| The Secret Land | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Written by | Harvey S. Haislip William C. Park |
| Produced by | Orville O. Dull |
| Narrated by | Robert Montgomery Robert Taylor Van Heflin |
| Cinematography | Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Army cameramen |
| Edited by | Fredrick Y. Smith |
| Music by | Bronislau Kaper |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 71 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $216,000[1] |
| Box office | $576,000[1] |
The Secret Land is a feature-length 1948documentary film about theUnited States Navy expedition code-named "Operation Highjump" toAntarctica in 1946.[2] The film, which was shot entirely by USN and US Army military photographers, focuses on the mission to explore the polar region and evaluate its potential for military operations.
The Secret Land was narrated by actorsRobert Taylor,Robert Montgomery, andVan Heflin, and produced byOrville O. Dull. It won the 1948Oscar forBest Documentary Feature.[3][4]
The film re-enacts scenes from several critical moments during the operation, such as shipboard damage control and Rear AdmiralRichard E. Byrd throwing items out of an airplane to lighten it to avoid crashing when one of its engines failed and the other began to falter under the excess load. Another scene features Chief of Naval Operations Fleet AdmiralChester W. Nimitz discussing Operation Highjump with admiralsRichard E. Byrd andRichard H. Cruzen prior to their departure. Also depicted are the rescue of a crew of a crashed aircraft and the discovery of anAntarctic oasis of bare ground and ice-free fresh water lakes atop a thermal bulge deep inland.
The film earned $395,000 in the US and Canada and $181,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $10,000.[1]
The Secret Land won theBest Documentary Feature oscar at the21st Academy Awards in 1948.