导演 |Fritz Baumann

年份 |1999

地区 |德国

语言 |英语

片长 |51分钟

色彩 |彩色

电影介绍

在Fritz Baumann制作的这一部分，聚焦于令人毛骨悚然的一次寻找，寻找西伯利亚和美洲大陆之间的陆桥。追寻着白令船长的足迹，他受命于沙皇的探险深入西伯利亚腹地，是历史上最大的一次探险活动。纪录片试图回顾这次惊悸的冒险，去发现阿拉斯加征服的历史。片子更展示了现今这篇迷人的地域。

影片评价

迷人的冰雪，英雄勇气和冒险精神，这个四部分的纪录片系列“北方咒语”，第一次出现在1999年一月份的德国国家电视台(ZDF），带领观众进入戏剧魔幻般的冰雪世界并展现了令人窒息的北极美景。

160天的艰苦摄制足以引起观众敬畏，摄制人员经历了格林兰、加拿大、阿拉斯加和西伯利亚，可以想见，他们在摄氏零下50度以下的环境中是如何的工作，最终他们成功展示出迷人的“北方咒语”。

另外，它还回顾了这个地区250年的探险史，提供了非常有趣而深入的视野去眺望这个地球最偏远角落今天的生活。

这四个部分分别是1.冰雪巨人（GIANT OF ICE AN SNOW）；2.死亡迷宫（LABYRINTH OF DEATH）；3.向着阿拉斯加（To Alaska)；4.恐惧路途（PASSAGE OF FEAR)

以下英文资料涉及这里的第三部分To Alaska

The third segment in the documentary Spell of the North describes the "rush to Alaska". In this film by Fritz Baumann the focus is on the hair-raising search for a land bridge between Siberia and America. In tracing the route of Captain Vitus Bering, whose thrust across Siberia on the orders of the Czar became the largest expedition in history, the documentary captures the thrilling adventure, the discovery, and the conquest of Alaska up the present day. The film also captures the raw beauty and fascination of this seemingly endless landscape.

In the early 18th century it was still a mystery whether or not the extreme northeastern edge of Asia was connected to America by a land bridge. Czar Peter the Great delegated the task of finding out to the Danish seafarer Vitus Bering - the "Czar's Columbus". In the course of a gigantic expedition, Bering discovered Alaska - "the big land" - as the natives called it. He was responsible for opening this vast stretch of land to Russian traders and hunters. However, they made slaves of the Aleuts and forced them mercilessly to hunt the sought-after otter pelts.

As profits declined, the Czar sold Alaska to the United States. What several U.S. Senators had originally referred to as the "most expensive refrigerator in the world" suddenly became the center of attention once the news of spectacular discoveries of gold made the rounds. Since then in Alaska, one "rush" after another has swooped down on this land of superlatives - after the gold rush, it was copper; then copper was followed by lumber, and lumber by oil.

Today, the oil arteries of the Alaska pipeline transport crude worth 40 million dollars - every day. But oil has also become a curse for Alaska. The supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in 1989 ravaging the sea and coastline where Vitus Bering had gone ashore 250 year earlier. The oil spill was the largest in U.S., history.

This segment of the documentary concludes with the varying perspectives of the Eskimos in Alaska and their Siberian neighbors on the other side of the Bering Strait. Because Moscow has more or less ignored the people of northeastern Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the groups there are rediscovering their traditional culture and survival techniques. In Alaska, on the other hand, the Eskimos continue to evolve away from their old traditions, because oil and money have changed the way they live.