Antártica

There are few movies that really strike you. This is one of them. If you have a heart, then there's no way you can avoid feeling, crying and loving this movie. This year Walt Disney released a new version of it, Eight Below, which I will see this week - and obviously, i will compare!!! But out of all the movies I saw in my childhood, this one is in the top-10... it grabs you and stays in your mind for ever! I don't know yet about the American version, but this Japanese original was so so so good! As you follow the tough life of this bunch of lovely dogs, you experience fear, happiness, sadness, love... the whole thing. As they fight for life in this harsh environment, you also get to appreciate the scenery. They are not all making it though, and you cry and cry and cry... You want to help so much, it brings out all the best in you... A MUST SEE! I am upset there's never been any video/DVD release of that movie, it's a masterpiece! All movies involving cute animals are winners, but this one is really striking and you will never forget it. In a different context, other great and moving movies include L'Ours (France) i.e. The Bear, and Deux Frères (France) i.e. Two Brothers. The later made me cry even more than Antarctica. These two movies really hurt, it's unfair what's happening and you get really sad. But it's so beautiful as well. I hope that Eight Below won't be a crap too-americanised remake. I wish Antarctica was just available, it's not at all and it's a shame that the World can't see it.

When I saw this movie I was really impressed and very very touched, I got a very deep thinking mood, in short words it is an outstanding film. If you liked The Bear or any wild life movie, you will like this one.

I like stories about the Everest, the South Pole, so this movie click on me, but it is not the usual gringo-adventure-survival, it has a very deep force. Vangelis take care of the music, I think it is a good therapy for anyone having a big challenge.

The struggle of the great conquers of ice, like the South Pole or big mountains, every thing is on this movie: friendship, union, faith. The fact that the main actors are the dogs may distract anyone.

I will recommend highly this movie. In fact, I want to got this movie, anyone has a clue where is it sold or download?

I've watched this movie when I was 9 with my classmates. I remember everyone cried when going out the theater... I've watched it again some years later, and I must confess that this is unique movie, with no real equivalent. It's not really a movie, not really a documentary on how several dogs try to escape from Antartica where they've been accidentaly abandonned by a scientific expedition. This movie is highly tragic because very few of them will survive. You don't see them really die on the screen, you just see them *disappear* when their fate is sealed with death, only their name and age is displayed. And that's what makes this movie so moving, and so clever in the narration.

Last but not least : the outstanding continous score is written by Vangelis and is perfect in it's cold/warm synthetizers mood.

I really recommend everyone to see this movie, it's a unique experience, and then buy the score to remember the magnificient pictures and landscapes. Perhaps it's too dark for a child, otherwise you will have to buy him a husky dog puppet to avoid continuous cries and nightmares...

I am not a Disneyesque movie fan about animals and rather preferred seeing the standard top box office movies instead until my girl friend wanted to see Nankyoku Monogatari movie in 1983. We went and I didn't expect much until I saw it. It was more than I could take emotionally as the memories and love I had for my own dogs in the past came pouring out. Truly a great piece of work. I tried to find the movie at BlockBuster but to no avail.

A post script: I visited Sapporo, Hokkaido back in 1994 on a business trip. Over the weekend with nothing to do I took a taxi to the Hokkaido Agricultural Museum. Lo and behold, there was Taro in the place of honor who had been stuffed. How regal he looked. I didn't recall seeing Jiro there but learned later that he is along side of another famous Japanese dog, Hachiko, at the National Science Museum in Tokyo. Anyway, seeing Taro made my day.

I know many people only watch movies with lots of special effects or big-name stars, but -Antarctica- must not be overlooked. It's based on a true story; the setting is terrific; and the dogs play their "roles" just as well as the human actors. Kids can watch it without their parents worrying about the content (tho' I'll warn you, some of the dogs *do* die, which may upset youngsters); students interested in Japanese or simply "artsy" films can see it too...in short, anyone can watch it! (Except for the unfortunate few who prefer sex-violence-profanity...too bad for *them*.)