“Herbert Ponting (1870-1935) begins his career as photographer around the turn of the century; before that he was a gold miner in the States. Because of his evident sensibility for “classical” compositions and his patience he obtained many praises for his activity as photographer, and he was also called to record the Russian-Japanese war and the war between USA and Spain in the Philippines. The influence that photography produced in his work as film cameraman is evident: very often his images – his “moving images” – are somehow static. His name as official photographer is also connected with the most dramatic of the South Pole expedtions: the british expedition by Captain Scott (1910-1913). When Scott wrote his last words on his journal – before disappearing in the Pole together with his crew – Ponting had already left for England. Using the material filmed in Antarctica, many films were produced; the most famous was The Great White Silence, meant to be exploited in the regular film distribution. The 1933 sound version of the film was enriched by the commentary of Ponting himself, still deeply moved by his experiences of 20 years before”. (Peter Delpeut)