Nankyoku monogatari

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.

Whether striking a tone more uplifting or tragic, what all survival films have in common - to one degree or another - is being difficult to watch. The barren, beautiful frozen landscapes in this movie both pair and contrast with the fierce, extreme conditions everyone struggles through. Even before the plot meaningfully picks up as efforts go sideways, there's a level of cringe on hand with the experience depicted, and further difficulty in empathizing with the conditions forced on the animals - emphatically more strenuous than those endured by the humans. I can appreciate how 'Antarctica' enjoyed so much popularity and success, not least of all in Japan; the drama is compelling.

The first hour mostly focuses on the people on the continent, and only thereafter does the film become more about the dogs left behind. As it does, the viewing experience becomes notably more arduous, especially for animal lovers. It's heartbreaking enough even if incidents were merely simulated to portray the circumstances the sled team went through. Yet despite the director's assurances, the lack of particular endorsement from an animal safety group makes the production somewhat dubious. Still - much credit to those responsible for training the canines, because they had their work cut out for them. Scenes of the dogs living off the land are generally orchestrated well, and duly captivating.

All this having been said, 'Antarctica' isn't easy to engage with, even putting aside the gut-wrenching trials of the animals. After the first hour, while footage of the huskies on the ice is considered most highly, it's nonetheless interspersed with long moments in much-warmer Japan as members of the human expedition contend with memories and guilt of leaving their companions behind. As a result, the feature often seems less a cohesive whole and more a series of snapshots - further emphasized with narration that works alone to connect the disparate scenes in the absence of a concrete, flowing narrative. The general concept is quite good - it's a story worth telling - but the execution leaves much to be desired.

As the picture is unbalanced and unrefined broadly, its constituent elements likewise suffer. Composer Vangelis is rightly celebrated for his music, but fine as his score for 'Antarctica' may be, it still comes across as both lacking, and not entirely given its due. The drama and emotional investment we should feel is greatly diminished by sequencing that bounces back and forth inconsistently between Japan and the frozen south. I don't have specific cause to doubt director Koreyoshi Kurahara, and in general I think his camerawork and arrangement of scenes is quite suitable; he even captures some especially great shots. Yet the overall rough and inelegant craft of the picture gives me pause, and so it is too with other technical aspects of the production.

At length, I do think this is enjoyable, satisfying, and worth watching. It's also worth mentioning that compared to other features that tell the tale of animals surviving on their own, at no point does it become overwrought with sentiment. On the other hand, that lack of saccharine sensation is partly just because of how the movie is built as a whole. It's just unfortunate that what could have been a complete, riveting, entrancing spectacle of hardship and endurance is dampened by an uneven construction. Even so - bearing in mind the nature of the content, and this absolutely won't be for everyone - 'Antarctica' is worth checking out if you come across 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?

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.

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...