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Antarctica

Original title: Nankyoku monogatari
  • 1983
  • G
  • 2h 23m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
Takeshi Kusaka, Shigeru Kôyama, Masako Natsume, Keiko Oginome, Eiji Okada, Ken Takakura, Tsunehiko Watase, and Sô Yamamura in Antarctica (1983)
Two Japanese scientists, Ushioda and Ochi, develop a bond with their sled dogs while on an expedition in Antarctica. They eventually leave Antarctica, only to return to search for the dogs inadvertently marooned there.
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AdventureDrama

Two Japanese scientists, Ushioda and Ochi, develop a bond with their sled dogs while on an expedition in Antarctica. Ushioda and Ochi eventually leave Antarctica, only to return to search fo... Read allTwo Japanese scientists, Ushioda and Ochi, develop a bond with their sled dogs while on an expedition in Antarctica. Ushioda and Ochi eventually leave Antarctica, only to return to search for the dogs inadvertently marooned there.Two Japanese scientists, Ushioda and Ochi, develop a bond with their sled dogs while on an expedition in Antarctica. Ushioda and Ochi eventually leave Antarctica, only to return to search for the dogs inadvertently marooned there.

  • Director
    • Koreyoshi Kurahara
  • Writers
    • Tatsuo Nogami
    • Susumu Saji
    • Toshirô Ishidô
  • Stars
    • Ken Takakura
    • Tsunehiko Watase
    • Eiji Okada
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    1.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Koreyoshi Kurahara
    • Writers
      • Tatsuo Nogami
      • Susumu Saji
      • Toshirô Ishidô
    • Stars
      • Ken Takakura
      • Tsunehiko Watase
      • Eiji Okada
    • 23User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:24
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    Photos21

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    Top cast33

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    Ken Takakura
    Ken Takakura
    • Akira Ushioda
    Tsunehiko Watase
    • Kenjirô Ochi
    Eiji Okada
    Eiji Okada
    • Chief Ozawa
    Masako Natsume
    • Keiko Kitazawa
    Keiko Oginome
    • Asako Shimura
    Takeshi Kusaka
    • Morishima Kyoju
    Shigeru Kôyama
    • Horigome Taicho
    Sô Yamamura
    Sô Yamamura
    • Iwakiri Sencho
    Jun Etô
    • Tokumitsu Taiin
    Kôichi Satô
    Kôichi Satô
    • Toda Taicho
    Shin Kishida
    Shin Kishida
    • Kissaten Master
    Takeshi Ôbayashi
    • Nonomiya Taicho
    Shinji Kanai
    • Ozaki Taicho
    Shinshô Nakamaru
    Masafumi Satô
    Shôichirô Sakata
    Keijirô Shiga
    Morihiko Uchiyama
    • Director
      • Koreyoshi Kurahara
    • Writers
      • Tatsuo Nogami
      • Susumu Saji
      • Toshirô Ishidô
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews23

    7.61.8K
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    Featured reviews

    10pllc15

    Movie That Really Bonds Man with His Dog

    I am not a Disneyesque movie fan about animals and rather preferred seeing the standard top box office movies instead until my girl friend wanted to see Nankyoku Monogatari movie in 1983. We went and I didn't expect much until I saw it. It was more than I could take emotionally as the memories and love I had for my own dogs in the past came pouring out. Truly a great piece of work. I tried to find the movie at BlockBuster but to no avail.

    A post script: I visited Sapporo, Hokkaido back in 1994 on a business trip. Over the weekend with nothing to do I took a taxi to the Hokkaido Agricultural Museum. Lo and behold, there was Taro in the place of honor who had been stuffed. How regal he looked. I didn't recall seeing Jiro there but learned later that he is along side of another famous Japanese dog, Hachiko, at the National Science Museum in Tokyo. Anyway, seeing Taro made my day.
    7I_Ailurophile

    Good story, fine concept, regrettably uneven execution

    Whether striking a tone more uplifting or tragic, what all survival films have in common - to one degree or another - is being difficult to watch. The barren, beautiful frozen landscapes in this movie both pair and contrast with the fierce, extreme conditions everyone struggles through. Even before the plot meaningfully picks up as efforts go sideways, there's a level of cringe on hand with the experience depicted, and further difficulty in empathizing with the conditions forced on the animals - emphatically more strenuous than those endured by the humans. I can appreciate how 'Antarctica' enjoyed so much popularity and success, not least of all in Japan; the drama is compelling.

    The first hour mostly focuses on the people on the continent, and only thereafter does the film become more about the dogs left behind. As it does, the viewing experience becomes notably more arduous, especially for animal lovers. It's heartbreaking enough even if incidents were merely simulated to portray the circumstances the sled team went through. Yet despite the director's assurances, the lack of particular endorsement from an animal safety group makes the production somewhat dubious. Still - much credit to those responsible for training the canines, because they had their work cut out for them. Scenes of the dogs living off the land are generally orchestrated well, and duly captivating.

    All this having been said, 'Antarctica' isn't easy to engage with, even putting aside the gut-wrenching trials of the animals. After the first hour, while footage of the huskies on the ice is considered most highly, it's nonetheless interspersed with long moments in much-warmer Japan as members of the human expedition contend with memories and guilt of leaving their companions behind. As a result, the feature often seems less a cohesive whole and more a series of snapshots - further emphasized with narration that works alone to connect the disparate scenes in the absence of a concrete, flowing narrative. The general concept is quite good - it's a story worth telling - but the execution leaves much to be desired.

    As the picture is unbalanced and unrefined broadly, its constituent elements likewise suffer. Composer Vangelis is rightly celebrated for his music, but fine as his score for 'Antarctica' may be, it still comes across as both lacking, and not entirely given its due. The drama and emotional investment we should feel is greatly diminished by sequencing that bounces back and forth inconsistently between Japan and the frozen south. I don't have specific cause to doubt director Koreyoshi Kurahara, and in general I think his camerawork and arrangement of scenes is quite suitable; he even captures some especially great shots. Yet the overall rough and inelegant craft of the picture gives me pause, and so it is too with other technical aspects of the production.

    At length, I do think this is enjoyable, satisfying, and worth watching. It's also worth mentioning that compared to other features that tell the tale of animals surviving on their own, at no point does it become overwrought with sentiment. On the other hand, that lack of saccharine sensation is partly just because of how the movie is built as a whole. It's just unfortunate that what could have been a complete, riveting, entrancing spectacle of hardship and endurance is dampened by an uneven construction. Even so - bearing in mind the nature of the content, and this absolutely won't be for everyone - 'Antarctica' is worth checking out if you come across it.
    7wandering-star

    Surprisingly moving

    "Antarctica" is the story of the men and dogs of Japan's Antarctic research station in the 50's. Ushioda, Ochi and the rest of the team are forced to leave the dogs behind with Antarctic winter approaching, on the understanding that another team is to arrive in a few days. Once on board the ice breaker, they discover to their horror that due to the weather, no one will be able to make it back until the next spring. The dogs are left chained up to fend for themselves.

    The story from there is a mixture of fact and conjecture, concerning what the few dogs who were able to escape their chains, did, and how two did survive until the next spring.

    The fate of some of these dogs is very sad, and you may not want to watch this if you're a sensitive dog lover. But, the survival of the lucky ones is inspiring. The dogs are not portrayed as in a children's movie (overly cute) but are shown realistically, being kicked by their masters when they fight, and in one scene, savagely attacking a seal when desperate for food. (which, by the way, looks absolutely real - PETA would not be happy!!) The film goes back and forth between the dogs' plight in Antarctica and Ushioda & Ochi back in Japan, who are beside themselves with guilt and grief over the fate of the dogs.

    I was so drawn in to this movie, that when Ushioda & Ochi return the following spring, and are scanning the station from the helicopter, that I found myself straining to see with them, looking hopefully for any sign of life.

    Ultimately this is a story about man's relationship with dogs, and the unbreakable bond of love that exists between them.
    meretsoleil2

    I cried my eyes out

    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.
    10Audrey-2

    I would recommend it to anyone.

    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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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      It was a big cinema hit, and held the Japanese box office record for a domestic film until it was surpassed by Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke (1997) .
    • Quotes

      Girl with Riki: Riki was raised on Kio island. Once winter gets there, the dogs would be left on the island. But people will come back for the winter. The dogs would have to go and find food for themselves. They would survive. Therefore Riki must be surviving on his own also. Because he is a diligent dog. Even if he can survive on Kio by himself, you can't compare Kio with Antarctica. I think so.

      Akira Ushioda: It's impossible for all of them to survive. However, recently I've felt that a few of them might be able to survive. That's what I think.

      Girl with Riki: But the temperature in Antarctica gets to forty below. Even fifty.

      Akira Ushioda: Karafuto dogs can withstand cold weather very well.

      Girl with Riki: Riki will probably find food on his own.

      Akira Ushioda: I hope so.

      Girl with Riki: That's encouraging.

      Akira Ushioda: Up till now, I've still been regretting that we didn't kill the dogs. But that would be wrong. Because that's not the way life is supposed to be. All lives are equal. No one has the right to end the lives of those dogs. It took me such a long time to understand that.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Meikingu obu 'Nankyoku monogatari' (1983)
    • Soundtracks
      Ai no ôrora
      Music by Tetsuji Hayashi

      Lyrics by Tokiko Iwatani

      Performed by Keiko Oginome

      Courtesy of Canyon Records

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    FAQ17

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 23, 1983 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Japanese
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • Wolf
    • Filming locations
      • Hokkaido, Japan(some scenes)
    • Production companies
      • Fuji Television Network (Fuji TV)
      • Gakken Co. Ltd.
      • Kurahara Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 23 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Contribute to this page

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    Takeshi Kusaka, Shigeru Kôyama, Masako Natsume, Keiko Oginome, Eiji Okada, Ken Takakura, Tsunehiko Watase, and Sô Yamamura in Antarctica (1983)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Antarctica (1983) officially released in Canada in English?
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