Film: Scott of the Antarctic

Johnny39 · Post by **Johnny39** » Sat 12 Jan, 2013 2:40 pm

The John Mills film has just started on BBC2 and though I have seen it many times on TV my thoughts went back to when and where I first saw it. Being of a certain age, I was around when it was first released. Searching my memory I couldn't recall where I first saw it until it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't see it at the cinema but at Brownhill School. It must have been the year it was released or the year after, 1948/49. I can remember it being projected on to a portable screen and perhaps two classes at a time watched it. The reason it was shown in school I do not know, perhaps someone else recalls. I would be interested in knowing.

Johnny39 · Post by **Johnny39** » Sat 12 Jan, 2013 7:08 pm

Johnny39 wrote: The John Mills film has just started on BBC2 and though I have seen it many times on TV my thoughts went back to when and where I first saw it. Being of a certain age, I was around when it was first released. Searching my memory I couldn't recall where I first saw it until it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't see it at the cinema but at Brownhill School. It must have been the year it was released or the year after, 1948/49. I can remember it being projected on to a portable screen and perhaps two classes at a time watched it. The reason it was shown in school I do not know, perhaps someone else recalls. I would be interested in knowing. Looks as though, from the lack of replies, I shall have to go on wondering as to why such an important British film should be shown in Leeds schools, or maybe it was just ours. Needless to say the film held us schoolboys enthralled and of course the race to the Pole became one of our top games in many various forms.

Caron · Post by **Caron** » Sat 12 Jan, 2013 7:17 pm

Saturday's aren't good on SL. I think everyone's been shopping and getting ready for a lazy night. I have just finished reading the book, The Birthday Boys by Beryl Bainbridge based on Captain Scott and the four men, Evans, Wilson, Bowers and Oates. Excellent read. A must read for anyone interested on the subject.

Derculees · Post by **Derculees** » Sat 12 Jan, 2013 7:28 pm

Johnny39 wrote: Johnny39 wrote: The John Mills film has just started on BBC2 and though I have seen it many times on TV my thoughts went back to when and where I first saw it. Being of a certain age, I was around when it was first released. Searching my memory I couldn't recall where I first saw it until it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't see it at the cinema but at Brownhill School. It must have been the year it was released or the year after, 1948/49. I can remember it being projected on to a portable screen and perhaps two classes at a time watched it. The reason it was shown in school I do not know, perhaps someone else recalls. I would be interested in knowing. Found this snippit, Re London Evening News and schools, and cute poem by an 11 yr old. Scott was 1 of 4 'houses' at our school, along with Stephenson, Nelson and Milton. Hope it helps a little. Glorification The bodies of Scott and his companions were discovered by a search party on 12 November 1912 and their records retrieved. Their final camp became their tomb; a high cairn of snow was erected over it, topped by a roughly fashioned cross.[83] In January 1913, before Terra Nova left for home, a large wooden cross was made by the ship's carpenters, inscribed with the names of the lost party and Tennyson's line from his poem Ulysses: "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield", and was erected as a permanent memorial on Observation Hill, overlooking Hut Point.[84]The world was informed of the tragedy when Terra Nova reached Oamaru, New Zealand, on 10 February 1913.[85] Within days, Scott became a national icon.[86] A fierce nationalistic spirit was aroused; the London Evening News called for the story to be read to schoolchildren throughout the land,[87] to coincide with the memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral on 14 February. Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts Association, asked: "Are Britons going downhill? No! ... There is plenty of pluck and spirit left in the British after all. Captain Scott and Captain Oates have shown us that".[88] Eleven-year-old Mary Steel wrote a poem which ended:Though naught but a simple crossNow marks those heroes’ grave,Their names will live forever!Oh England, Land of the Brave![89]

blackprince · Post by **blackprince** » Sun 13 Jan, 2013 1:33 pm

Johnny39 wrote: The John Mills film has just started on BBC2 and though I have seen it many times on TV my thoughts went back to when and where I first saw it. Being of a certain age, I was around when it was first released. Searching my memory I couldn't recall where I first saw it until it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't see it at the cinema but at Brownhill School. It must have been the year it was released or the year after, 1948/49. I can remember it being projected on to a portable screen and perhaps two classes at a time watched it. The reason it was shown in school I do not know, perhaps someone else recalls. I would be interested in knowing. Hi Johnny, you were lucky! I was at Brownhill School (infants & Junior) in the 1950's but I have no recollection of ever seeing a film shown at the school. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a projector & screen somwhere in the school but I never saw it . The only audio-visual teaching-aids I remember from Brownhill were the large radio sets, which were occasionally used to allow a class to listen to BBC Schools programmes during the day, and coloured chalk! Later on, at another Leeds school in the 60's we did have screenings of films but this was in a film club after school. I think I did see the Scott film at school but many years after release. Others I remember seeing at school were "Dam Busters" , "Battle of the River Plate ", the "Yangtse Incident"and the film about RJ Mitchell developing the Spitfire. Maybe there was a scheme which allowed these classic British films to be screened in schools once they had done the rounds in the cinema chains.

Steve Jones · Post by **Steve Jones** » Sun 13 Jan, 2013 3:06 pm

It is interesting that the Oates family of Captain Oates fame have 2 separate commemoration stones in Leeds.One to captain Oates himself,and one to an earlier ancestor who drained a bog off Stonegate Road at Meanwood.Have any other Leeds family got more than one monument?

Johnny39 · Post by **Johnny39** » Sun 13 Jan, 2013 3:42 pm

blackprince wrote: Johnny39 wrote: The John Mills film has just started on BBC2 and though I have seen it many times on TV my thoughts went back to when and where I first saw it. Being of a certain age, I was around when it was first released. Searching my memory I couldn't recall where I first saw it until it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't see it at the cinema but at Brownhill School. It must have been the year it was released or the year after, 1948/49. I can remember it being projected on to a portable screen and perhaps two classes at a time watched it. The reason it was shown in school I do not know, perhaps someone else recalls. I would be interested in knowing. Hi Johnny, you were lucky! I was at Brownhill School (infants & Junior) in the 1950's but I have no recollection of ever seeing a film shown at the school. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a projector & screen somwhere in the school but I never saw it . The only audio-visual teaching-aids I remember from Brownhill were the large radio sets, which were occasionally used to allow a class to listen to BBC Schools programmes during the day, and coloured chalk! Later on, at another Leeds school in the 60's we did have screenings of films but this was in a film club after school. I think I did see the Scott film at school but many years after release. Others I remember seeing at school were "Dam Busters" , "Battle of the River Plate ", the "Yangtse Incident"and the film about RJ Mitchell developing the Spitfire. Maybe there was a scheme which allowed these classic British films to be screened in schools once they had done the rounds in the cinema chains. Hi Blackprince thanks for the input. I remember the radios you mention, well at least the big speakers that sat on the floor broadcasting school programmes. The Scott film was shown for a reason and we knew it was coming weeks before we actually saw it. The only reason I can think for it to be shown is it was around the time of the "Festival of Britain" and could have been a flag waver. Anyway nice to hear from an "Old Brownhillian" and thanks once again.