This is a beautifully filmed, amazing work of craftsmanship. If I ever meet someone that doesn't find this fascinating and involving, I don't think I'd want to be their friend.I'm sure the creator has glossed over a lot of the negative aspects of life in Antarctica: Scant showers, little fresh food, inevitable interpersonal conflicts, and just the doldrums of being cooped up for months, among other things.But upon seeing this, especially the gorgeous long nighttime time lapse shots of the skies and stars, and the wonderful, untainted pure landscapes, I actually started searching on how to sign up. True, I am one of those weird souls that likes fall and winter probably best. If I was a bit younger and had less ties, I might give it a go. If NASA ever seriously looks for people for a Mars colony, they should ask some of these understated, competent, calm old souls if they'd be interested in signing up.I am not the most environmentally conscious person. Sure, I recycle and try not to waste too much, but the thought that mankind might someday spoil this pristine area, one of the last on Earth, and one of the only places no war has ever been fought makes me slightly ill.I can't thank the people involved in this enough for adding a bit of beauty to the world or at least bringing it to mainstream attention. I hope there never will be any reality shows filmed there like the ones that have invaded Alaska, though if there were, I would find it hard to not watch them.

I feel like I learned so much about living on the continent, something most docs never really show(at least human life).Although subjects like the interaction between humans and other animals on Antarctica were very quickly touched upon, the imagery from the filmmaker told a story he didn't need to share with words.It was so beautifully shot by Antony Powell whose 13 years living on the ice met he knew his subject well enough to capture every thing the Terran is.I love the fact that the movie starts out with the section of Antarctica not always fully covered in ice. I knew it existed but It's always weird when it's mentioned (or seen). It sets the tone that your going to learn something new from this doc, and I did.I got a feel of what it's like to live in the arctic from people from all walks of life who do it year long. Not just scientist and military types,but regular people like fire men and store clerks (who run convenient stores on Antarctica). Living with each other in the most isolated place imaginable. I got to see what I've only read about, like the four mouths of never ending darkness after the four mouths of never ending sunlight. The monstrous weather. I got so see what these conditions do to humans like a brain freeze that makes you loose your track of thought and how living through the harsh winter makes you interact with others who don't.And of course we got to see penguins (and other animals as well).It was just a beautifully shot and interesting documentary from a filmmakers personal experience. Fantastic!

Unlike many documentaries of Antarctica that focus on the wildlife, this amazing movie gives an insight into the life of those hardy souls who spend 6-12 months in this harsh continent. With honesty and humour, Anthony Powell treats the viewer to an insiders guide to some of the characters that call Scott Base or McMurdo Base their home for a season or two. This is the closest that most of us will ever get to experience a year working at the bottom of the Earth, but boy does it make you dream of going there yourself one day. Add to that some stunning footage of the untouched vastness of the Antarctic landscape, the night sky through the long winter nights, the ethereal shimmer of the Aurora and time-lapse videography and you get, in my opinion, a perfect 92 minutes of escapism to a place that most of us will never set foot on, but all of us should appreciate.

Watching Antarctica: A Year on Ice, you'll run out of superlatives to describe the experience. Then you'll start using them all again, in combination, and you'll still be unable to adequately describe what you've seen.This masterpiece of a film was made by Anthony Powell, a Satellite Communications Technician working out of McMurdo Base, the United States station in Antarctica. It's obvious that the film was born of a deep passion for the place, which he and his wife Christine have returned to, whenever possible, year after year.How do you share your thoughts about a place which defies description - a place vital to our planet, but which the vast majority will never see? Powell began by taking photographs, recording video, documenting life on the base, the idiosyncrasies of those who work there, and the beauty of the landscape. Over the years, whenever not working on the communications equipment he is responsible for, he's been working on techniques for gathering images in unusual and hostile conditions, often refining or even creating his own gear in order to capture the experience of living in Antarctica for a year.The result is brilliant; by turns funny, terrifying and heartbreaking - but always awe-inspiring. It's not about the cinematography, (although the photography is frequently top-notch, and some of the time-lapse sequences are stunning,) and other than a few matter-of-fact mentions, nor does Powell delve into political or environmental debate. His purpose here is showing the audience what Antarctica is LIKE: how it feels to work there, what it really looks like, what happens there. His success in this endeavour is as superlative as the film.See Antartctica: A Year on Ice in the cinema - on the biggest screen you can - and then just wonder at it.