They Said It Couldn't Be Done: Kingdom of the Ice Bear: The Frozen Ocean
(1999)
The second of seven programmes celebrating pioneering natural history documentaries, They Said It Couldn't Be Done: Kingdom Of The Ice Bear: The Frozen Ocean explores the challenges of filming this groundbreaking series in the hostile Arctic environment.
In front of an audience at the Royal Geographical Society, award-winning producer Mike Salisbury chats openly to David Attenborough about the difficulties encountered by both him and his companion, cameraman Hugh Miles, as they set up camp in their testing frozen medium.
An enlightening glimpse into life in one of the Earth's last great wildernesses, Mike set out to record aspects of the polar bear's life never captured on film before. Offering an insight into the challenges they faced, Mike provides a frank and entertaining account of their attempts to film young cubs emerging from their snow dens for the first time.
Winning a Wildscreen Award for camerawork in 1986, Kingdom of the Ice Bear: The Frozen Ocean received international acclaim for its intimate portrayal of life in a land of relentless ice and intense cold. Followed by a repeat screening of the film, They Said It Couldn't Be Done: Kingdom Of The Ice Bear: The Frozen Ocean offers an intriguing glimpse into the trials and tribulations involved in wildlife cinematography.
Mike Salisbury
