White Thunder (DVD)

The story of Varick Frissell is one of the most tragic in the real-life history of Hollywood, made even more so by the early talent the filmmaker exhibited. Influenced by Robert Flaherty, a pioneer of documentary film and Frissell's mentor, Frissell had a vision for the future of documentary film; in pursuit of this vision, he approached Paramount with a project on Newfoundland seal hunters. The studio agreed to fund his film, impressed by the two previous documentaries he had made, THE LURE OF LABRADOR and THE SWILIN' RACKET; Frissell soon embarked on the SS Viking, manned by a large crew of seamen and production people, from the port of St. John, Newfoundland. Six days later, a freak explosion on the ship killed Frissell and 26 other crew members, and left the rest of the passengers stranded on the ice floes. This documentary of a Hollywood melodrama-turned-tragedy was directed by native Newfoundlander Victoria King; integrating vintage footage from the Viking with clips from Frissell's earlier films, WHITE THUNDER creates a testament to Varick's courage and filmmaking acumen, as well as a stunning portrait of the stark beauty of this isolated corner of the world.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseFull Frame - 1.33Additional Release Material: Films of Varick Frissell The Lure of Labrador (1926. 13 minutes), T The Swilin# Racket (a.k.a. The Great Arctic Seal Hunt. 1928. 40 minutes) The Viking (1931. 72 minutes.), Outtakes from The VikingText/Photo Gallery: Stills Gallery Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.