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Reviews & Ratings for
 Antarctica More at IMDbPro »Nankyoku monogatari (original title)

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37 out of 39 people found the following review useful:
White Wilderness, 19 September 2005
8/10
Author: sol1218 from brooklyn NY

**SPOILERS*** True story that took place during the Geographical year 1957-58, in the freezing ice and snow of Anarctica, by a Japanese expedition team on their journey to the Antarctic Mount. Batnnutan and back;a trek of some 500 miles.

Leaving Showa Base with a team of 16 tough Sakhalin sled dogs the three man expedition of geologist Ushioda meteorologist Ochi and Dr. Ozawa had no trouble reaching their main objective, Mount. Batnnutan. On the way back they ran into heavy snows and fog that caused them to go snow-blind and get lost. Helpless with no way of getting back to their home base the men unleashed two of their sled dogs, Taro & Jiro, who reached Showa Base and brought back a rescue party to save both the three men and 15 sled dogs.

At the base it's reported that the weather had gotten so severe that they would have to abort the expedition and return back to their icebreaker, the Soya, that would take them back home to Japan. Unable to bring them along the men were forced to leave the dogs, including the two who rescued them Taro & Jiro, at the now deserted Showa Base and; thus leave them to the bitterly cold Antarctica winter that was just starting to set in.

Heartwarming and true story of men and dogs and how left on their own the sled dogs, answering the call of the wild, formed a wolf-like pack that for over a year survived everything that the inhospitable Antarctic winter had to offer them; a frozen and agonizing death.

Beautifully photographed with incredible wide angle shots that showed the audience how vast and eerie the Antarctic really is. We see the dogs roaming around like a bunch of dark and unrecognizable black specks in the limitless white background. "Antarctica" also has a number of fascinating views of the Southern Lights, the Borealis Australis, as they illuminate and light up the cold and dark Antarctic winter night.

By the time the winter was over ,in September 1958, the Antarctic spring set in with the ice packs breaking apart and causing a number of the surviving sled dogs to fall into the open waters where they drowned. Back home in Japan both Ushida and Ochi were heart sick over leaving the dogs behind and a year. later going on another Antarctic expedition mostly to find and take back the frozen bodies of the sled dogs, that were like members of their family. The two never expected to find out just how wrong they were in underestimating their courageous and unconquerable canine friends.

Not exactly a "Lassie Come Home" type of movie the film "Antartica" shows how deep the bind is between man and his best friend and companion the dog and it will really touch you when at the end of the movie. With all hope gone, for the dogs left behind, like a winter mirage Taro and Jiro materialized out of the snow to the shock and delight, to the point of tears, of those who so sadly were forced to leave them behind and to face certain death.

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28 out of 29 people found the following review useful:
A unique and moving film..., 28 May 2002
Author: lowweek from Paris, France

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...

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20 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
Great Sadness, 7 June 1999
7/10
Author: Thomas S. Finkelmeier Jr. (bishop@bright.net) from Wapakoneta, OH

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I loved this movie, but I warn any dog lovers, especially Husky lovers that it is almost unbearably sad. The fact that it is based on a true story only makes it more so. The two lead characters are willing to risk their lives to go back and rescue, but they are not allowed to do so. I would have risked my life for my dogs too, but I cannot imagine how much more powerful the feelings of shame must have been to them, coming from the Japanese culture. It was an interesting glimpse into their culture when the two leads go to confess their shame to the people who bred the dogs for their expedition back in Japan.

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22 out of 25 people found the following review useful:
A good movie. Vangelis score is one again outstanding !, 2 March 1999
8/10
Author: Vincent Leclair (nealschonfan@yahoo.com) from Laval, Canada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

The first time that I watched Antarctica, I was about 8 or 9. It makes me cry a lot because of the dogs who die. Now that I am 18, I have watched the movie again. It is not a great movie but a good one. The cinematography is great. The dogs are well trained and play well.

The best thing about this movie is Vangelis score. Vangelis really knows how to create the ambiance of this cold adventure movie.

And, oh, what a great idea to write the age of the dogs when they die. It surely added dramatic power to those scenes.

It was one of the biggest box office hits in Japan.

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18 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
I cried my eyes out, 7 December 2004
Author: meretsoleil2 from Houston, Texas

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.

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15 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
A majestic, important film. A film you remember all your life., 14 February 2006
10/10
Author: (jmil@earthlink.net) from Rancho Cucamonga, CA

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I don't give many 10s. So few are deserved. But here, we have a film of real importance. A film which grabs the viewer and never lets go. The audience so identifies with each dog, that as the dogs fight for survival, alone, during a fierce Arctic winter, the story of each one's bravery against impossible odds is both uplifting and saddening. This is a consequence of the expert way the animals were handled in filming, fine acting (esp. Ken Takakura, Japan's biggest box office star for decades), an expertly written story, beautiful cinematography, evocative music (Vangelis) and spot-on direction. This was, to me, one of the few films I've seen which I would call "perfect" in every way. WIthout fault.

The fact that this was the true story of the ill-fated 1958 Japanese Arctic expedition where all but two dogs survived the winter, enables the total suspension of disbelief in the viewer. You know this really happened. And you cheer when you find out that two dogs, Taro and Jiro, who subsequently became national heroes in Japan, survived their almost preordained fate. This was one of the highest grossing movies ever in Japan, which is a testament to how we all, as human beings, feel about the plight of these dogs and, no less, how we feel about our companion animals in general. I recommend this film HIGHLY.

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15 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
I would recommend it to anyone., 1 October 1998
10/10
Author: Audrey-2 from Michigan

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*.)

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10 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
well worth watching, 20 November 2001
Author: slward from Texas, USA

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.

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10 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Memorable, 16 February 2006
8/10
Author: marji1919 from Canada

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.

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7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Great movie, 24 February 2006
10/10
Author: pepeleyva from Guadalajara

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?

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