Movie Recommendation: Kon-Tiki (2012)

*******

Kon-Tiki is produced by Recorded Picture Company (RPC), Roenbergfilm, Nordisk Film Production, DCM Productions, Film i Väst, Falkun Films, and Stunt Bros.  It is based on the true story of Thor Heyerdahl and his Norwegian crew except Bengt Danielsson who was Swedish.  After hearing countless rejections that South Americans could possibly have sailed across the Pacific Ocean to the Polynesian islands, Heyerdahl gathers a crew of five and sets sail on their expedition in 1947 on a wooden raft they built. They plan to travel 4,300 miles from Peru to Polynesia although many think they will die along the way.  Heyerdahl names the raft, Kon-Tiki, after the Inca sun god.  There was a documentary by the same name made in 1951.  It supplements the movie and different running times can be found on YouTube.  I happened to watch the longer one, but the original was 1 hour and 17 minutes long.  It was the first Norwegian documentary to win an Oscar in 1952.  Heyerdahl also wrote a book about his expedition too.  There were creative liberties taken to increase the tension in the adaptation, but the cinematography remains the high point.  Many of the shots are amazing, and the interaction among the actors especially Pål Sverre Hagenas is captivating to watch.  I will say there was one scene that clearly strayed from the story and may have gone a bit overboard, but again creative license was taken.  Today, it is widely believed South Americans could not have settled on the Polynesian islands pre-Columbian times, but Heyerdahl’s expedition was a success in many ways.  The Kon-Tiki eventually crashed on the reefs outside Raroia.  It’s final resting place is at the Kon-Tiki Museum located in Olso, Norway.