Evidence of global warming comes to light in Into the Cold: Journey of the Soul a picturesque adventure now on DVD. The movie shows two challenges, one of courage and fortitude, the other showing the devastating damage to the polar ice cap at the North Pole.
The documentary of the courageous trip covering 400 miles celebrates the centennial of Admiral Robert Peary’s historic North Pole expedition in 1909 and tells the world of the dangerous effects humans are having on planet Earth. From the first steps to the final hours Sebastian Copeland and Keith Heger battle the wind, cold, frozen equipment, and bizarre ice formations they call rubble.
Caught on film using his own camera equipment Sebastian shows the vast tundra, ice flows, polar rivers from the sea, amazing landscapes on the frozen desert, a relentless setting sun and the eerie notion that this will be all gone in generations to come. Its mind boggling when the film shows a map of the top of the world and over a period from 1979 through 2008 watch the animated disappearance of the ice glacier that covers the Arctic cap.
As the two adventurers prod along pulling their sleds heaped with equipment, food and life saving gear, we witness the changes as explained by Sebastian, the actual breakup of the ice, mountains of rubble (pieces of ice piled on top of each other caused by the movement of the ice plates) and endless bays of thin ice. During the period the film is up on the screen, we see the struggle, freezing of their tent and other equipment, the arduous challenge of traversing ice rivers and the toll taking part on their bodies as they make their way to the place where Robert Peary stood, the first to ever walk to the top of the world.
The quality of the filming considering the amount of torture to their bodies, the freezing of recording equipment, and the temperatures at which they endured is amazing. Beautiful vistas with a haunting soundtrack showing nearly every step of the way take over the center of attraction. A shrouded sun as it sets nearly stationery in the sky through the whole 400 miles of their journey gives the aura of impending doom on the Earth. As the two traverses thinly covered ice flows, you can see the breaking and separation of miles of frozen earth. Close ups of the ice show odd crystallization, dripping ice cycles and broad windows of ice blocks.
Into the Cold does show photographic evidence of the harm the sun’s rays has done to the ice cap. Experts have said however, that this combined with the effects of carbon from the burning of carbon based fuels, principally wood, coal, oil, and natural gas being added to the mix has caused an increase in the sun’s greenhouse effect. Although, the speed at which this has caused any damage to the Polar Ice Cap is not brought out in the film with any scientific debates on the subject, but theoretically it can be a contribution to the early damage.
Sebastian Copeland has won many awards for his photography and his adventurous travels. He is also an author, lecturer and environmentalist with global warming his main subject. In addition to his trip to the North Pole he has walked across Antarctica in 2011 and visited the South Pole on foot. In 2010 he went to Greenland to kite ski across country in a quest to find the effects of global warming. During that trip he established a new record for kite skiing.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good documentation of a historical adventure.[rating=4]
Specifications and additional film information:
- Cast: Sebastian Copeland and Keith Heger
- Directed by: Sebastian Copeland
- MPAA Rating: Unrated
- Genre: Documentary
- Running Time: 1 hr 27 min
- Street Date: April 9, 2013
- Original Theatrical Release:
- Language: English
- Format: DVD
- Audio: Digitally Mastered 5.1 Stereo Surround Sound
- Video: HD 16×9 Enhanced for Widescreen TVs
- Subtitles: none
- Number of Discs: 1 Disc
- Distributed by: Shelter Island Releases
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
