Shackleton's incredible story of survival, the 1914-16 Endurance expedition, is remembered partly because of its extraordinary heroics, but also because it was filmed and photographed by a cinematic genius, the Australian Frank Hurley. Filming in extremes of cold, in unimaginably difficult conditions, Hurley created the world's first feature length documentary, "South", a timeless film that brilliantly captures the expedition and has fixed it forever in our memories.

In this film, part of History Hit's special Endurance Collection, Dan Snow visits the British Film Institute's special sub-zero nitrate film storage facility to see up close the actual footage that passed through Hurley's camera in Antarctica. It is an incredible connection with the original expedition, the very film that Hurley rescued as the Endurance was starting to sink.

With the BFI's silent film expert, Bryony Dixon, Dan explores how Hurley shot the film and discusses how important and unique this footage is. He also discovers how the film has been carefully conserved and restored so that it can be seen afresh as a new digital master, just as it looked when first shown to enraptured audiences in 1921.

This documentary has been made in association with the BFI and forms part of History Hit's Endurance Collection - 4 unique films that capture the story of Shackleton and Dan's journey to Antarctica on the successful expedition to find the wreck of Endurance in 2022.

You can read a fascinating article on 'South' by Bryony Dixon here: https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/shackleton-south-journey-back-sub-zero