Domain Name Com's The Island at the Top of the World

The Island at the Top of the World

Domain Name Com's - : The Island at the Top of the World

- I finally found it.
I saw this film years ago. To tell the truth, I was 5 years young back then when they brought it to the cinemas. There were neither VCRs then nor color TVs in Israel,mind you. So as a small kid watching this fantastic film stretched so widely on the big screen with the icebergs, the Zeppelin, the volcanos, the huge dark whales and the barbaric vikings running around...wow, that was an overdose. After 32 years, those very same pictures were all that I could remember. I didn't know the title of the film; I knew nothing about it except for the icebergs, the Zeppelin, the volcanos...you get my drift. The 21st century with its much improved search engines has brought this film back to me, and it is here to stay. Now my children, my wife and I can relax and see it again.

Rating:

- good family fun
I happened on this film at a local video store and remembered on a hollow earth conspiracy list that this film was based upon the Eskimo legend that the lost viking colony of Greenland actually did not die out, but went north where there was more game and food.
In any event I did enjoy the film and reminded me of the caliber of films that made movies like "The sound of music" such enjoyable family fun. Yes, there are plot holes, and the acting is not perfect - but this is not the point since kids really aren't that picky when it comes to these kinds of things. And I as an adult still liked this film as well. It is a good story, with good set design. Perfect for elementary school level kids and up.

Rating:

- A great film? No. Great fun? Yes!
There are some films you love but you can't really justify. Still, I'll give it a try with The Island at the Top of the World. I can understand why a younger generation probably have a hard time taking an adventure movie with action icons Donald Sinden, David Hartman and Jacques Marin seriously. And yes, the once state of the art special effects do look quaint these days, not least Donald Sinden running furiously on the spot to outrun backprojected lava in a shot that elicited roars of laughter from audiences at the time. Maybe it's because it's one of those films I grew up with. In the pre-Star Wars seventies there weren't that many kid-friendly adventure movies, what with nihilism, Vietnam and post-Watergate cynicism setting the screen agenda, so a film that offered airships, volcanoes, killer whales, Eskimos (as we still ignorantly called them in those days), the North Pole and a lost colony of Vikings (in what looks so suspiciously like the Shangri-La of the previous year's Lost Horizon remake that you keep on expecting them to start singing The World is a Circle) was like Christmas come early.

The plot is the standard three-act lost world model - spend a third of the movie getting there, a third finding out what it's like and the last third running for their lives as they attempt to escape - but Disney's now forgotten A-list director Robert Stevenson keeps it moving swiftly along, Peter Ellenshaw's Oscar-nominated production design and Alan Maley's matte paintings give it a storybook quality and it also has a beautiful Maurice Jarre score which has sadly never been released as an album. Dammit, I still enjoy it!

Disney's 30th anniversary edition is the one to get. The extras aren't as lavish as the Vault Disney series, but there better than the pevious R1 and overseas DVD releases - a 1968 presentation reel for the film, a vintage behind-the-scenes featurette, 4 TV spots, 2 trailers, camera dailies and a surprisingly good stills gallery. It's just a shame they didn't carry over the isolated score from the laserdisc issue.

Rating:

- Nice Idea; Weak Execution
I have always been a big fan of Disney movies. When this movie came out in the 1970s I chose to spend my money on this movie rather than other (better, as I found out later) movies. I was somewhat disappointed at that time that the movie was relatively cheesy in the special effects department. I had to wonder whether my perceptions had changed in 30+ years.

The story begins with a lot of promise. Sir Anthony Ross (Donald Sinden) is on a mission to find his son, who was lost on an Artic expedition. He "recruits" Professor John Ivarsson (David Hartman) to go on the trip. Ivarsson is an American archeologist who also happens to speak the language of the Vikings. Sorry. He has read the language of the ancient Vikings.

Sir Anthony has commissioned a motorized balloon to take his search to the Arctic. While there are a few places where the balloon is readily discernible as a model, the balloon was one of the most charming features of this movie, and one of the best special effects.

Sir Anthony's modes of operation include all manner of highhanded and arrogant activities. In addition to coercing Ivarsson, he is dictatorial with Captain Brieux, the pilot of the balloon, he kidnaps Oomiak (Mako), an Eskimo who was with Donald Ross (David Gwillim) when the great blizzard struck, and generally acts like an arrogant jerk through most of the movie. I began to cringe every time he opened his mouth, and I suspect you will too.

Sir Anthony's expedition reaches a lost colony of Vikings on an island they call Astragard. Fortunately, Professor Ivarsson speaks the language. Of course, Sir Anthony's son would have learned the language by then as well, not to mention having fallen for Freyja (Agneta Eckmeyr), a local blonde lass. Of course there are obligatory moments of tension as the adventurers are accused of being invaders, the mandatory execution, the escape, and all the excitement that goes with a Disney showdown between the bad guys and the good guys.

The movie has high moments. I was fascinated when a propeller broke over the ocean. Nearly every scene with the balloon was a winner. Some of the scenes on the lost island of Astragard were very good, including portions that looked suspiciously like they were "inspired" by "In Search of the Castaways."

The acting was uniformly poor. David Hartman's face was deadpan through the entire movie. His face actually showed emotion in the final scene for the first time. I found Sir Anthony to be obnoxious. I wondered whether the director was poking fun at the English by having the American counsel caution and attempt to be tactful while Sir Anthony was worse than a bull in a china shop. Many of the supporting actors were just as weak, often looking like they were waiting for their cue to speak, standing in place unnaturally. However, the cast had two characters I enjoyed. Mako was good as long-haired Oomiak. The movie was much more interesting because of the addition of Oomiak. I also liked Captain Brieux. Of course, Oomiak and Captain Brieux appeared to have honest emotions, and the two of them together had more emotions that the rest of the cast put together.

There were many places in the movie where the special effects were obvious. The mattes, lava flows and blue screen effects were nearly always painfully obvious. Each time I watch one of the running scenes against a blue screen I wonder how the actors kept from being completely embarrassed. I will refrain from describing how poor the killer whales appeared in their attack scene.

This 1974 movie had a chance of being as good as Disney's adventure movies of the 60s. However, there were too many things going against it. The acting was weak, the plot was excessively derivative, and the special effects were poor even by Disney's standards. In spite of all the bashing, I am actually fond of this movie. It has a certain cheesy charm that allows me to watch it after having seen it several times over the years. I am hesitant to recommend this movie because of its weaknesses, but if you are looking for another movie in the style of "In Search of the Castaways" and the Disney version of "Swiss Family Robinson," then you may want to give this one a try.

Rating:

- Back when Disney was fun.
Island at the Top of the World was probably not one of Disney's better live action movies.Most of the fans saw it back when they were kids in the early 70's and it has managed to hang in a few peoples memories. The acting isnt bad save for David Hartman who is barely believable. The story isnt bad but not very believable either. Still, you really have to appreciate the large matte paintings used for backdrops and sets. They must have been difficult to make.You also have to give Disney credit at the time for not making the lost Norse tribe speak English.With all the costumes and make up and sets it definitely feels like a '70s movie.

Surprisingly Disney managed to put some extras on this dvd. One short documentary, made just prior to the films release, is included. You have to laugh when the narrator says things like "this film is destined to become a classic movie" and "If X and Y and Z had happend, then a tribe of Norsemen could still be living today". Oh please!

Buy it if your nostalgic,or you appreciate the effort of movie makers back then, you wont be disappointed. Rent it if you have never heard of it.

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