Day of Resurrection (1980)

After a virus devastates the global human population, survivors in Antarctica desperately try to find a cure and save the human race.

Director:

Kinji Fukasaku

Writers:

Kôji Takada (screenplay), Kinji Fukasaku (screenplay)

Stars:

Masao Kusakari, Tsunehiko Watase, Isao Natsuyagi

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Masao Kusakari	...	Dr. Shûzô Yoshizumi
Tsunehiko Watase	...	Yasuo Tatsuno
Isao Natsuyagi	...	Cmdr. Nakanishi (as Isao Natsuki)
Shin'ichi Chiba	...	Dr. Yamauchi (as Sonny Chiba)
Kensaku Morita	...	Ryûji Sanazawa
Toshiyuki Nagashima	...	Akimasa Matsuo
Haruki Kadokawa	...	Team Member - Showa Station
Tadashi Takatsuki	...	Team Member - Showa Station (as Chû Takatsuki)
Takeshige Hatanaka	...	Team Member - Showa Station
Chikara Gonoue	...	Team Member - Showa Station (as Riki Gonoue)
Eiji Yuki	...	Team Member - Showa Station
George Kennedy	...	Adm. Conway
Bo Svenson	...	Maj. Carter
Stephanie Faulkner	...	Sarah Baker
Julie Khaner	...	Secretary - Palmer Station

Storyline

A US military-engineered virus, released during a plane crash, kills almost the entire human population. The only survivors are scientists and military personnel in Antarctica, who desperately try to find a cure and save what is left of the human population from further destruction.

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Plot Keywords:

virus | antarctica | vaccine | submarine | pandemic | 

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Taglines:

863 people were not so lucky... they survived.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

English Japanese French German Spanish Russian

Release Date:

26 June 1980 (Japan)

Also Known As:

The End

Filming Locations:

Alaska, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Haruki Kadokawa Films, Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

156 min 103 min (alternate cut)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film gained some international publicity when a Swedish ship, the M.S. Lindblad Explorer, transporting a production unit to Antartica for location shooting, struck a submerged reef and almost sank. Passengers were rescued by Chilean Navy ships.

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Goofs

Upon entering the bunker, Yoshizumi watches in horror on several monitors as nuclear rockets launch all over the world. The footage on many of these monitors feature hand-held camera work. Due to the virus sweeping the world many months earlier, there would be no one alive at that point to be operating these cameras.

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Quotes

Ensign Smirnov - Submarine T232: I have a responsibility to my men!
Captain McCloud - HMS Nereid: You have a higher responsibility.

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Crazy Credits

The Japanese version mixes English and Japanese writing during the opening credit sequence. The English-speaking actors' names are in English and the Japanese cast and crew members' names are in Japanese.

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Alternate Versions

Among the scenes missing from the U.S. version of the film (existing only within the unabridged Japanese cut): the film opens on board the submarine Nereid as Yoshizumi takes one last look at his devastated Tokyo homeland through the eye of a video probe while Captain McCloud usurps Major Carter for a thoughtlessly sarcastic comment about Tokyo, domestic scenes with Yoshizumi's girlfriend telling Yoshizumi that she is pregnant and her displeasure with his decision to go to Antarctica, Yoshizumi's girlfriend losing the child from overwork, Yoshizumi's girlfriend and his best friend Tatsuno's son committing suicide by sleeping pills while traveling on speed-boat after the rest of the Japanese population has been killed off by the virus, a 5-year-old boy killing himself over short-wave radio while the Japanese Antarctica base tries to get him to release the Transmit switch, Tatsuno's escape from the Antarctic base and intimated suicide as the crew searches for him in a snow storm, a Christmas party at the Antarctica base, the revelation that the majority of the eight remaining females have had children, more scenes between Yoshizumi and Marit, a young Navy-man who has an "appointment" with Marit, miscellaneous scenes explaining Yoshizumi's backstory, much more of the final "trek south" sequence (including Yoshizumi's passing through Machu Pichu and bomb craters). Various shots have been re-positioned in the American cut, including the signature shot of weather-beaten Yoshizumi up against the sunset while walking south, which appears as the opening shot in the American version in desaturated form. The Japanese cut also uses various title cards to explain the progression of the virus and the progress of the Antarctica community.

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Connections

References Earthquake (1974)

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Soundtracks

You Are Love (Toujours Gai Mon Cher)
Music by Teo Macero
Lyrics by Janis Ian
Performed by Janis Ian

User Reviews

Well made end-of-the-world epic

What's not to love about VIRUS? I bought the DVD (which supposedly features the 'director's cut') and discovered that I'd got the truncated American version, sighed and sat down to watch it anyway. For the next two hours I was caught up in an epic, world-wide story that never stalled or felt unconvincing for a second. This is a matter-of-fact tale of the apocalypse, showing what would really happen if a killer virus was unleashed upon the world's unsuspecting population.

The Japanese production values are top notch and in particular the post-apocalypse sequences are expertly staged: a desolate world indeed is built up after the calamity that unfolds. Following in the best 'disaster film' traditions, an all-star American cast delivers the goods, from a particularly affecting Glenn Ford as the doomed president to Robert Vaughn as his trustworthy adviser and Henry Silva as a war-mongering general. Add in Olivia Hussey, George Kennedy, Edward James Olmos, tough guy Bo Svenson and even a cameoing Sonny Chiba and you have pretty much the movie-lover's dream cast.

Of course, given that this is in reality a Japanese film, the acting honours really go to Masao Kusakari, playing an ordinary-guy scientist who undergoes tremendous ordeals and feats of bravery by the time the film ends. Kusakari is the film's real hero and he's never less than excellent. I enjoyed the way this movie explores the real-life consequences of such catastrophic events, such as what happens when eight women are shared between hundreds of men, and at some point I'll track down the full uncut version, which I suspect will be even better…