Customer Reviews

Kon Tiki [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have just finished viewing the 1997 commemorative edition (Janson Associates, NJ) of this 1952 Academy Award for Best Documentary. It is 58 minutes of actual black and white footage taken by the crew of the Kon-Tiki. Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian biologist, had suspected that the South Sea Islands had been settled by an ancient race from thousands of miles to the east. He knew that the trade winds and ocean currents off the South-American coastline bear in the direction of Polynesia. The film shows how his team harvested balsa from Quito, took these huge logs to Peru and built a raft according to the traditions of pre-Columbian S.A. Indians. There are no nails on this craft; everything is tied by rope. Heyerdahl's team embarked on a 101 day of ocean voyage, often surrounded by sharks, sometimes whales so close they could look down their blow holes. How and what they ate and how they charted their journey is fascinating. The trip almost ends in disaster because of the coral reefs surrounding the Polynesian islands when they finally encounter land. It is a gripping and informative documentary and worth the Academy award.

Another Image Entertainment release, another disappointment.

From the fact that there is no menu...and no extras...to the fact that this is not the complete original release (this is the edited television release), this is yet another loser from Image Entertainment.

The original release is 78 minutes long, and has different opening and closing credits.

As for the movie...it is interesting for one viewing, but the poor quality of the pictures (not up to the standards of Thor's later movie "RA Expeditions") make it unlikely you will want to see it more than once.

My suggestion...stick with the book.

Thor Heyerdahl's "Kon-Tiki" was one of my favourite childhood
books. I read it many times (every time I had to stay in bed
because of sickness) and always was glad to come back, sit on
that bamboo deck and watch the Pacific waves. There was something
truly magical for me in an idea of that slow ocean-crossing to
Polynesia. Now - 25years after I last read the book I had a
chance to watch DVD. It speaks to me the same way book did.
It is very low-tech, grainy black and white far below any modern
standards for nature cinematography. But it has same spirit the
book had - optimism, perserverence and love and respect for
nature. I recommend that DVD to anybody that read the book.

In 1947 Norwegian biologist Thor Heyerdahl and five crew members embarked on a 4,300 mile expedition across the Pacific Ocean from Peru to Polynesia by raft. Ridiculed by the scientific establishment, Heyerdahl wanted to duplicate the legendary voyage of an ancient race of settlers led by the mythical hero Kon-Tiki. The expedition attracted worldwide attention as one of the most daring feats of its day. Heyerdahl's story was told first in his book and then in this 1950 Oscar-winning Documentary Feature directed by Olle Nordemar. The story of "Kon-Tiki" is half Lindberg crossing the Atlantic and half Schleimann discovering Troy, since it has inspired not only other perilous voyages but archeological investigation. This might be black-and-white photography, but "Kon-Tinki" is still an exciting documentary record of an epic journey.

Did the Polynesian Islands get seeded by men from South America? That might be tough to say based on this 1951 Academy Award winning documentary by biologist Thor Heyerdahl. But this is exactly what Thor and several other men try to prove by building a raft in Peru and drifting/sailing into the Pacific Ocean.

The film is interesting if very dated. The cartoonish depictions of the world map and their travels were often hard to watch, reminding me of some kid's crayon drawing scrawling across the screen, but informative in a kind of regressive nature.

The more interesting aspects of this 58-minute documentary were how involved the world was in the Kon-Tiki expedition (Ham radio operators were listening around the world), and some of the strange and new discoveries of fish species during their voyage.

But lost to me were the difficulties of the journey. More film time was spent describing the rigors of gathering the rare cork-like wood for their raft than was given to their actual struggles out on the water.

Once we're on the Pacific Ocean with them, we also feel that this is some sort of simple trip, as if they're just trolling around a lagoon (felt kind of Gilligan's Islandish). But this was also a bizarre strength for the film. In today's (2005) reality TV world, every bug bite that some contestant on Survivor receives is broadcast as if a limb were amputated, but here the men seemed minimally interested in the sharks following them and when their cooking facilities nearly burn up.

Scientifically, though, I think this documentary is a serious flop. The initial idea was to prove that the peopling of the Pacific Islands came about by ancient mariners from South America. Although I still believe this is true, doing it in 1946 with a sextant, cooking stove, experimental military food supplies, and other modern conveniences didn't set well in my analytical mind.

Final summation: watch it once if you're a film history buff. If not, stick with the book.

This DVD doesn't even have a menu. Soon as you put it in it just starts playing and when you do hit the menu button it just goes to the chapter listing. How cheap.

The documentary itself about Thor Heyerdahl and his crew sailing a large raft 5,000 miles from South America to the Polynesian Islands is interesting but surprisingly tiresome - I felt like I was watching somebody's vacation videos. You would think actual footage of people sailing a handmade raft the equivalent of San Francisco to Iceland in open water would be very exciting, but Thor's narration is so flat he sucks the energy right out of the remarkable images on the screen.

Worth watching for historical value.

The story of the Kon-Tiki was a vague memory from High School days. I remember reading the book, but back then, it seemed dull and boring. The film of this voyage in the new DVD format revived the old memories and brought to me a greater appreciation of the story.
The film is pretty much a hand held 8mm or 16mm adventure filmed by the author during the trip. But it certaintly did contain the romantic ingredients for a great adventure. I came away envious of the six crewmen who took the 3 month voyage across the pacific guided only by the winds and currents and a specualtive theory that this was the way that the ancient Polyneisans made their made to the Central pacific islands.
For all of its old documentary baggage it was surprisingly entertaining and interesting. I would recommend this to anyone who ever thought of taking a long ocean voyage.

The Kon-Tiki raft expedition of 1947 was one of the greatest adventures ever filmed. I hadn't seen it in many years and was reminded of the odyssey when the death of its one remaining member occurred recently.

The film that survived the trip was edited and released as a documentary film in 1951 in the wake of the success of the book, "Kon-Tiki" by Thor Heyerdahl. It was good enough to win an academy award.

Read the book, then see the movie if you can get a copy.

Kon-Tiki, Kon-Tiki, oh so soft and cuddley, as was this man, in his little reed raft. Yes Madames and Messieurs, I Ratmouse am here to endorse this DVD and Thor Heyerdahl's kind humanist persona, as well as this great mission he undertook in his little raft from South America to Polynesia, as is documentented in this DVD. He made this journey in an effort to prove his theory that the Polynesians migrated from South America. While this postulate is still controversial- Thor proved here that it was entirely possible. O Kon-Tiki, Kon-Tiki, oh so soft and cuddley, because it was made of reeds, piloted a Captian of steel, with the kindest, gentlest nature on Earth. We all will miss you, sweet Thor Heyerdahl.