…and it was awesome. Yes, I know it’s been out a while, but I didn’t get to see it until now. Mr. Rilch hadn’t read the book, but I gave him a rundown, and he read the Wikipedia article, so he had an idea what to expect*.
Visually, it was top-notch. I almost wish I’d seen it in the winter, when I really needed the escape. Made a good point, without hitting the viewer over the head, that this was right after The War[sup]TM[/sup], and it was worth it just to be on the Pacific without getting shot at, and to land on a Polynesian island without the locals thinking you were going to shoot at them. And storywise, it was interesting too. I’d figured for years that it would be difficult if not impossible to make a film of this, because there’s no clear protagonist (it was Heyerdahl’s idea, but that didn’t make him the hero of it). But there was a clear conflict: man vs. nature. Sharks, storms, the fact that you can’t turn a raft around…and one thing that I still wonder about. How did these fair-skinned, midnight-sun Scandinavian guys survive 101 days at sea without sunblock? I can’t believe not one of them got sun poisoning!
Anyway, I recommend it to anyone who wants to see it when the DVD comes out. And now I want to see the original documentary, which I never have. Maybe that will be an extra on the DVD, or perhaps it’s already on disc. (I’m told that the footage under the closing credits is a recreation of shots from the docu, so at least there’s that.)
*Funny thing: The plan originally was that we would see Kon-Tiki together, then the next day, he would see Man of Steel alone, and when he went back for a second viewing of MoS, I would accompany him. Now he’s not going to see MoS a second time, and doesn’t recommend that I see it either.
I’m still hoping it’ll eventually get some sort of cinema release in the UK… I read the book several times as a child, and went to the Kon Tiki museum to see the raft when I visited Olso.
Is there a new film based on Heyerdahl’s book? I hadn’t heard about this.
There’s an actual film of the real Kon-Tiki voyage. It’s not long, and it’s black and white, and it’s been round for ages.
But this sounds like you’re describing something new. Quick Google shows there is, and it came out last year. I’m clearly behind the times. Kon-Tiki (2012) - IMDb
There’s a TV movie of the same name from 1971, but it doesn’t look like it’s about Norwegians on a raft.
Unless the film says they didn’t use any chemicals, why couldn’t they?
If you’re an outdoorsy type, and increase your exposure gradually over a season, you can eventually stay out in the sun for a long time. Getting tanned protects against burning. I’m pretty fair-haired myself, and I hate chemicals on my skin, but if I don’t try to cheat Mother Nature, I can stay on a boat all day without getting burned by the time the end of summer rolls around. Granted, the UV exposure in Wisconsin isn’t as great as near the equator, but I see no reason why the principle isn’t valid.
If you enjoyed Heyerdahl’s adventure, I suggest reading an earlier book, Fatu-Hiva, about his back-to-nature experiment. He and his wife spent their honeymoon (!) deliberately marooned on an island.
And, best of all, read Aku-Aku, about his 18 month anthropological visit to Easter Island. He probably did more to advance anthropological knowledge of Rapa Nui than anyone else before or since. Just keep in mind that Thor’s theories that Polynesia was settled from the East, not the West, weren’t the mainstream thought then and aren’t now, even though he proved that it was possible logistically.
I saw that one as a child in the fifties and i have on occasion said Hullo to Bengt Danielsson, the only non-Norwegian on board as we grew up at the same place in the middle of nowhere one generation apart.
I wanted to see this movie in the theater but never had the chance. I’m glad to know it was good. I read the book a few years ago and saw the original movie which was good too. The original movie should still be on Netflix as that’s how I saw it. I think we need more crazy adventurers like him around.
It’s been in limited release here and there in the US since it was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language category earlier this year. I missed it when it played Chicago and I’m still upset about it. I really wanted to see it on the big screen.
Great review Rilchiam! Just wanted you and everyone who reads your review the original KON TIKI is on dvd and streaming at amazon.com. Enjoy! Janson Media is the distributor of the original KON TIKI
(MOD NOTE: The above posted with prior permission. Although we don’t normally allow commercial promotion, the availability of the original film on DVD was relevant to the thread. I deleted an unnecessary bit of salesmanship.)
Kon-Tiki, book and documentary, helped send me down the path to my completely-useless Archaeology degree. Any salesmanship, beyond, “Here it is! Come and get it,” would seem unnecessary, at least to old farts like us.
