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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD EAN: 0646032032796 Format: Black & White, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC Label: Janson Media Manufacturer: Janson Media Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Janson Media Region Code: 1 Release Date: March 31, 2006 Running Time: 124 minutes Studio: Janson Media Theatrical Release Date: 1951 Editorial Review: Description: This is the classic Academy-Award winning documentary film of an astonishing adventure, a journey spanning 4,300 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean by raft. Intrigued by Polynesian folklore, Norwegian biologist Thor Heyerdahl suspected that the South Sea Islands had been settled by an ancient race from thousands of miles to the east, led by the mythical hero Kon-Tiki. Heyerdahl knew that the trade winds and ocean currents off the South-American coastline bear in the direction of Polynesia. Ridiculed by the scientific establishment, who had concluded that a voyage by aboriginal balsa raft from Peru to Polynesia was impossible, he decided to prove the possibility of his theory by duplicating the legendary voyage. The ensuing expedition was hailed as one of the most fantastic feats of daring and courage of its time. On April 28, 1947, Heyerdahl and his five crew members embarked from Peru on their daring voyage to the Marquesas Islands, on a balsa wood raft which was built according to the traditions of South America's pre-Columbian Indians. After 101 suspenseful days on the open sea, alone amid raging storms, whales, and countless sharks, they landed on the Polynesian island of Raroia. The expedition attracted worldwide interest. Heyerdahl's book Kon-Tiki was translated into 67 languages, and sold more than 20 million copies. Heyerdahl had been presented with a film camera before the journey began, and both the building of the raft and the voyage across the Pacific were filmed in detail. In 1952, his fascinating black and white film was awarded an Oscar for the most outstanding documentary. The film subsequently enthralled cinema-goers all over the world. The raft is now exhibited at the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo, Norway, where it is seen by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. Extra Features: • Thor Heyerdahl: Explorer & Scientist • Photo Gallery • Expedition Map • Rare Color Footage Related Items:      see moreAverage Rating:
 Rating: - Put this DVD in your player and see REALITY televisionKon-Tiki won an Academy Award for Best Documentary in the early 1950s. This one-hour feature documents Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl's voyage across the Pacific Ocean in a balsa-wood raft, to simulate how South American natives might possibly have voyaged west and settled in the islands of Polynesia. Crude, black-and-white grainy 16mm film, simple English narration. The production is bare-bones. But I've seen this film two or three times. Instead of "reality TV" which is far from reality, this is reality. Five guys who set out in a boat they did not know would be able to survive the distance, finding out by hard experience what it might have been like for any ancient mariner who tried to do the same. Many days were calm, and the crew could lash the steering paddle down, letting the wind and the current carry them toward their Polynesian goal. They could get in a basket below the water line and watch the ocean life, or float lazily away from the main raft in a rubber lifeboat. Every morning they got up and picked up the flying fish that had landed on the raft and been stranded. Breakfast! At other times they speared and clubbed dolphin fish (not dolphins) for a change of meat. They caught many sharks, mainly to discourage them from following the raft. They worried about whales and other large fish, but were never troubled by them. In about three month's time, they arrived in Polynesia and were driven toward the coast of a small island. They very nearly were wrecked on the reef. It was by no means certain that they would make it safely to shore, but finally the raft came to rest and they were able to unload the important equipment, set up on shore, and radio their successful landing and their position. They met natives (wearing Western clothing) and eventually a boat was sent to retrieve them. It is a simple story, told in a straightforward way. It doesn't seem especially dramatic, but it is authentic. Five men in a raft, surviving the elements, testing themselves, reaching their goal and a place in the history books. Rating: - Excellent movieI saw the second of his movies "Ra" and Ra2" in the theaters when I was just a small boy. then I got to go to Norway and visit the Kon tiki museum. So for me this was a treat to see. but my kids 7 & 10 where glued to this movie. afterwards we pull out the world map and looked up everything on the Net. You have to like Documentaries though! I hope the other movies will be released soon. Rating: - True AdventureI was pleasently surprised by the quality of this DVD. Thor was a man who truly lived by the phrases, 'put your money where your mouth is' and 'Put up or shut up!' Most "experts where sure he and his companions would never be seen again when they departed Peru on a raft to cross the Pacific Ocean! They made it with surprisingly little trouble considering what they were up against. If you read the book this DVD gives you a nice filling out and if you haven't read the book, do so. You will only wish you could have gone with him. |
Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Green
Diesel vehicles have nearly a 50-percent market share in Europe, thanks to tax incentives and diesel-friendly legislation across the EU. Diesels are so passé there that you can buy a BMW 730d and no one will think it odd that your luxury car burns oil. Pull up in a diesel 7-Series in America and people would leer at you like you've alighted from an amphibious vehicle reeking of saltwater and dead trout.
But now, thanks to the oft-reported combo of newly-raised CAFE standards, not-so-newly-raised gas prices, and the 50-state diesel engine, GM, Ford, and Chrysler are about to dip more than a hesitant toe into the diesel game. Chrysler offers a diesel in the Grand Cherokee, but soon all three automakers will offer diesels in their best-selling lineups of light trucks -- the Dodge Ram 1500 is expected to offer a 50-state diesel after 2009. Light trucks are being used to lead the charge since those buyers stand to gain the most with the least amount of (perceived) sacrifice.
Diesels currently have 3.2-percent of the American market. Some estimates put them at 15-percent by 2015. That's a huge leap, and diesel still has plenty of hurdles. Diesels will come with a cost premium over gasoline-engined cars. That should be easy enough to conquer -- incentives and some quick cost and longevity calculations should convince people of the benefit. The real hurdle is the nagging issue of perception. The plan will probably be to attack that with a price that makes the proposition unbeatable. Said Chrysler's director of environmental affairs, "If it's priced right, we can sell diesel here. Diesel can give you an immediate poke in fuel economy -- 20 to 40 percent. Not many technologies can deliver that today."
[Source: Detroit News]
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Marie opens the show with an outdoor rendition of "We Need a Little Christmas" and then moves into the studio where Kirk Cameron arrives on a snowmobile (fresh from rescuing a trio of blonde snow bunnies) to read "The First Christmas Story." Lee Greenwood performs "Christmas to Christmas" and later a duet with Marie. "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" is sung by Sally Struthers and daughter with help from the Osmond Boys--six stepping stones ages 4 to 12 who have the senior Osmonds' moves down pat. The adorable award, though, goes to Marie's 5-year-old son, Steven, who performs a rockin' version of "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" (clapping on the off-beat nearly the whole song).
Marie has a good, strong voice, but many of the songs are overproduced and melodramatic. This, most likely, is a product of the big, pouffy '80s (her hair and outfits are also bigger-than-life) rather than a reflection of her talents. The closing number, "O Holy Night," sung by Marie alone, is quite lovely. --Dana Van Nest
