This is the classic Academy-Award winning documentary film of an astonishing adventure, a journey spanning 4,300 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean by raft. Intrigued by Polynesian folklore, Norwegian biologist Thor Heyerdahl suspected that the South Sea Islands had been settled by an ancient race from thousands of miles to the east, led by the mythical hero Kon-Tiki.
Heyerdahl knew that the trade winds and ocean currents off the South-American coastline bear in the direction of Polynesia. Ridiculed by the scientific establishment, who had concluded that a voyage by aboriginal balsa raft from Peru to Polynesia was impossible, he decided to prove the possibility of his theory by duplicating the legendary voyage. The ensuing expedition was hailed as one of the most fantastic feats of daring and courage of its time.
On April 28, 1947, Heyerdahl and his five crew members embarked from Peru on their daring voyage to the Marquesas Islands, on a balsa wood raft which was built according to the traditions of South America’s pre-Columbian Indians. After 101 suspenseful days on the open sea, alone amid raging storms, whales, and countless sharks, they landed on the Polynesian island of Raroia.
Reviews
“No one can deny that Kon Tiki is a fascinating film record of a marvelous adventure. Filmed in black and white with a handheld camera on a pitching raft, it remains a classic and should be in any video collection.” -Library Journal
“Winner of the 1952 Academy Award for Best Documentary. Kon-Tiki is the famous 101 day voyage by Thor Heyerdahl in a balsa raft from Peru to Polynesia… KON-TIKI is an exciting, engaging, timeless and highly recommended addition to any personal, school or community library video collection. Recommended.” -The Children’s Bookwatch
“A worthy program about a modern Columbus (minus the empire-building avarice and cruelty) whose hard work, vision, humor and environmental awareness has helped make the world a more interesting place to live. Highly recommended” – Video Librarian
Details
LENGTH: 1 x 60 Minutes
FORMAT: Special
INTERNATIONAL TRACK: No
TEXTLESS: No
CLOSED CAPTIONS: No
ASPECT RATIO: 4:3
PRODUCTION YEAR: 1951
RELEASE YEAR: 1997
SUPPLIER: NRK Production
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Norway
RIGHTS TERRITORY: Worldwide
