Kon-Tiki (2012) - full transcript
The Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific Ocean in a balsawood raft in 1947, together with five men, to prove that South Americans back in pre-Columbian times could have crossed the ocean and settled on Polynesian islands. After financing the trips with loans and donations, they set off on an epic 101-day-long trip across 8000 kilometers, while the world was waiting for the result of the trip. The film tells about the origin of the idea, the preparations, and the events on the trip. The "Kon-Tiki" was named after the Inca sun god, Viracocha, and "Kon-Tiki" is an old name for this god. Heyerdahl filmed the expedition, which later became the Academy Award winning documentary in 1951, and he wrote a book about the expedition that was translated into 70 languages and sold more than 50 millions copies around the world. Heyerdahl believed that people from South America could have settled Polynesia in pre-Columbian times, although most anthropologists now believe they did not. Anyway he proved that it was possible by using only the materials and technologies available to those people at that time. The trip took 101 days over 4,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean before the "Kon-Tiki" crashed onto the dangerous reefs outside Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands on August 7, 1947. All crewmen survived, and the "Kon-Tiki" was taken back to Norway. She is now featured in the Kon-Tiki Museum.
Thor! Wait for us!
Thor! Wait!
Thor! Wait!
Thor, don't do it!
Thor, don't do it!
- It's dangerous!
- Don't do it!
Come back, Thor!
Don't, Thor!
- Thor!
- Thor!
- Are you OK?
- Cold...
You were showing off again,
weren't you? Hm?
Thank God Erik
was able to save you.
God had nothing to do with it.
What got into you?
Why did you do it?
I hope you've
learned a lesson.
Promise me you'll never take a risk
like that ever again. Promise?
Promise?
Smile.
No,no,no.
There shouldn't be smiling.
Just be yourself.
Monsieur!
Liv! Liv!
So, no smiling.
You look very handsome.
You'll make this island famous.
It will be just like
Darwin and the Galapagos.
When people hear of Fatu Hiva
they will think of Thor Heyerdahl.
Whoo!
Into the current.
No, into the current.
It's really heavy.
Listen, you said that Polynesia first
was populated from the west, right?
Yes.
Imagine paddling all the way
from Asia against the current.
They must have been
really strong.
Yes.
Are you OK?
I'm fine.
Listen to this. "Faa-hoka is
the Marquesan variety of pineapple.
It was found in abundance
by the first European explorers."
- Same pineapple?
- Indigenous, it says, to South America.
Maybe it can swim.
Tiki, the sun god...
...brought us to these islands...
...from the land behind the ocean.
Tiki!
- So how long are you in New York?
- Leaving in a few days.
- Going home for Christmas.
- Hm.
The wise men
of anthropology are quite clear
that Polynesia was not
populated from the east.
Wise men are not always right, sir.
Look around you. Every book in here
offers some theory or another.
Most written by one man,
read by perhaps only ten,
of whom nine disagreed
with the theory.
But my theory provides evidence
that Polynesia was
settled from the east.
I've spent ten years writing
and researching my thesis.
I lived on Fatu Hiva, professor.
I lived my theory.
How many publishers
have you seen before me?
The fact that I'm your last hope
ought to tell you something.
Yes, that scientific publishing
is completely closed to new ideas.
You claim that the Peruvian
pre-Incan civilization
was remarkable, I agree.
And that the prevailing
winds and currents
in the Pacific down there
move from east to west.
But it is also the case that Tiki
could not have traveled to Polynesia
- because his people had no boats!
- No.
But they had rafts.
They had balsa wood rafts.
Rafts!
Now that would be evidence.
You want your theory to be accepted?
Then, go ahead.
Drift from Peru to Polynesia
on a balsa wood raft.
Good luck.
Mr.
Brownberg's here to see you, professor.
Gentlemen.
Your magazine will
be with me on a raft
at the mercy of the winds,
all the way to Polynesia.
It's further than from
Chicago to Moscow.
Here to here, 5,000 miles.
You'll have some sort of engine
in case of emergency?
Absolutely not.
We will surrender to the current
and the wind,
exactly as Tiki did.
And by undertaking this extraordinary
voyage, you are proving...?
That the oceans were not
barriers, but roads.
Not impediments, but pathways.
I will prove that
South American people
sailed to Polynesia 1,500 years ago.
Every schoolboy knows that Polynesia
was peopled from Asia,
not South America.
And it's my job as a scientist
to prove the schoolboys,
and those who quote them, wrong.
- Being sun worshipers...
- Mr. Heyerdahl.
Doubtless, the story of Norwegians
drowning in the Pacific will sell
a lot of magazines,
but not this one.
This is a scientific expedition...
Our magazine has a higher
purpose than to finance
and enable men bent on suicide.
I doubt you'll have any
success in recruiting anyone.
So, a dozen logs
lashed together,
big balsa wood logs, like that.
A hut for five crew.
All very capable, of course.
Mast and rudder...
And, uh, there it is.
The Kon-Tiki.
I spent 22 days on a raft. Torpedoed.
North Atlantic, winter of '43.
You can't sail it, steer it.
All you can do is sit there
and wait to die.
- No, no, no.
- These logs, they are gonna
move against each other in the waves,
and eventually they're gonna
break the lashings.
And you'll each be sitting on a log
floating your separate ways
at the mercy of the elements.
Thank you for your time.
- Hey...
- Excuse me.
- You're Norwegian, right? Back there...
- Yes?
...I couldn't help overhearing.
Back there I couldn't help overhearing
about your raft. Interesting.
- Are you a sailor?
- No. And neither are you.
Let me show you something.
That will lessen the drag a lot.
We engineers can't help ourselves.
- You're an engineer?
- Yeah.
But nowadays I mostly
sell refrigerators.
Herman Watzinger.
- Thor Heyerdahl.
- So you're going on a raft, are you?
...the evidence is
just overwhelming, you know?
It's possible to actually
drift there on the current.
The wind and the current.
That's the key, and I've got that.
Five months to finance, equip
and mount the entire expedition.
So there's a lot to do.
- Mr. Heyerdahl, may I help you?
- We have an appointment.
The money in place by Christmas,
buy the balsa in January...
Mr. Heyerdahl,
you are not on the list.
Look under his name.
Watzinger. W.
Get a crew down to Peru in February,
build in March, sail in April,
land by August and hope
the hurricane season starts late.
Just following my instincts...
Peter Freuchen.
We damn near died
when the zipper froze.
We all walk in his shadow.
Mr. Heyerdahl, you are
not allowed in here.
Well! My friend from Fatu Hiva!
You look like a man who just got
dumped by a glossy magazine!
Thank you.
Don't worry, Heyerdahl.
Scientific committees, my ass.
- Am I right, McGregor? Or am I right?
- Always. Of course.
Frostbite, the winter of '24.
It taught me one thing: do as the
natives do, down to the smallest detail.
Don't use nails if they use rope,
don't use steel if they use bone.
It took their ancestors
a thousand years to learn.
Go with them, and you just
might hang on to your leg.
Skol.
Whoo!
I'm 32 years old.
I'm a refrigerator salesman, stuck in
a marriage that doesn't go anywhere.
And I'd really like to go
on that raft with you.
OK, I know it's going
to be dangerous,
but you have no idea how risky
the fridge business is.
There will be no one
to save us out there.
Except your theory.
Captain.
At least you won't
lose your leg to frostbite.
You know,
Bamse's convinced you're Santa.
Oh, I hope you tell him
it's not like that.
Well, you tell him.
They are just so excited.
It will be so good
to have you home, Thor.
Yes, Liv... I couldn't
raise the money for the trip, so uh...
...I have to go directly
to Peru now,
and see if I can borrow
enough money.
Are you...
Are you not coming home?
It has been difficult, Liv.
Really difficult.
And I just can't keep
begging anymore.
Don't do this.
I have to, Liv.
Don't do this to the children.
Don't you understand?
If I come home now, I'm finished.
I spent ten years working on this, Liv.
I spent ten years.
You can't even swim.
You should have come home, Thor.
- And, if not...
- Liv...
you should have asked me
to go with you.
- Liv...
- You know I would have said no.
- Liv...
- Because of the children.
Come and meet us in Tahiti.
Bring the boys.
And we can show them Fatu Hiva.
This is the operator. Your
collect call will end in ten seconds.
Just one moment, please?
Thank you.
Liv?
Merry Christmas, Thor.
Merry Christmas.
- Ready?
- Yes.
You all made it! Oh, now I'm happy.
You'd better be. I spent three
weeks getting here, you bastard.
- Thor.
- Hi. This is Herman Watzinger,
- my second-in-command.
- Hello.
For the simple reason that without him,
there couldn't be any first-in-command.
- Herman.
- Herman, these are my two
brilliant radio operators.
Torstein, war hero,
nervous system made of asbestos.
And as far as we know, he has only
two weaknesses: whiskey and women.
Knut Haugland.
Also a war hero.
And I know Knut hates this,
but I have to call him a legend,
because that's what you are.
- Erik, Erik Hesselberg.
- Not a legend.
But you saved my life.
Erik and I grew up together.
And Erik has one unique quality
that just might be useful to us.
Erik has actually
been to sea before.
- Now...
- Since you didn't introduce yourself,
I Will.
This... this is Thor.
He's stubborn, egotistical,
lawfully ambitious...
But he's also a leader.
Because of that,
we are going to do what Tiki did.
We are going to build a raft.
- And...
- And drift into the sunset.
- ...drift into the sunset.
- Where is the raft?
You're sitting on it.
There you go.
- That's what we're building?
- Yes.
Exactly that,
down to the smallest detail.
We'll use the same methods, the same
materials as Tiki did 1,500 years ago.
This is extremely important. Everything
depends on it. I hope that's clear.
All I brought was a radio
and a pocketknife.
- We're going to need a ton of supplies.
- Of course.
Once the money comes through,
we will buy what we need.
That's it.
Sefior Heyerdahl?
Jose Bustamente.
Your Excellency.
Thank you for seeing me.
So, what can I do for you?
Actually, I'm here to tell you about
something I can do for you.
- And what might that be?
- By crossing the Pacific
for 5,000 miles,
I will prove that Peruvians
were the first
to settle Polynesia.
What? Peruvians...
discovered Polynesia?
And how may I help you?
So the president of Peru
calls the American admiral
and the admiral says we can
have anything we want.
In return, we have to invade
Polynesia on behalf of Peru?
And you thought he was a waiter?
...thermometers, battle rations,
powdered soups, floating knives,
desalination tablets, dinghies, fishing
tackle, canned food, shark repellant...
- Does it work?
- What?
- The shark repellent?
- That's what we want you to find out.
- Thor Heyerdahl.
- Yes?
My name is Bengt Daniels-son.
- I'm a bit busy.
- I came across this yesterday.
So now you want to tell me that
the first wave will tip the raft over,
or we will sink two weeks out,
or what do you think?
- Giant squid?
- No.
I wanna show you
how to assemble that camera.
- Here you go.
- You're a photographer.
No. Ethnographer.
Just spent a year up the Amazon.
- But you know how to use the camera?
- Yes.
Let me join you on the raft,
and I'll show you.
There's money to be made
in a documentary... done right.
Thor, I've been thinking.
What about a sea trial?
Just for a few days.
We could still leave before
the hurricane season starts.
- No, it's too risky.
- Risky?
Risky. And besides,
Tiki already made the sea trial.
- Here's to Tiki!
- Skol!
- Tiki!
- Skol!
Excuse me.
Us! Tripulantes!
Tripulantes!
No, you loco!
I'm just calling
to say goodbye, Liv.
We're leaving in a few hours.
- Goodbye, Thor.
- I brought medicines this time. Plenty.
- I hope you don't have to use them.
- What?
- I hope you don't have to use them.
- Yeah. Me too.
- The boys wish you good luck.
- Thank you.
You?
Don't be angry, Liv.
If I pull this off, Liv, our lives
will be completely different.
No more struggling.
I just hope that 100 days from now
your children still have a father.
What did you say?
Nothing, Thor. Nothing.
You're breaking up, Liv.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, Liv...
I called to say goodbye.
Whoa!
Thor, this way!
Hey!
Hey, Torstein, help me with this.
We need to secure this box.
No, no, no, there's plenty
of space right there.
If we get a westerly now,
it'll take us right back to Callao.
No, Tiki's wind came
from the south.
Now pull it up, Thor.
- Ow!
- Are you OK?
More line starboard.
More line starboard.
- Which way is starboard?
- Right! Christ.
Nope. Nothing.
It's the wrong course.
- We have no steering.
- That's fine, that's fine.
Let's use the oar.
Keep it pointing forward.
Excellent work, boys.
You can just sit back and relax.
In 100 days, you can start your own
Peruvian colony in Polynesia.
That's not too bad.
I would like it better
if we were moving towards it.
You might want to take
the lens cap off.
And only 100 days to go.
Thor?
Remember those sailors
in the bar in New York?
Who said the logs would move
and break the ropes?
Hm-mm.
Perhaps we should
have used wire.
The ropes held 1,500 years ago,
and they will hold now.
If you can't trust Tiki,
you can trust me.
Yeah.
Does anyone know
if we can eat them?
Flying fish.
Should be a delicious blend
of herring and grouse.
Herman, grab onto something.
If you fall overboard,
you stay overboard.
We won't be able to turn around.
Thank God one of us
has been to sea before.
I've heard that drowning
is the best way to die.
Well, not exactly.
You might manage for a minute,
until you breathe out of reflex.
Your lungs fill with water,
you choke,
and the, uh, acid created by
the salt water in your stomach
makes you feel like
you burn up inside.
Panic makes your heart kick in,
forcing you to breathe again.
More water.
You lose control,
and then you finally die.
All in all,
three or four minutes.
Hold on. What about my life
flashing past?
Yeah, that's the worst part.
Damn this radio!
- Forget it, Torstein.
- Excuse me?
- Just forget it.
- Forget it?
What do you mean, forget it?
The Andes.
There's nothing we can do.
The Andes are hundreds
of miles away.
OK? Just stay in bed.
We can't risk you vomiting
all over the radio.
I need radio contact.
Money follows attention, and
I'm the one who has to pay for this.
That's right, Thor.
Keep filming.
Look, all I need is to be able
to contact the Coast Guard.
They'd never make it out here in time
anyway. I mean, if something happened.
North-northwest, that's good.
And what we want is west.
The South Equatorial Current
is the only road there is.
I know.
So... how do we get down to it?
As navigator,
I can tell you this.
If you can't steer, you can't
push yourself to change course.
Oh...
Should we wake the others?
No. It's nothing.
We'll let them sleep.
Everyone on deck! Come on!
Torstein!
Get the sail down!
Thor!
Aah!
Tie yourself, Thor.
Tie yourselves!
Get the sail down!
Tie yourselves!
Get the sail down!
Just cut it down!
Just cut it!
Thor! Thor!
Thor, grab my hand!
Grab my hand!
Thor!
That wasn't too bad.
- Hey.
- Twelve degrees,
five minutes, two seconds south.
Eighty degrees north-northwest.
Fifty-two-point-eight
nautical miles.
That makes two-point-two knots.
That's quite good.
Still too northerly.
This is where we are
after four days.
So the worst thing
that can happen is that
we drift back to the coast, right?
No, the worst thing that
can happen is we get carried up
into the maelstrom
south of Galapagos.
That's where we're
heading right now.
I never heard about maelstroms
around Galapagos.
Please, Thor, I'm serious. Look.
We'll be fine. Have faith.
I have faith.
Problem is I also have a sextant.
The Galapagos maelstrom,
a gigantic vortex,
creates waves over nine meters
high and its powerful roar
can be heard ten miles away.
Even has a nice illustration.
- We need it higher.
- Take it higher.
OK, higher!
There...
- We've got something.
- Yes?
His name is Hal.
Transmitting from Los Angeles.
Can you relay messages to the press?
Thor is out of debt.
I lost him.
No, no, no, no! Oh!
Stupid, stupid, stupid bird.
Hey! Just leave her.
Whose idea was it
to bring that bird anyway?
Bengt. Bengt!
Camera. Get the camera!
Get the camera! Bengt! Bengt!
Get the camera!
- Completely harmless.
- Harmless, are you crazy?
That one can tip us over
just like that.
- In Vietnam, it's a deity.
- They call it "Ca Ong."
It means Sir Fish.
- Bengt, the camera.
- Right.
Here it comes.
- Bengt, where's the camera?
- I'm loading it!
Aah!
- It's trying to overturn us!
- No, it's just feeding off the raft.
Don't worry.
Where are you?
Look at that.
Hey. Put that away.
- No!
- Yah!
Erik!
- Erik!
- Get him up!
I've got you.
It's all right. I got you.
Herman! Herman!
Are you deaf?!
He told you to put
the harpoon away!
- He wanted to tip us over.
- It's all right.
Obey your orders!
It's all right.
I'm sorry.
- He didn't listen.
- No, he didn't. I know.
But it's my job to tell him that,
not yours.
He sells refrigerators.
He got frightened.
It happens.
How are you?
Fine.
Yeah.
People who can't get rid
of their demons try this.
Drifting across the Pacific.
Hey, Lorita.
Thor, um...
About the shark
or the whale or...
- ls Knut OK?
- He's fine.
Don't worry.
Why the oar?
Trying to catch the
South Equatorial bus.
Unless we already
missed the stop.
We won't.
We could have.
No.
We couldn't.
Building a life raft?
No, it's for my daughter.
She's six months old.
We just don't have enough power.
It's not about the wattage.
Oh! Oh, come on!
Put out that cigarette.
Look.
There's something down there.
Look at that.
Look at that.
Shark protection.
Right. I see.
- So are you going down?
- No. Bengt is.
That's right. Send the Swede.
Shark.
It's getting waterlogged.
Just as you showed me.
Showed?
I broke off a piece
and threw it overboard.
Sank like a stone.
The raft is absorbing water.
- It looks worse than it is.
- We're not even on the right course.
You just earned yourself another
dog watch. Let's get back to work.
This is not a holiday.
There. Got him.
Ready?
Um... yes.
To: Royal Norwegian Embassy,
Washington, D.C.
From: Thor Heyerdahl, Kon-Tiki,
May 16th, 1947.
Zero-niner degrees,
36 minutes, 58 seconds south.
The raft is keeping up well.
We are on our way, and morale is high.
Having had problems with the radio, we
have been unable to establish contact.
Wind conditions are stable
and we are traveling an average speed...
- You all right?
- Yep.
- Sure about this?
- People will want to see
a picture of the raft
in the ocean.
Around your wrist.
It's about 5,000 meters deep,
so don't drop it.
Thor! Shark!
- Get it up! Get it up!
- Don't jerk the rope!
Take my hand. Take my hand!
Grab my hand!
I'm fine.
Bengt. Bengt!
Why are you giving the sharks
oursoup?
It's the shark repellant
the Americans gave us.
No, it isn't.
It's tomato soup.
Where's the shark repellent?
Well, I guess we ate it then.
Lorita!
Lorita! Lorita!
No!
Watch your feet!
Whoo!
Stop! This is madness!
We'll only attract more sharks!
Aah!
Please.
It's our only chance.
Our only hope now is to try
to strengthen the lashings.
Tie her together.
Don't you see?
We built this raft
exactly the way Tiki did.
And we'll get there
just as he did.
Have faith.
Faith?
This isn't religion, Thor.
This is insane.
This is bigger than us.
Please.
Look at the logs.
Feel the raft.
I'm begging you.
All I'm asking is just a little
safety with modern materials.
Please?
No!
No!
At least I won't lose
my leg to frostbite.
Herman!
Herman, grab the rope!
Hold on! Hold on!
Grab the oar!
Hang on!
Throw the shark overboard!
Pull it in again!
Throw it out!
Herman!
Knut, no!
Three years ago,
I shot four men.
The Gestapo finally
found me with my radio.
- It was war.
- Yeah.
Tor-stein says the same.
He helped sink the Tirpitz.
A thousand men went down.
That doesn't bother him.
Thank you.
You saved my life.
That's what I mean.
Thank you.
I couldn't have saved you.
I couldn't have saved you.
I can't swim.
I know.
We all know.
What time is it?
Ten past two.
- You sure about that?
- Yes. Ten past two.
- We need to talk.
- Yes?
We're on the South Equatorial.
Heading straight for Polynesia.
- Are you sure?
- I'm sure.
My God!
Look at that! Look at that!
We found it!
- Is that it? Are we there?
- Whoo-hoo!
- I knew it! You see?
- No, you didn't!
I knew it!
Herman.
At last!
Hey, let me have one.
You didn't doubt it, did you?
On course, and shipshape,
we have now passed the critical point.
And spirits are high.
Every nautical mile
is a nautical mile
closer to the proof
I have sought.
Early man did not see
the ocean as a barrier,
but rather as a means
of communication.
This is science that cannot
be done behind a desk
or by a committee.
One thousand
five hundred years ago,
a South American civilization
possessed the maritime
and navigational skills
to successfully maneuver
a balsa wood raft
over 5, 000 miles.
We are using the same stars
as they did.
It's as if we're the only human
beings left in the universe.
Maybe we are.
Maybe they've dropped
more bombs on each other.
Every city like Hiroshima.
Then we wouldn't
have radio contact, Bengt.
Maybe nature has
just accepted us.
As a part of itself.
Like a fish or a... or a bird.
Bird...
A bird!
Hey!
Hey, look! A bird!
What's going on?
Look!
Whoo-hoo!
Five thousand miles behind us,
and the worst danger
lies just ahead.
- Human beings, right?
- No.
The Raroia reef.
A barrier of underwater
razor blades.
Why didn't you
mention that before?
There was no way of knowing
exactly where we would end up.
We could try
to force our way south.
Ought to hit Samoa in 30 days.
Good, thanks.
What other options are there?
We could try and, uh... surf over it.
Surf?
Yes.
You see, waves build in cycles of 13.
Meaning every 13th wave is
significantly bigger than the rest.
Um... let me show you.
Uh... when we get close to the reef,
we'll throw out an anchor
or something heavy
to hold the raft
back in position.
- Then what?
- Then we count the waves.
And just before the 13th wave,
we cut the rope,
and hopefully surf the raft
over the reef.
That might work.
I like it.
That's the way.
- Let's do it.
- All right.
Let's find something heavy.
Approaching Raroia reef.
If no word within 36 hours,
contact Norwegian Embassy
in Washington.
Two hundred and 50 yards to go.
Ow!
- Put your boots on!
- Everybody, get your boots on!
Are we ready?
ls everything set?
- When you're ready, Herman.
- Yep! All right! Drop the anchor!
One!
Did you ever consider
life jackets?
Two!
Three!
Four!
Five!
Six!
Seven!
Eight!
Nine!
We've lost it!
Pull tight!
Thor!
Thor! Wait!
This is BBC Radio
reporting worldwide.
This is Radio Australia World News...
A stunning achievement
being reported today
from the Tuamotu Islands
in Polynesia.
. . . six Scandinavian
explorers, 5,000 miles of sea
and one balsa wood raft.
...cheating death
over a 101-day voyage.
Not since Ernest
Shackleton's journey to Antarctica
- has anyone done something so bold.
- An awe-inspiring tale of man
against nature.
Thor! Wait!
Thor! Wait!
Thor, don't do it!
Thor, don't do it!
- It's dangerous!
- Don't do it!
Come back, Thor!
Don't, Thor!
- Thor!
- Thor!
- Are you OK?
- Cold...
You were showing off again,
weren't you? Hm?
Thank God Erik
was able to save you.
God had nothing to do with it.
What got into you?
Why did you do it?
I hope you've
learned a lesson.
Promise me you'll never take a risk
like that ever again. Promise?
Promise?
Smile.
No,no,no.
There shouldn't be smiling.
Just be yourself.
Monsieur!
Liv! Liv!
So, no smiling.
You look very handsome.
You'll make this island famous.
It will be just like
Darwin and the Galapagos.
When people hear of Fatu Hiva
they will think of Thor Heyerdahl.
Whoo!
Into the current.
No, into the current.
It's really heavy.
Listen, you said that Polynesia first
was populated from the west, right?
Yes.
Imagine paddling all the way
from Asia against the current.
They must have been
really strong.
Yes.
Are you OK?
I'm fine.
Listen to this. "Faa-hoka is
the Marquesan variety of pineapple.
It was found in abundance
by the first European explorers."
- Same pineapple?
- Indigenous, it says, to South America.
Maybe it can swim.
Tiki, the sun god...
...brought us to these islands...
...from the land behind the ocean.
Tiki!
- So how long are you in New York?
- Leaving in a few days.
- Going home for Christmas.
- Hm.
The wise men
of anthropology are quite clear
that Polynesia was not
populated from the east.
Wise men are not always right, sir.
Look around you. Every book in here
offers some theory or another.
Most written by one man,
read by perhaps only ten,
of whom nine disagreed
with the theory.
But my theory provides evidence
that Polynesia was
settled from the east.
I've spent ten years writing
and researching my thesis.
I lived on Fatu Hiva, professor.
I lived my theory.
How many publishers
have you seen before me?
The fact that I'm your last hope
ought to tell you something.
Yes, that scientific publishing
is completely closed to new ideas.
You claim that the Peruvian
pre-Incan civilization
was remarkable, I agree.
And that the prevailing
winds and currents
in the Pacific down there
move from east to west.
But it is also the case that Tiki
could not have traveled to Polynesia
- because his people had no boats!
- No.
But they had rafts.
They had balsa wood rafts.
Rafts!
Now that would be evidence.
You want your theory to be accepted?
Then, go ahead.
Drift from Peru to Polynesia
on a balsa wood raft.
Good luck.
Mr.
Brownberg's here to see you, professor.
Gentlemen.
Your magazine will
be with me on a raft
at the mercy of the winds,
all the way to Polynesia.
It's further than from
Chicago to Moscow.
Here to here, 5,000 miles.
You'll have some sort of engine
in case of emergency?
Absolutely not.
We will surrender to the current
and the wind,
exactly as Tiki did.
And by undertaking this extraordinary
voyage, you are proving...?
That the oceans were not
barriers, but roads.
Not impediments, but pathways.
I will prove that
South American people
sailed to Polynesia 1,500 years ago.
Every schoolboy knows that Polynesia
was peopled from Asia,
not South America.
And it's my job as a scientist
to prove the schoolboys,
and those who quote them, wrong.
- Being sun worshipers...
- Mr. Heyerdahl.
Doubtless, the story of Norwegians
drowning in the Pacific will sell
a lot of magazines,
but not this one.
This is a scientific expedition...
Our magazine has a higher
purpose than to finance
and enable men bent on suicide.
I doubt you'll have any
success in recruiting anyone.
So, a dozen logs
lashed together,
big balsa wood logs, like that.
A hut for five crew.
All very capable, of course.
Mast and rudder...
And, uh, there it is.
The Kon-Tiki.
I spent 22 days on a raft. Torpedoed.
North Atlantic, winter of '43.
You can't sail it, steer it.
All you can do is sit there
and wait to die.
- No, no, no.
- These logs, they are gonna
move against each other in the waves,
and eventually they're gonna
break the lashings.
And you'll each be sitting on a log
floating your separate ways
at the mercy of the elements.
Thank you for your time.
- Hey...
- Excuse me.
- You're Norwegian, right? Back there...
- Yes?
...I couldn't help overhearing.
Back there I couldn't help overhearing
about your raft. Interesting.
- Are you a sailor?
- No. And neither are you.
Let me show you something.
That will lessen the drag a lot.
We engineers can't help ourselves.
- You're an engineer?
- Yeah.
But nowadays I mostly
sell refrigerators.
Herman Watzinger.
- Thor Heyerdahl.
- So you're going on a raft, are you?
...the evidence is
just overwhelming, you know?
It's possible to actually
drift there on the current.
The wind and the current.
That's the key, and I've got that.
Five months to finance, equip
and mount the entire expedition.
So there's a lot to do.
- Mr. Heyerdahl, may I help you?
- We have an appointment.
The money in place by Christmas,
buy the balsa in January...
Mr. Heyerdahl,
you are not on the list.
Look under his name.
Watzinger. W.
Get a crew down to Peru in February,
build in March, sail in April,
land by August and hope
the hurricane season starts late.
Just following my instincts...
Peter Freuchen.
We damn near died
when the zipper froze.
We all walk in his shadow.
Mr. Heyerdahl, you are
not allowed in here.
Well! My friend from Fatu Hiva!
You look like a man who just got
dumped by a glossy magazine!
Thank you.
Don't worry, Heyerdahl.
Scientific committees, my ass.
- Am I right, McGregor? Or am I right?
- Always. Of course.
Frostbite, the winter of '24.
It taught me one thing: do as the
natives do, down to the smallest detail.
Don't use nails if they use rope,
don't use steel if they use bone.
It took their ancestors
a thousand years to learn.
Go with them, and you just
might hang on to your leg.
Skol.
Whoo!
I'm 32 years old.
I'm a refrigerator salesman, stuck in
a marriage that doesn't go anywhere.
And I'd really like to go
on that raft with you.
OK, I know it's going
to be dangerous,
but you have no idea how risky
the fridge business is.
There will be no one
to save us out there.
Except your theory.
Captain.
At least you won't
lose your leg to frostbite.
You know,
Bamse's convinced you're Santa.
Oh, I hope you tell him
it's not like that.
Well, you tell him.
They are just so excited.
It will be so good
to have you home, Thor.
Yes, Liv... I couldn't
raise the money for the trip, so uh...
...I have to go directly
to Peru now,
and see if I can borrow
enough money.
Are you...
Are you not coming home?
It has been difficult, Liv.
Really difficult.
And I just can't keep
begging anymore.
Don't do this.
I have to, Liv.
Don't do this to the children.
Don't you understand?
If I come home now, I'm finished.
I spent ten years working on this, Liv.
I spent ten years.
You can't even swim.
You should have come home, Thor.
- And, if not...
- Liv...
you should have asked me
to go with you.
- Liv...
- You know I would have said no.
- Liv...
- Because of the children.
Come and meet us in Tahiti.
Bring the boys.
And we can show them Fatu Hiva.
This is the operator. Your
collect call will end in ten seconds.
Just one moment, please?
Thank you.
Liv?
Merry Christmas, Thor.
Merry Christmas.
- Ready?
- Yes.
You all made it! Oh, now I'm happy.
You'd better be. I spent three
weeks getting here, you bastard.
- Thor.
- Hi. This is Herman Watzinger,
- my second-in-command.
- Hello.
For the simple reason that without him,
there couldn't be any first-in-command.
- Herman.
- Herman, these are my two
brilliant radio operators.
Torstein, war hero,
nervous system made of asbestos.
And as far as we know, he has only
two weaknesses: whiskey and women.
Knut Haugland.
Also a war hero.
And I know Knut hates this,
but I have to call him a legend,
because that's what you are.
- Erik, Erik Hesselberg.
- Not a legend.
But you saved my life.
Erik and I grew up together.
And Erik has one unique quality
that just might be useful to us.
Erik has actually
been to sea before.
- Now...
- Since you didn't introduce yourself,
I Will.
This... this is Thor.
He's stubborn, egotistical,
lawfully ambitious...
But he's also a leader.
Because of that,
we are going to do what Tiki did.
We are going to build a raft.
- And...
- And drift into the sunset.
- ...drift into the sunset.
- Where is the raft?
You're sitting on it.
There you go.
- That's what we're building?
- Yes.
Exactly that,
down to the smallest detail.
We'll use the same methods, the same
materials as Tiki did 1,500 years ago.
This is extremely important. Everything
depends on it. I hope that's clear.
All I brought was a radio
and a pocketknife.
- We're going to need a ton of supplies.
- Of course.
Once the money comes through,
we will buy what we need.
That's it.
Sefior Heyerdahl?
Jose Bustamente.
Your Excellency.
Thank you for seeing me.
So, what can I do for you?
Actually, I'm here to tell you about
something I can do for you.
- And what might that be?
- By crossing the Pacific
for 5,000 miles,
I will prove that Peruvians
were the first
to settle Polynesia.
What? Peruvians...
discovered Polynesia?
And how may I help you?
So the president of Peru
calls the American admiral
and the admiral says we can
have anything we want.
In return, we have to invade
Polynesia on behalf of Peru?
And you thought he was a waiter?
...thermometers, battle rations,
powdered soups, floating knives,
desalination tablets, dinghies, fishing
tackle, canned food, shark repellant...
- Does it work?
- What?
- The shark repellent?
- That's what we want you to find out.
- Thor Heyerdahl.
- Yes?
My name is Bengt Daniels-son.
- I'm a bit busy.
- I came across this yesterday.
So now you want to tell me that
the first wave will tip the raft over,
or we will sink two weeks out,
or what do you think?
- Giant squid?
- No.
I wanna show you
how to assemble that camera.
- Here you go.
- You're a photographer.
No. Ethnographer.
Just spent a year up the Amazon.
- But you know how to use the camera?
- Yes.
Let me join you on the raft,
and I'll show you.
There's money to be made
in a documentary... done right.
Thor, I've been thinking.
What about a sea trial?
Just for a few days.
We could still leave before
the hurricane season starts.
- No, it's too risky.
- Risky?
Risky. And besides,
Tiki already made the sea trial.
- Here's to Tiki!
- Skol!
- Tiki!
- Skol!
Excuse me.
Us! Tripulantes!
Tripulantes!
No, you loco!
I'm just calling
to say goodbye, Liv.
We're leaving in a few hours.
- Goodbye, Thor.
- I brought medicines this time. Plenty.
- I hope you don't have to use them.
- What?
- I hope you don't have to use them.
- Yeah. Me too.
- The boys wish you good luck.
- Thank you.
You?
Don't be angry, Liv.
If I pull this off, Liv, our lives
will be completely different.
No more struggling.
I just hope that 100 days from now
your children still have a father.
What did you say?
Nothing, Thor. Nothing.
You're breaking up, Liv.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, Liv...
I called to say goodbye.
Whoa!
Thor, this way!
Hey!
Hey, Torstein, help me with this.
We need to secure this box.
No, no, no, there's plenty
of space right there.
If we get a westerly now,
it'll take us right back to Callao.
No, Tiki's wind came
from the south.
Now pull it up, Thor.
- Ow!
- Are you OK?
More line starboard.
More line starboard.
- Which way is starboard?
- Right! Christ.
Nope. Nothing.
It's the wrong course.
- We have no steering.
- That's fine, that's fine.
Let's use the oar.
Keep it pointing forward.
Excellent work, boys.
You can just sit back and relax.
In 100 days, you can start your own
Peruvian colony in Polynesia.
That's not too bad.
I would like it better
if we were moving towards it.
You might want to take
the lens cap off.
And only 100 days to go.
Thor?
Remember those sailors
in the bar in New York?
Who said the logs would move
and break the ropes?
Hm-mm.
Perhaps we should
have used wire.
The ropes held 1,500 years ago,
and they will hold now.
If you can't trust Tiki,
you can trust me.
Yeah.
Does anyone know
if we can eat them?
Flying fish.
Should be a delicious blend
of herring and grouse.
Herman, grab onto something.
If you fall overboard,
you stay overboard.
We won't be able to turn around.
Thank God one of us
has been to sea before.
I've heard that drowning
is the best way to die.
Well, not exactly.
You might manage for a minute,
until you breathe out of reflex.
Your lungs fill with water,
you choke,
and the, uh, acid created by
the salt water in your stomach
makes you feel like
you burn up inside.
Panic makes your heart kick in,
forcing you to breathe again.
More water.
You lose control,
and then you finally die.
All in all,
three or four minutes.
Hold on. What about my life
flashing past?
Yeah, that's the worst part.
Damn this radio!
- Forget it, Torstein.
- Excuse me?
- Just forget it.
- Forget it?
What do you mean, forget it?
The Andes.
There's nothing we can do.
The Andes are hundreds
of miles away.
OK? Just stay in bed.
We can't risk you vomiting
all over the radio.
I need radio contact.
Money follows attention, and
I'm the one who has to pay for this.
That's right, Thor.
Keep filming.
Look, all I need is to be able
to contact the Coast Guard.
They'd never make it out here in time
anyway. I mean, if something happened.
North-northwest, that's good.
And what we want is west.
The South Equatorial Current
is the only road there is.
I know.
So... how do we get down to it?
As navigator,
I can tell you this.
If you can't steer, you can't
push yourself to change course.
Oh...
Should we wake the others?
No. It's nothing.
We'll let them sleep.
Everyone on deck! Come on!
Torstein!
Get the sail down!
Thor!
Aah!
Tie yourself, Thor.
Tie yourselves!
Get the sail down!
Tie yourselves!
Get the sail down!
Just cut it down!
Just cut it!
Thor! Thor!
Thor, grab my hand!
Grab my hand!
Thor!
That wasn't too bad.
- Hey.
- Twelve degrees,
five minutes, two seconds south.
Eighty degrees north-northwest.
Fifty-two-point-eight
nautical miles.
That makes two-point-two knots.
That's quite good.
Still too northerly.
This is where we are
after four days.
So the worst thing
that can happen is that
we drift back to the coast, right?
No, the worst thing that
can happen is we get carried up
into the maelstrom
south of Galapagos.
That's where we're
heading right now.
I never heard about maelstroms
around Galapagos.
Please, Thor, I'm serious. Look.
We'll be fine. Have faith.
I have faith.
Problem is I also have a sextant.
The Galapagos maelstrom,
a gigantic vortex,
creates waves over nine meters
high and its powerful roar
can be heard ten miles away.
Even has a nice illustration.
- We need it higher.
- Take it higher.
OK, higher!
There...
- We've got something.
- Yes?
His name is Hal.
Transmitting from Los Angeles.
Can you relay messages to the press?
Thor is out of debt.
I lost him.
No, no, no, no! Oh!
Stupid, stupid, stupid bird.
Hey! Just leave her.
Whose idea was it
to bring that bird anyway?
Bengt. Bengt!
Camera. Get the camera!
Get the camera! Bengt! Bengt!
Get the camera!
- Completely harmless.
- Harmless, are you crazy?
That one can tip us over
just like that.
- In Vietnam, it's a deity.
- They call it "Ca Ong."
It means Sir Fish.
- Bengt, the camera.
- Right.
Here it comes.
- Bengt, where's the camera?
- I'm loading it!
Aah!
- It's trying to overturn us!
- No, it's just feeding off the raft.
Don't worry.
Where are you?
Look at that.
Hey. Put that away.
- No!
- Yah!
Erik!
- Erik!
- Get him up!
I've got you.
It's all right. I got you.
Herman! Herman!
Are you deaf?!
He told you to put
the harpoon away!
- He wanted to tip us over.
- It's all right.
Obey your orders!
It's all right.
I'm sorry.
- He didn't listen.
- No, he didn't. I know.
But it's my job to tell him that,
not yours.
He sells refrigerators.
He got frightened.
It happens.
How are you?
Fine.
Yeah.
People who can't get rid
of their demons try this.
Drifting across the Pacific.
Hey, Lorita.
Thor, um...
About the shark
or the whale or...
- ls Knut OK?
- He's fine.
Don't worry.
Why the oar?
Trying to catch the
South Equatorial bus.
Unless we already
missed the stop.
We won't.
We could have.
No.
We couldn't.
Building a life raft?
No, it's for my daughter.
She's six months old.
We just don't have enough power.
It's not about the wattage.
Oh! Oh, come on!
Put out that cigarette.
Look.
There's something down there.
Look at that.
Look at that.
Shark protection.
Right. I see.
- So are you going down?
- No. Bengt is.
That's right. Send the Swede.
Shark.
It's getting waterlogged.
Just as you showed me.
Showed?
I broke off a piece
and threw it overboard.
Sank like a stone.
The raft is absorbing water.
- It looks worse than it is.
- We're not even on the right course.
You just earned yourself another
dog watch. Let's get back to work.
This is not a holiday.
There. Got him.
Ready?
Um... yes.
To: Royal Norwegian Embassy,
Washington, D.C.
From: Thor Heyerdahl, Kon-Tiki,
May 16th, 1947.
Zero-niner degrees,
36 minutes, 58 seconds south.
The raft is keeping up well.
We are on our way, and morale is high.
Having had problems with the radio, we
have been unable to establish contact.
Wind conditions are stable
and we are traveling an average speed...
- You all right?
- Yep.
- Sure about this?
- People will want to see
a picture of the raft
in the ocean.
Around your wrist.
It's about 5,000 meters deep,
so don't drop it.
Thor! Shark!
- Get it up! Get it up!
- Don't jerk the rope!
Take my hand. Take my hand!
Grab my hand!
I'm fine.
Bengt. Bengt!
Why are you giving the sharks
oursoup?
It's the shark repellant
the Americans gave us.
No, it isn't.
It's tomato soup.
Where's the shark repellent?
Well, I guess we ate it then.
Lorita!
Lorita! Lorita!
No!
Watch your feet!
Whoo!
Stop! This is madness!
We'll only attract more sharks!
Aah!
Please.
It's our only chance.
Our only hope now is to try
to strengthen the lashings.
Tie her together.
Don't you see?
We built this raft
exactly the way Tiki did.
And we'll get there
just as he did.
Have faith.
Faith?
This isn't religion, Thor.
This is insane.
This is bigger than us.
Please.
Look at the logs.
Feel the raft.
I'm begging you.
All I'm asking is just a little
safety with modern materials.
Please?
No!
No!
At least I won't lose
my leg to frostbite.
Herman!
Herman, grab the rope!
Hold on! Hold on!
Grab the oar!
Hang on!
Throw the shark overboard!
Pull it in again!
Throw it out!
Herman!
Knut, no!
Three years ago,
I shot four men.
The Gestapo finally
found me with my radio.
- It was war.
- Yeah.
Tor-stein says the same.
He helped sink the Tirpitz.
A thousand men went down.
That doesn't bother him.
Thank you.
You saved my life.
That's what I mean.
Thank you.
I couldn't have saved you.
I couldn't have saved you.
I can't swim.
I know.
We all know.
What time is it?
Ten past two.
- You sure about that?
- Yes. Ten past two.
- We need to talk.
- Yes?
We're on the South Equatorial.
Heading straight for Polynesia.
- Are you sure?
- I'm sure.
My God!
Look at that! Look at that!
We found it!
- Is that it? Are we there?
- Whoo-hoo!
- I knew it! You see?
- No, you didn't!
I knew it!
Herman.
At last!
Hey, let me have one.
You didn't doubt it, did you?
On course, and shipshape,
we have now passed the critical point.
And spirits are high.
Every nautical mile
is a nautical mile
closer to the proof
I have sought.
Early man did not see
the ocean as a barrier,
but rather as a means
of communication.
This is science that cannot
be done behind a desk
or by a committee.
One thousand
five hundred years ago,
a South American civilization
possessed the maritime
and navigational skills
to successfully maneuver
a balsa wood raft
over 5, 000 miles.
We are using the same stars
as they did.
It's as if we're the only human
beings left in the universe.
Maybe we are.
Maybe they've dropped
more bombs on each other.
Every city like Hiroshima.
Then we wouldn't
have radio contact, Bengt.
Maybe nature has
just accepted us.
As a part of itself.
Like a fish or a... or a bird.
Bird...
A bird!
Hey!
Hey, look! A bird!
What's going on?
Look!
Whoo-hoo!
Five thousand miles behind us,
and the worst danger
lies just ahead.
- Human beings, right?
- No.
The Raroia reef.
A barrier of underwater
razor blades.
Why didn't you
mention that before?
There was no way of knowing
exactly where we would end up.
We could try
to force our way south.
Ought to hit Samoa in 30 days.
Good, thanks.
What other options are there?
We could try and, uh... surf over it.
Surf?
Yes.
You see, waves build in cycles of 13.
Meaning every 13th wave is
significantly bigger than the rest.
Um... let me show you.
Uh... when we get close to the reef,
we'll throw out an anchor
or something heavy
to hold the raft
back in position.
- Then what?
- Then we count the waves.
And just before the 13th wave,
we cut the rope,
and hopefully surf the raft
over the reef.
That might work.
I like it.
That's the way.
- Let's do it.
- All right.
Let's find something heavy.
Approaching Raroia reef.
If no word within 36 hours,
contact Norwegian Embassy
in Washington.
Two hundred and 50 yards to go.
Ow!
- Put your boots on!
- Everybody, get your boots on!
Are we ready?
ls everything set?
- When you're ready, Herman.
- Yep! All right! Drop the anchor!
One!
Did you ever consider
life jackets?
Two!
Three!
Four!
Five!
Six!
Seven!
Eight!
Nine!
We've lost it!
Pull tight!
Thor!
Thor! Wait!
This is BBC Radio
reporting worldwide.
This is Radio Australia World News...
A stunning achievement
being reported today
from the Tuamotu Islands
in Polynesia.
. . . six Scandinavian
explorers, 5,000 miles of sea
and one balsa wood raft.
...cheating death
over a 101-day voyage.
Not since Ernest
Shackleton's journey to Antarctica
- has anyone done something so bold.
- An awe-inspiring tale of man
against nature.