The Journal News from White Plains, New York • Page 34

vw www.thejournainews.com 2E Tuesday, March 26, 2002 The Journal News a From page one THE ACES Retelling a tale of disaster and surviva 03 26 A NORTH 9 7 3 AKJ987 6 3 1 dare, Ireland. In 1880, his father, a farmer, moved his family to EAST 10 4 2 A985 10 9 8 6 3 WEST 10 4 2 6 5 KQ2 7 5 4 2 SOUTH A A 8 6 5 Q3 10 7 4 A Vulnerable: North-South Dealer: South The bidding: South West North East Pass 2 Pass 2 A Pass 4 All pass Opening lead: Diamond king BID WITH THE ACES 03J6B South holds: A 10 4 2 6 5 KQ2 K7 5 4 2 0 North South IV 1 NT 2 NT Frank Hurley This black-and-white image by photographer Frank Hurley shows the crew of Endurance during its 1914-16 Antarctic voyage. The journey will be the focus of a "Nova" documentary tonight on WNETChannel 13. SHACKLETON, from IE metropolitan area. Both share footage with "Nova" taken during two expeditions.

The combined 40-member crew of "Nova" and White Mountain Films set sail on Oct. 19, 1999, on the Akademik Shu-leykin and the Laurel, for a two-month project to document the places visited by the explorers: the icey Weddell Sea, where they met disaster; the wind-blasted Elephant Island, where they sought refuge; and the remote cove on South Georgia Island, 800 miles from Elephant Island, where Shackleton and five men arrived after a perilous lfr-day journey in an open boat. April 2000, the Shuleykin set sail again to trace Shackle-ton's path across South Georgia Island. This time, the plan was to film three climbers trying to retrace the route that Shackleton and two of his men took across South Georgia in 1916. Paula Apsell, executive producer of "Nova," said that only by pooling the budgets was the science series able to afford the two expeditions.

Apsell, who said she had read Alexander's book, said the project was initiated when producer Butler and writer Alexander approached her about doing a documentary. After talking with Butler and Alexander, she realized several publications were interested in Shackleton. "I think it's this issue of leadership," said Apsell, "which is a theme that has resonated over several years what it means to be a leader, how one leads. The Shackleton story lends itself to that "flere is this guy in a really tight fix. There have been other expeditions in similar fixes where everybody died, or some died, so why was it that Shackleton who was not a perfect guy was able to save them? the reaction of his men, the way he led them to hang together and got the best out of his men.

A lot of them were really rebellious guys, people who had had trouble with their lives in other settings, and somehow he got them to be more than they were. It even enabled him to rise above what he was. I'm interested in what the Antarctic was then, what they learned about Antarctica, but I was really intrigued about this guy." Dublin, and in 1884, the family moved to London. At 16, Ernest joined the British Merchant Navy. Ten years later, he became part of an expedition to the South Pole led by CapL Robert F.

Scott. Shackleton was third lieutenant in charge of holds, stores, provisions and deep sea water analysis but Scott sent him home early. Roald Amundsen eventually claimed the South Pole for Norway on Dec. 14, 1911, followed a month later by the arrival of Scott, who died in a blizzard in March. By that time both poles had been reached by non-British explorers, so Shackleton set out in 1914 to claim the record for crossing the entire Antarctic continent Although he failed in his mission, and never received the same glory during his lifetime as other explorers did, his name eventually joined the list of legendary adventurers who became the heroes of their day primarily due to his leadership and determination.

When they returned to England, in May 1917, more than 30 members of his crew went on to serve with the British forces in World War II. But Shackleton, at 43, was too old to be conscripted. By 1920, bored with lecturing about the Endurance expedition, he decided to head south again. He bought a 125-ton ship in Norway and renamed her the Quest Aboard, he carried a seaplane, the first to be used in polar exploration. But the ship was not in good condition and neither was Shackleton, who was smoking and drinking too much.

At Rio de Janeiro, he had a heart attack but refused to be examined. By the time the Quest anchored outside the whaling station of Grytviken, South Georgia, on Jan. 4, 1922, it had been eight years since Shackleton had sailed up the same fjord in Endurance on his way to the Weddell Sea. The station manager he had met then welcomed him ashore, but shortly after midnight on Jan. 5, Shackleton died of a heart attack.

Emily Shackleton decided that her husband should be buried on South Georgia. His headstone is engraved with a line from poet Robert Browning: that a man should strive to the uttermost for his life prize." warm weather forced them into the lifeboats. They reached small, rocky Elephant Island on April 15, 1916, and survived by killing seals and penguins for food. Realizing the island was far from shipping lanes, Shackleton left with five men in a boat for an 800-mile trip to South Georgia Island. On arrival, he and two others New Zealander Frank Worsley, who had been captain of the Endurance, and Irish-born First Officer Tom Crean trekked over mountains, glaciers, crevasses and snowfields to the Stromness whaling station, arriving in late May 1916.

There, Shackleton arranged for the rescue of the men on the other side of the island, But reaching the others on Elephant Island was more daunting: Over more than three months, three rescue crews had to turn back. Finally, on Aug. 30, 1916, Shackleton, in a small fishing boat, broke through the ice. As he neared the island, he counted the figures on the beach and saw, after 17 months, that all were safe. Ernest H.

Shackleton was born on Feb. 15, 1874, in County Kil- Suzanne Simpson, executive producer of large format films for "Nova," managed the productions. For the IMAX film, she arranged for three noted mountaineers Reinhold Messner, Conrad Anker and Stephen Venables to cross South Georgia Island via Shackle-ton's route. "It took Shackleton 36 hours to cross South Georgia Island, and it took our men four days," said Apsell. "It was much harder than they thought.

A lot of the crevasses that were covered during Shackleton's time were bare because of global warming." And, she said, Messner broke his foot during the trip. Blessed with an optimistic and persuasive personality and mindful of his family motto (By Endurance, We Conquer), Shackleton did just that He endured. So did the 27 men he chose from among the 5,000 who had answered his ad in the Times of London: "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold.

Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success." To finance his expedition, Shackleton raised money, and sold film and photo rights and took along photographer Hurley. In the program, Shackleton's cousin Jonathan calls him "a charming, persistant beggar people took an instant liking to him." The men of the British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, as it was called, began their journey in 1914 as World War I was heating up in Europe.

At first, their ship, Endurance, was able to plow through the sea. But eventually it became trapped and then crushed by heaving ice at least 10 feet thick. The ship sank in November 1915. Crew members, who had abandoned the ship weeks earlier, were stranded on an ice floe they called Ocean Camp with five small tents, three wood lifeboats, sleeping bags and about 70 sled dogs, most of which they shot because they could no longer feed them. Three dogs survived the ordeal and were retired to the Wellington Zoo.

For five months, dependent on winds and currents, they drifted away from the continent until "Anytime things appear to be going better, you have overlooked'' something." Anonymous Bobby Wolff "Finally, a good result for us," offered a relieved West "Against a heart game you probably would have led a club, and we would have won no tricks. At spades, I had a normal diamond lead, and'! we took our three tricks. "Don't be so sure," cautioned East "The duplicate field will be in spades, your diamond lead is routine, and we did drop a trick." Had North played in hearts, it was unlikely that East 1 would have led a diamond. Even if he did lead his ace, West's deuce, would probably have solicited a club shift. So, defending against spades was preferable to defend- ing against hearts.

Against the spade game, West led his diamond king and continv ued with his low diamond whenIJ East signaled with his nine. East's ace won, and a diamond return netted the defenders the three tricks. What did West over--look that would have diminished" his euphoric view of his duplicate result? West overlooked the potential? of his trump 10. Since East was': marked with the diamond ace and several other diamonds, there was" no reason for West not to cash his queen before leading a third diamond. Had he done so, East would have led a fourth and Wesf trump 10 would have; become a winner (trump upper-' cut).

How would East have known his side wouldn't lose West's pos" sible club ace via a sluff and ruff? Had West held the club ace, itf would have been criminal for hiim not to cash it before leading the third diamond to East's ace. 1 Answer: Three no-trump. North promises about 17-18 HCP with a five-card heart suit There should be a decent play for game. Send bridge questions to The Aces, P.O. Box 831861, Richardson, TX 75083, enclosing a No.

10 self-addressed, stamped envelope for reply. Playing the hero, warts and all who "reached that awful isolation. That the price he paid the loneliness." Since Shakepeare's Richard is deformed physically and emotionally, Branagh says his is a very physical performance that nevertheless "gets at the interior life of the character, which Shakespeare implied." Then it's back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as Branagh plays Gilderoy Lock-hart, professor of defence against the dark arts and well-meaning charlatan, in the second "Harry Potter" film. Branagh who's used to shouldering Shackletonian responsibilities as writer-producer-director-star of any number of theatrically inspired films is delighted to be one of the "Harry Potter" gang. "(Director) Chris Columbus is a nice man, and they're lovely kids.

It's very friendly company." In the meantime, he says, you can find him at Sheffield's Crucible Theater, "limping away." "Shackleton had the remarkable ability to tell the truth and at the same time, offer hope." At the moment, Branagh is in the northern English city of Sheffield, where he's playing the title role in a soldout production of William Shakespeare's "Richard III" that marks the classically trained actor's first stage appearance in 10 years. "It was never my intention to be away that long," he says. "It's just that I did a lot of (film and TV) work that came out of my stage work, actually that I felt passionately about" Among the highlights of those years were his provocative, four-hour film of "Hamlet" (1996), which he directed and starred in, and his chilling turn as the charmingly malevolent Reinhard Heydrich in HBO's "Conspiracy" (2000), for which he won an Emmy Award and about whom Hamlet could say "that one can smile and smile and be a villain." Richard III has proved to be another of those beckoning leaders row 100 miles across tempest-tossed seas to Elephant Island; brave 100-foot-high waves in a daring 800-mile journey to South Georgia Island; and then trudge across the island's glacial mountains to the whaling station on the other side. When Shackleton finally arrives at that station a shell of a man but a man in essence it's hard not to be moved. The circumstances were grim.

They literally had no prospect of being rescued," Branagh says in a voice that is less tony and more intimate and accessible than the one he uses on stage and in film. "But he was of constant good cheer. He knew how to distract people. Shackleton's gift as a leader was that he had imagination about people, the ability to put himself in another person's shoes. And he led from the front" Sturridge puts it another way: ence." (Sturridge also notes that the Belfast-born, English-reared Branagh was at the time of filming the same age that the Irish-born, English-reared Shackleton was when he embarked on the expedition 40.) Branagh would have to call on all of his qualities during a five-week shoot on an ice shelf 1,000 miles long and 25 miles wide off the east coast of Greenland.

Living aboard the the Polar Bird, a Norwegian ice breaker, the cast and crew of 100 took comfort in modern conveniences that Shackleton and his men did not of course, have in the Antarctic. Still, Branagh says that he was "humbled at all times by the quickly changing weather, and I did get a sense of what Shackleton and his men endured." So will viewers as they watch Shackleton and his crew drag three lifeboats across a vast plain of ice, after the Endurance goes down; BRANAGH, from IE adoring mistress, Rosalind Chetwynd (Embeth Davidtz). a tribute to (writer-director) Charles Sturridge's script that it didn't become hagiography," Branagh says. "Even family members concede that he was not the best businessman in the world. Nor was he a faithful husband.

And there are those who say that preparations for his expedition tended to be speedy rather than thoughtful. But he was a warm-hearted man, with the ability to tell a story." Indeed, Shackleton's capacity for weaving words was a key to casting Branagh, Sturridge says. had to have someone who could use his voice, since Shackleton's ability to talk to his men was what turned the expedition around," says Sturridge, whose mastery of the miniseries includes the groundbreaking "Brideshead Revisited" and stirring "Longitude." "And I needed someone who could make that physical commitment It was a combination of voice, physicality, and rebelliousness, a spirit of independ EXPERIENCE THE MOST POWERFUL FILM OF THE SEASON. DENNIS QUAID THE ROOKIE 'A Scary, Exhilarating Thrill Ride!" Anthony C. Femlante, C1NE5CAPE MAGAZINE a vn im KirSlMST am smote: oti Vfc-'ff-A i MHHKMmiiim mamma Directly across from Palisades Center 10 am-1 2 am Everyday '301 Rt.

59, W. Nyack, NY (845) 353-0180 5P' REGAL CINEMAS NEW ROC CITY JS IMAX THEATRE SORORITY D0YS a. IMAX THEATRE 1 1 VIAXV AT PALISADES CENTER a i WEST NYACK 85 353-5555 MLKAOfl CINTH Grmp Um 843 333-3555 200 Fii, WW TW: lOon. 2, 5. SoS lOom I.

3, 9 Mon 8 Tu- lOom 2, 5 0 JJ It UUINI ITAt Ntvv Ktxntut (9U 576-57S7 Group Tict-h (914 632-2223 Dolly I loin. I. 3. S. 7 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS LOEWS-IMAJfTHEATRE AU WESTCHESTER SAW LOEWS IMAX THEATRE AT LINCOLN SQUARE BROADWAY 4 68TH ST.

Grotip TIclnH: 2I2 336-5025 FriSal: lOom, 3, 5:30, 7:45 Sun: lOom, 12. 3:15. 5:30, 7:45 LOEWS LINCOLN SQUARE MIU MULTIPLEX HAWTHORNE 747-2313 SI Mon: loom, 12:30, 5:30. 7:45 Ton: I0n, 12:15, 5:30, 7:45 VM: lOom, 5:30, 7:45 Tmk 10m. 2:15, 5:30, 7:45 MO PA88E8 HOHORED DURWO THIS ENOAOCMEMT TlCKKTS ON SALE NOW'! UNITED ARTHTI COflTLANOT STADIUM 11 MOHEGAN LAKE 777-f IUM KJS NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS CROSKOUNTY MULTIPLEX CINEMAS YONUItS 374-7100 CHESTER S1XPLEX CHESTER 4A9-S333 OESTWTA DESTINTA THEATRES NEW WINDSOR 12 -Wl NEW WINDSOR S69-0JG0 HOm CINEMAS FISHKIU CINEMAS 10 FISHKILL 194-1019 HOYTS CINEMAS GALLERIA FOUGHKEEftE 1971 It) IOEWJ THEATRES GALLERIA METROPLEX Mf MODLETOWN 1 NAIONAl AMUSFMfNTS OfrSSS-TtU.

HOYTS CINEMAS AIL WESTCHESTER UNITED AfTOT! JEFFERSON VALLEY JEFFERSON VAUiT 777-FLMM2S CLEAJMEW CINEMAS MAMARONECK PLAYHOUSE MAMAflONECK 777-fttJUMIO CLEAJMEW CINEMAS MT. KISCO CINEMAS MT. KISCO 777-FILM HE GAL CINEMAS NEW ROCCTTY II 4 IMAX Mf MILL MULTIPLEX CINEMAS HAWTHORNS 7477333 CLEAV1EW CINFMAS CENTRAL PLAZA 4 HVM CINEMAS 12 KINGSTON 334 1 FlOfflN-CWATTVl MALL OUAD MONTKELLO 794-2600 MOVTEPLEX CARMEL 221-1 ROOSEVELT HYDE AUK 229-2000 YUNKfcRi HIM 680 UNITED ARTISTS THEATRES CORTLANDT STADIUM 11 MGHEGAN LAKE 777HW 1535 CtEARWW CINEMAS wisrcHtsnn CARMEL MOV1EPLEX I RI 52 CAIMEt 229-1664 CHESTER 6 CINEMAS CHESTER 4695JJ3 HOYT8 CINEMA 12 GALLERIA MALL POUGMKEEPSIE 297-H6I HOYTS FISHKIU. CINEMA 10 FISHKIU 8974611 LOEWS GALLERIA METROPLEX MlCHXEIOWN 1-800-555-rEli HOYTS HUDSON VALLEY MALL Kingston 336-767 THE NEW WINDSOR 12 NEW WINDSO 569O300 ROOSEVELT CINEMA HYDE PARK 239 2000 NEW ftOCHEUC HH717 UNtTfD AfTTSTS UNITED ARTISTS' 4 JWfi rONKERS 777-FILM MOUNT KISCO WESTCHESTER ROCKLAND AHATCvL AMjVUTST MAtPf MULTI CINEMA Mf KISCO nim MM "VFGAi CINf MAS Mi THEATRES 4 CARMEL MOVIEPlEX 228-1 666 Clf ATivf ENT CHESTER ONEMA SIX movts cinemas corr RSHK-LLW 894-109 HOTS ONEMAS CORR GALLERIA ONEMAS 8 POUGrtRtfPSIE 297-1161 ROC CITY It DESTINTA THEATRES NEWWINOSORQ 569O300 FIORINTRfATW ORPHEUM SAUGfllifcS 2464561 ftORINOFATrVf ROOSEVaTOUAO HYDE PARK 229-2000 IOEWS THEATRES GALLERIA METROPLEX WA1KU I-B00-556-IEU HOT, CINEMAS COW. HUDSON VALLEY MALL KMGSTON 3364 1 II FIOHNOfATTVE LYCEUM ONEMAS RED HOOK 758-J3 1 i FtORINCREATTVf NEW PAL 17 TWIN 2554420 CONNECTICUT IMAX 33 li COUNT PLACE KOCHEUf 235-3737 LAFAYETTE sutfew.

JV-Wjo CifffCNfMA5 NEW CITY CINEMA 6 T77ftw wit UPSTATE CHESTER Hons CINEMA 12 GALLERIA NaT" i AMijSf Mf iwr1; ALL WESTCHESTER SAW MILL MULTIPLEX HAWTMONt 747-2133 UMfTTD AT'STS THfATtFS CORTLANDT STADIUM 11 AOMfGAN LAKE 777 iw 1535 NAT-l AMUSfMf CROSS COUNTY MUffliX ONEMAS TONHIS 376-7100 NAT't AMHWMfNTS GRHN6URGH MULTIPLEX ONEMAS 320 SAW Mill WVER RD 5921500 UN1TFD ARTISTS THEATRES JEFrtRSON VALlfY rORKtOWNHtlGHIS 771 'JKMIB25 EP5TEW AMERICAN THEATRE MJ-4900 GENERAL CINEMA BAY PLAZA COOPCfTT 777-TlLM M33 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS CONCOURSE PLAZA MULTIPLEX SU400 NATTONAL AMUSEMENTS WHTTE STONE MULTIPLEX 409-9030 LOEWS DANBURY coNNtcncrr KOCKLAND ALL WESTCHESTER SAWMIU MULTIPLEX CINEMAS catrvf cntiws CENTRAL PLAZA 4 ClfAJ-fW CM MAS CINEMA 100 QRUN0UMX W64U0 UWTL AflllStS CORTLANDT STADIUM WM.GHH LAM 777.FIM NATiQUAl AWISFMFNI TnrTRT CROSS-COUNTY MULTIPLEX CINEMAS VOMERS 3747100 UNHID MUSTS JEFFERSON VALLEY JEfHIS0 rtlLf nifiMHlS riFAVf rM mas MAMARONECK PLAYHOUSE HAMAf. mi vi mo MOUNT KISCO CINEMAS LOEWS DANBURY awjmi lA'FD TTs DARIEN STADIUM TWIN mmnH Cimbvitw GREENWICH TWIN nmu mt LANDMARK SQUARE STAMUMi jlQo C'-MI MARQUIS CINEMA 1UU1 xuioo NTirlAl MjyMNTS tEJHS SHOWCASE CINEMAS anwi-jiT twin TCWl SONO REGENT south no-mmk Mtnn hoyts wilton 4 to tinw BRONX CROWN "LANDMARK SQUARE I 324-3100 CROWN MARQUIS renuBiai MUVKI lOf WS THFAIRES DANBURY NAT'I AMUSEMENTS CROWN LANDMARK STAMFORD 324-JIOO CROWN MARQUIS TRUMBULL US-6S0I CROWN SONO REGENT SOUTH NORWALK 199-7979 LOEWS THEATWES DANBURY Mt DANBURY I0Q-SS4-TEU NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS SHOWCASE CINEMAS frlDGEPORT mOGEPOT 339-7171 ENTffTAINMENT ONEMAS STRATFORD 14 ITRATFOKD I -1000 XJfDMYj DltiTll AMERICAN THEATRES GfNFUAl CINEMA BAY PLAZA 777fl II NATONAI AMUSfMFNTS CONCOURSE PLAZA MULTIPLEX CINEMAS 5888800 NATION Ai AMUHMCNTS WHITE STONE MULTIPLEX CINEMAS" 4WW30 CIEARVIEW CINEMA5 NEW OTY ONEMAS 777JILM 17 IOEWS THE ATRF5 PALISAOES CENTER WE SI NYACK l-SOO-555-rEU CROWN ROY ALE 6 NQRWAl 846-8795 ENTTRTAINMFNT CINEMAS STRATFORD ONEMAS 3811000 HOTT5 CINFMAS CORP WILTON 4 WHTON 761-0767 MALL nJGHME(PSC 2S7U.I NT! PtANMf NT DDESTINTA'S NEW WINDSOR 12 MftWUDSO. 569(1 M0 HOYTS FISHKILL CINEMA 10 LOEWS GALLERIA METROPLEX WKnrJWl IT'inW A HOYTS KINGSTON MALL 3K41M LYCEUM CINEMAS Ma 131 1 MALL QUAD montcxuo 794.2100 MOVIE PLEX AT CARMEL NEW PALTZ QUAD own CIFARVtf OtEMAS MT. KISCO ONEMAS 777 fm t696 IfOAl CINEMAS NATION Al AMUHMtNTS FAIRFIELD ONEMAS AT DULLARD SQUARE FAfitlD3j97t5l OtOWN MA ROUS IliiMouii J6S4MK OtOWN MAJESTIC 5IA4WORU 323 1090 NEW ROC OTY 235-373? MONX 1 SHOWCASE M2 MIOGtPCrtT 339-7171 CROWN SONO REGENT SOUTH NOtWALK ,809 7979 Of fcXIT 16 Clf ARVTWCINfMAS ClEAVVffW ONFMAJ NEW OTY CINEMAS lOEWi TMfATffl tHUJMDES CENTO Htt WHT NYACK KKHSS-mi RYE ROOE ONEMAS SAY PLA2A mrm Hf GAl 'WWAS NEW ROC CITY 18 NfKKLL 2AVV PELHAM CROWN PLAZA GfNfRAl CINEMA RAY PLAZA 3203020 NAT'I AMJSF MFNT5 WHfTESTONE MULTVUX 4099030 LOEWS PAUSADES WESrTNVAOE l-K555Tftl IYEIOWN UNftTR ARTfSTS THEATRES i 1694030 I WCOIOIWOftMlXUOTTncmAX2PTtS trass gjr CINEMAS miM EH" i YONKERS 777-fHM 823 NO PASSES HONORED DURING THIS ENGAGEMENT SORSY, NO PASSES ACCEPTED FOR THIS.