Alone on the Pacific (1963)
"Taiheiyô hitoribocchi" (original title)

Kenichi Horie is determined to challenge his family, the law and the nature crossing the Pacific to America in a small sailboat. Despite his careful planning many unforeseen events will test his determination.

Director:

Kon Ichikawa

Writers:

Kenichi Horie (story), Natto Wada

Stars:

Yûjirô Ishihara, Masayuki Mori, Kinuyo Tanaka

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Yûjirô Ishihara	...	The Youth
Masayuki Mori	...	Youth's Father
Kinuyo Tanaka	...	Youth's Mother
Ruriko Asaoka	...	Youth's Sister
Hajime Hana	...	Youth's Friend
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gannosuke Ashiya
Matthew Dugan
Melvin H. Gilley
Beaman Gordon
Akinori Hanamura
Daizaburo Hirata
Noboru Ishikawa
Masaru Kamiyama
Richard D. Kilburn
Kôjirô Kusanagi

Storyline

Kenichi Horie is determined to challenge his family, the law and the nature crossing the Pacific to America in a small sailboat. Despite his careful planning many unforeseen events will test his determination.

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Genres:

Adventure

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

15 April 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Enemy, the Sea

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ishihara, Nikkatsu

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the first Japanese film ever, to be (partly) shot on location in the USA.

User Reviews

a study of isolation and achievement

A film about a lonely figure piloting his one-man sailboat across the wide expanse of the Pacific Ocean would seem to pose an insurmountable narrative logistical threat, but director Kon Ichikawa turns an unlikely true story into an unusual study of isolation and personal achievement. Ken-Ichi Horie was an obstinate amateur sailor obsessed with the challenge of a solo journey across the world's largest ocean, and in 1962 he fulfilled his ambitions (succeeding almost in spite of himself) in a 92-day passage that proved to be less an ordeal than a comic misadventure. Using a choppy visual style and a claustrophobic wide-screen camera, Ichikawa shows the intrepid traveler at the mercy of both the elements and his own inexperience, ending with his anticlimactic arrival in San Francisco, victorious but asleep on his feet. The alternate title of the film was 'My Enemy, the Sea', a misnomer since, for all its impassive antagonism, the ocean was Horie's only true friend, allowing him the freedom he never knew on land.