Kon-Tiki [DVD]

amazing story
How fortunate that these nordic fellows survived, along with their footage. Such an incredible demonstration of bravery, skill & ingenuity. Demonstrates that ancient ancestors had the means to travel across the sea to occupy new continents.

THE REAL THING
After watching the 2012 theatrical film KON-TIKI, I wanted to view the real thing. Thor Heyerdahl’s journey on a balsa raft across the unforgiving Pacific Ocean was a remarkable feat of courage. Heyerdahl proposed that the Polynesian Islands in the Pacific could have been populated by South Americans rather than by Asians, which was the accepted fact of the day. After 101 days and 4,300 nautical miles on a bolsa raft, he and his 5 fellow adventurers proved without a doubt that a raft leaving Peru could, in fact, could reach the Polynesian Islands. In fact, it was amazingly easy and far from impossible as he had been told.The original Heyerdahl documentary is a complete step back in time. Although the recent theatrical version dramatized some facts, it did follow the real story closely. The theatrical movie had the advantage of filmmaking techniques and all the possible safety factors. Heyerdahl and his men were pioneers on so many levels. They brought along a movie camera to film their adventures. This was long before reality TV so it is amazing they men thought to document their story alone and without a film crew or safety features. These men did everything and took all the risks. Obviously, pieces are missing in the story and are filled-in by the narrator. The ocean seems peaceful but there was a 5 day storm where no filming was done. The original Kon-Tiki is more authentic than any Hollywood creation. These men lived this adventure and surprisingly did quite well on the journey.The version I watched is from Janson Media. It does have a menu with some bonus features to enjoy. I know Heyerdahl and his team filmed in black and white under harsh conditions, so I don’t know if the film could have been enhanced for clarity. Again, this was 1947 and people weren’t making documentaries on the high seas. The men were filming under harsh conditions and without today’s high-tech cameras. A few rolls of completed film were destroyed by the environment.The final documentary may be technically crude by our modern sensibilities but it is truly amazing. It does seem like more effort could have been used in the graphics and maps that explain the journey. The opening information scroll at the beginning is barely readable with the Kon-Tiki figure background. Keep the authenticity of the footage but it would be good to enhance the non-documentary footage.Nothing beats the original KON-TIKI. Here is the amazing story of how 6 men crossed the Pacific on a raft. It is a no frills story. The drama was built in and there is amazing footage of sea creatures who followed the raft. It is realism at its best. The crew risked their lives to board a rubber dinghy (a bit of modern technology that did not affect the raft). Attached to a rope, the dinghy was prevented from drifting off in the ocean and views of the Kon-Tiki could be filmed from a distance. Amazing on all levels. No Hollywood crew or safety features. Here is the real and amazing adventure. Remember this adventure was filmed in 1947 long before all the technical advances of Hollywood and visual effects. Allow yourself to enjoy the “real” thing. It is truly amazing.

Authentic sea thriller
This movie does a fine job of reenacting this adventure. There is one moment that I did not like at all, but they pulled away from that so that I could enjoy this movie.

Heyerdahl is an excellent story-teller. I found the book difficult to put …
Amazingly, I had never heard of the Kontiki until I bought a “Kontiki” watch and decided to read more about the Heyerdahl expedition, where he and his crew supposedly wore Eterna watches, who made the tribute watch years later to commemorate the expedition.Heyerdahl is an excellent story-teller. I found the book difficult to put down, as he describes the 101-day 4000+ miles expedition with great detail and even whimsy. He writes with a sense of wonder, almost child-like. The culminating event is when the raft named the “Kontiki” is approaching one of the islands in the Polynesian chain, but their approach becomes life-threatening due to the treacherous reefs around the island.He writes as an ethnographer and anthropologist with great respect for the people who are the subject of his writing. By building and navigating a raft built to the specifications of South American Indians he argued made the trip thousands of years earlier, he proved that they may have been able to navigate that distance and populate the islands. While his theory was not necessarily proven, he did prove that the trip could have been made. All six of the crew returned safely.

Pude ver la película y paralelamente compre el documental ya que las críticas eran buenas y me sorprendió que la película fuera tan pareja como el documental.Mientras en la película se aprecia, calidad e imagen, datos y tecnología que se aplica y creo que ello le quita un poco de valor a la realidad de cómo vivieron y los medios de los que disponían (yo hubiera usado el blanco y negro para rodarla) en el documental se puede conocer estas dificultades y valorar con más causa el espíritu de todos sus componentes.Recomiendo su compra como documento y para tenerla en un futuro.

in my collection!!!!