Antarctica

I saw the movie on TV in the late 80's when I was living in Japan and it has always stayed with me. One reason is that my friend, Karla, said it was from Alaska. This was not logical to me because the harnesses on the sleds were "Eastern Arctic", not Western Arctic. The Eastern Arctic harness is like a fan, the Western Arctic/Alaskan style is the straight line with two dogs running side by side with a lead dog.

Another reason is that I adore dogs, and had always asked my father to bring back a Canadian Eskimo Dog (a specific breed) when he traveled north to the Arctic (He refused).

And, finally, the cinematography is beautiful. It was a perfect movie to watch with my limited (almost non-existent) Japanese! The images of the landscape have haunted me since that night in Tokushima in 1987.

I must of been 10 or 11yrs old when I saw this movie.I cried so much, my parents couldn't console me. I have never been affected in such a way by an "animal movie." Nankyoku did an excellent job telling the story from the dog's perspective. You form an attachment to the dogs right away. The cinematography places you right in the heart of an icy wonderland. At first you think this is just some movie about 2 explorers/scientist doing some kind of research. Next thing you know, they're done and off they go and leave the dogs behind and it turns into a fight for survival. The score to this movie pulls at your heart strings and you can't help but "feel" the desolation and hopelessness. I really recommend this movie, but make sure you have tissue ready.

I accidently stumbled upon this movie and was immediately ensconced in its story line, scenery and cast of characters (primarily the dogs). The subtitles did not distract from the films Japanese dialogue. This semi-documentary style added authenticity to the fact based plot. The human actors may have been the catalyst for this poignant retelling, but the dogs were indeed the glue that held this film together. Given the fact that most of the sets were filmed on location, the dogs performed exceptionally well and held this viewer fast.

The misadventures that the dogs endured during their separation from their owners were deeply touching and powerful. One would have to have ice water flowing through one's veins to be unmoved from this film. Although hard to find, I heartily recommend the movie for age groups of 12 or older. The violence is implied rather than portrayed but none-the-less quite intense.

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?