Passage (2008)

Passage: Directed by John Walker. With David Acton, Geraldine Alexander, Andrew Alston, Nigel Bennett.

“In 1845, the British send John Franklin with two ships and three years supply on a well-equipped expedition to find the Northwest Passage in the Artic but the group disappears. Franklinu0026#39;s wife eventually convinces the Admiralty to offer a £20,000 reward. She even pursues spirits and psychics. In 1854, John Rae (Rick Roberts) of the Hudsonu0026#39;s Bay Company discovers Eskimo tales of the lost Franklin expedition having resorted to cannibalism. Many including Lady Franklin with help from Charles Dickens fought against the leaked report condemning Rae to ignominy and elevating Franklin as the hero adventurer who discovered the Passage.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is a documentary about John Rae starting with his life and departure from Orkney. Rick Roberts studies his life in Orkney and then travels to Canadau0026#39;s north to see the Inuit ways. Director John Walker and his actors are working on recreating scenes of the story. Itu0026#39;s part documentary and part actorsu0026#39; workshop. Itu0026#39;s an usual way to do a documentary and some of it feels unnecessarily stretched out. There is a weird combative section where former Naval officer and historian Coleman claims the Franklin expedition was slaughtered by natives. The Charles Dickens part is the big discovery. This is educational about a little known aspect of the famous historical event.”