Representation In Frank Hurley: The Man Who Made History

Explore how the concept of discovery is represented in Frank Hurley -the Man who Made History + two self selected texts

Discoveries can embody experiences of uncovering the unknown for the first time, which can often broaden and question the knowledge that we already own, as well as challenge the values we possess. In Simon Nasht’s documentary “Frank Hurley: The Man Who Made History (2004),” Hurley captures images on expeditions such as the Douglas Mawson and the Ernest Shackleton which allowed him to illustrate the beauty of nature as well as to display the harsh reality he faced when trying to capture these images. On the other hand, Robert Frost’s poem, “Road Not Taken” (1920) is metaphorical for the decisions individuals are faced with

Through several media, different notions of discovery have been explored.

The impact of discovering something for the first time can often broaden our understanding and lead to new innovations. In Simon Nasht’s documentary; Frank Hurley: The Man Who Made History, Hurley spent most of his life trying to capture the beauty of nature as well as capture photos of war to create emotion and illustrate the hardships that was experienced in WWI and WWII. Representations of discovery can vary one’s understanding of the physical aspects encountered in the process of discovering and this has been portrayed through the montage in the early scenes of the documentary. The combination of archival footage with non-diegetic

In the opening scenes, as the two protagonists say goodbye to their family, they throw their phones out of the window with triumphant music being accompanied by. This suggests that they are finally escaping their everyday life where it is heavily consumed by the technology that surrounds them. A bird’s angle through a long shot of the protagonists by the shore has been used to create a sense of futility, thus highlighting that there is no time limit constraining them. A series of videos of them building their house out of debris highlights their creative inventions. Their creativity is portrayed with their idea of using plastic water bottles as insulation, thus symbolizing that discovering something for the first time can broaden one’s understanding. This highlights the impact of discoveries to being able to escape from the norm and allowing the human mind to explore without limitation within a limited environment and thus grow through which has been exemplified through the manipulation of photos and camera