Kingdom of the Ice Bear: The Frozen Ocean
(1985)
First in a three part series examining Arctic ecology, The Frozen Ocean focuses on the spring to summer months, providing an intimate portrayal of life in a land of relentless ice and intense cold.
Award-winning cameraman Hugh Miles and renowned BBC producer Mike Salisbury journeyed into the heart of the frozen Arctic, undertaking sixteen separate expeditions to complete this epic series. Their stunning cinematography includes impressive underwater footage of majestic beluga whales, whilst on land polar bears hunt, Arctic foxes furiously enlarge their burrows and gulls circle overhead.
Exploring all aspects of Arctic life, the production includes behaviour never caught on film before, as barnacle geese chicks leave their nests on high ledges and cascade a hundred feet into the treacherous depths below and polar bear cubs emerge from their snow dens.
A perceptive and insightful piece, the production brings environmental issues and future threats to the forefront. Hugh Miles described it as an opportunity to “air some of the problems” and give “a broader picture of what the Arctic was all about.” Beautifully filmed, The Frozen Ocean is an enlightening glimpse into life in one of Earth’s last great wildernesses.
Winner of the 1986 Wildscreen Film Festival award for "Camera"
They Said It Couldn't Be Done: Kingdom of the Ice Bear: The Frozen Ocean (1999)
Hugh Miles
