Men Against the Ice

Arctic IV is a fascinating document of extraordinary efforts to penetrate beyond the known frontiers of science. These efforts involve chipping through six feet or more of ice, then jumping into the frigid, watery depths at the North Pole and at Resolute Bay. In the unbroken daylight of an Arctic spring, film cameras follow Dr. Joseph MacInnis, a specialist in underwater medicine, and his scientific crew as they probe, explore, and test the polar depths. Oil, these divers prove, can penetrate the ice from below and accelerate the melting on the surface. They also find dead spots in the ocean, and identify the chemical defoliants used in far-off Vietnam in samples taken during the dives. Arctic IV is an exciting, eyewitness view of what it is like to explore the unknown world beneath the Arctic ice.

The record of an expedition by four scientists and their Indigenous guides into the unmapped wilderness of the Ungava Peninsula. Crossing this territory in large canoes, they collect samples of Arctic flora and rocks at each stop, take readings of soil temperature, and record the correct bearings for rivers and lakes en route. The keen excitement of opening a new chapter in Canadian exploration is evident throughout the film.

Filmed on the great Mackenzie River, this picture recreates the amazing voyage of the man who gave his name to it. His arduous journey by canoe all the way to the salt water of the Arctic Ocean is one of the great epics of northern exploration. This film follows the path outlined in Mackenzie's journal.