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Chester W. Nimitz)

Richard E. Byrd

Self
(as Admiral Byrd)

Richard Cruzen

Self
(as Admiral Cruzen)

Robert S. Quackenbush

Self
(as Captain Quackenbush)

George J. Dufek

Self
(as Captain George Dufek)

Paul A. Siple

Self
(as Dr. Siple)

Charles W. Thomas

Self
(as Captain Thomas)

Vernon D. Boyd

Self
(as Captain Boyd)

Charles A. Bond

Self
(as Captain Bond)

David E. Bunger

Self
(as Commander David E. Bunger)

John E. Clark

Self
(as Captain Clark)

John D. Howell

Self
(as Commander Howell)

William Kearns

Self
(as Lieutenant j.g. Bill Kearns)

Ralph LeBlanc

Self
(as Lieutenant j.g. Frenchie LeBlanc)

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Storyline

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Trivia
Admiral Richard E. Byrd's fourth Antarctic expedition, code-named "Highjump", from August 1946 to February 1947 involved 13 ships, over 4,000 men, 50 cameras and 40 vehicles.

Quotes
Self - Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal: [explaining the reason for the enterprise] There is only one untouched reservoir of raw materials left in the world and that is in the region known as Antarctica, an area larger than the combined area of the United States and Europe. The American government is sending a naval expedition to that region. The purpose is to train our Navy in polar operations so that it may better perform its function of preserving the peace upon the seven seas of the world. Beyond that, the American government is seeking to do its share in the discovery and release to the world of the unknown treasures of Antarctica, in the interests of all mankind.

Crazy credits
The opening credits include the following: "Starring Men and Ships of U.S. Navy" "Photographed by Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Army Cameramen"

Connections
Featured in Movies Are Adventure (1948)

Soundtracks
Anchors Aweigh
(uncredited)
Music by Charles A. Zimmerman

User reviews11

Review

Featured review

8/10

A pretty amazing film...

Robert Montgomery, Robert Taylor and Van Heflin all narrate this documentary from MGM. It chronicles the US Navy's Antarctic expedition commanded by Admiral Byrd from 1946 to 1947. This was an enormous undertaking--involving 4000 men and many ships (including an aircraft carrier)! Unfortunately, the print I found of this film on archive.org is in terrible shape--which is really a shame since this film would be spectacular otherwise.

As I sat and watched this film, I couldn't help but admire the men and marvel at the insane conditions in which they worked. For example, the Navy flew very large C-47 (DC-3) from a carrier deck--using jet packs to force the lumbering planes into the air. There also is a portion where you learn about a plane crash and the crew was forced to spend two weeks waiting for help! I was also amazed to see that there is some relatively warm water in a snow-less region of Antarctic--all due to volcanic activity in the area. Overall, this is a very captivating and exciting film. You wonder at the naval cinematographers who recorded all this footage under horrific conditions!

If you do see this film, I also recommend you watch Werner Herzog's recent documentary "Encounters at the End of the World"--where he visits many of the same places you see in "The Secret Land". Two amazing films.