Blamblog - Brett Lamb's Blog

Monday, February 20, 2006

Icebreaker - Television Premiere

on CBC NEWS: THE LENS
Tuesday February 21 at 10pm
repeating Saturday February 25 at 10pm on CBC Newsworld

Jody Shapiro (pictured, left) and Dave Best's documentary, Icebreaker, premiered at Hot Docs 2005 and is being broadcast tomorrow tonight on CBC.

And the reviews are in:

The Toronto Star called it the pick of the day:

"Directors Jody Shapiro and David Best beautifully capture the loneliness of the expedition, its voyage through tranquil waters piled high with ice. One cadet, Jennifer, has never been so nervous when the grinding starts. But the captain has the whole voyage in his mind's eye, it's his resolution that will get the Henry Larsen there and back. Hours stretch into days into weeks and what emerges is a kind of elegiac poetry of the rhythms of the sea and the determination of this tiny crew."

[ above ] Neil and Dave at Hot Docs' Opening Night.

It was also the Globe's Pick:

"Jody Shapiro and David Best have created a captivating portrait of a mariner's life including an archaic bit of nautical upstairs/downstairs as the officers never dine or socialize with the crew. And while there's at least one real character among the first-timers and old hands on the lower decks, it's the rarely seen coastlines and vast seascape that best convey the allure and isolation of a life at sea."

[ above] Everybody at the April premiere.

And finally, Metro News gave it a 4/5:

"Ice Breaker is art all on its own, an immersive look at the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Henry Larsen as it makes a six-week trip from Newfoundland to the North Pole."

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