Original subtitles

[wind blowing, seagulls calling]

[boy]

[boy]

- [boy 1] - [boy 2]

[bubbling]

[gurgling, coughing]

[shivering]

[woman]

[boys chattering indistinctly]

- [man] - [woman]

[knocking on glass]

[man]

[children laughing]

Smile!

Just be yourself. That's perfect.

[bell rings]

[children chattering]

[Thor]

So, no smiling.

[camera clicks]

[indistinct chatter]

[chuckles]

- [Thor yelling] Whoo! - [Liv laughs]

[both shouting, laughing]

[Thor]

[Thor] Yes.

[grunting]

[Liv] Hmm?

"The Faa-hoka is the Marquesan variety of pineapple.

It was found in abundance by the first European explorers."

[chuckles]

[Tei continues in foreign language]

[chuckles]

[animals chittering]

[Thor]

- [car engine revving] - [indistinct shouting]

[phone ringing nearby]

[man answers, speaks indistinctly]

[Sighs]

So, how long are you in New York?

Leaving in a few days.

Going home for Christmas.

My name is Heyerdahl.

- Thor Heyerdahl. - Yes, you already said that.

[footsteps approaching]

[man clears throat] 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.

What number am I?

How many publishers have you seen before me?

I know you've been to Barbeau and Benedict.

I presume Mead and Hill too.

All scientists assume the world is waiting to hear from them.

The fact that I'm your last hope ought to tell you something.

Yes, that scientific publishing is completely closed to new ideas.

It tells me that when you ignore evidence, nothing...

Listen to me.

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.

[chuckles]

Rafts.

Now that would be evidence.

You want your theory to be accepted? You want to be right?

Then, go ahead.

Drift from Peru to Polynesia on a balsa wood raft.

Good luck.

[buzzer sounds]

[woman speaking over intercom] Mr. Brownberg's here to see you, professor.

[Thor] 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?

No, absolutely not. We will surrender to the current

and the Wind, like 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.

Ancient man, being sun worshipers...

[man] 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.

[man] I doubt you'll have any success in recruiting anyone for such a voyage.

- [creaking] - [clock ticking]

[wind whistling]

[soft groan]

- [jazz plays] - [Thor] A dozen logs or so.

Big balsa wood logs.

We're, uh, five crew. All very capable, of course.

The mast, the rudder...

There you go. 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.

[indistinct chatter]

[Thor]

- Mr. Heyerdahl, may I help you? - We have an appointment.

Mr. Heyerdahl, you are not on the list.

Look under his name. Watzinger. W.

[men chattering indistinctly]

Just following my instincts...

We damn near died when the zipper froze.

[laughter]

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!

[laughter]

[laughs] 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.

[laughter]

[laughter]

[Thor] Whoo!

[laughter]

[Thor chuckles]

I'd like to change my ticket to Oslo, please.

- Certainly, sir. - I want two tickets to Lima, Peru.

- And when would you like to travel? - [Herman] What's the soonest?

One moment, please.

Tomorrow.

- Tomorrow then. - Certainly, sir.

[LI-V]

[Liv]

[children giggling]

[woman] This is the operator. Your collect call will end in ten seconds.

Yes, just one moment, please. Thank you.

- [laughing] - [horn honks]

[men chuckling]

[all chuckling]

Senor Heyerdahl, if you have a minute.

Senor, nice to see you.

I must say, delicious breakfast this morning.

[speaking foreign language]

- About the bill... - I know.

Still waiting for the money.

American dollars are hard to transfer these days.

- But it's been three weeks. - I know.

- I can't... - I know.

Just a few more days. Thank you.

Thank you.

[shouts in foreign language]

Your Excellency, thank you for seeing me at such...

Your Excellency, thank you for...

[door opens, closes]

Senor Heyerdahl?

Just a glass of water, please. Thank you.

Monsieur Bustamante.

Your Excellency, thank you for seeing me...

So, uh, 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.

Ah.

Peruvians discovered Polynesia.

And how may I help you?

[Thor]

[Herman]

[laughs]

[man] ...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.

- [film whirring] - [no audio]

[indistinct chatter]

[Thor] That's fine, just put it there. Thank you.

[Thor] Yes.

[indistinct]

- [banging] - [laughter]

Excuse me.

- Us! Tripulantes! - [all cheering]

- Tripulantes! - [applause]

- No, you loco! - [laughter]

[distant bell rings]

[ringing continues]

Wait!

[Liv grunting]

Wait!

[Thor shouting]

Over here! Over here!

Hey! Over here!

[ Thor, distorted] What did you say?

[sighing]

Please...

[beeping tone]

[boys chattering]

- [film whirring] - [no audio]

- [overlapping chatter] - [ship horn blares]

- [explosion] - [cheering]

- [marching band plays] - [explosions]

[band playing lively music]

[PA announcement in Spanish]

Whoa!

- [heartbeat rhythm] - [noise fades]

[cheerful, overlapping shouts in Spanish]

- [ship horn blares] - [engine puttering]

[man]

[crowd cheering]

[bird squawking]

' [man 1] ' [man 2]

[Bengt]

[Thor]

[camera whirring]

[chuckles]

[camera whirring]

[vomiting]

[thunder rumbles]

[gasps]

- [wood creaking] - [men snoring]

[logs banging together]

[Thor] Mm-hmm.

[camera whirring]

[laughs]

[chuckles]

[radio static]

[Thor]

[Thor]

[thunder rumbles]

[thunder crashing]

[grunting] Aah!

[wood creaking]

[thunder crackling]

- [moaning] - [men shouting outside]

- [wood creaking] - [coughing]

- [bird squawking] - [thunder crashes]

[Thor]

[yelling]

[shouting]

[fabric ripping]

[yelling]

[gasping]

[sound fading]

[panting]

[wood creaking lightly]

[bird screeching]

[Thor]

[Erik]

[Thor]

[Erik]

"The Galapagos maelstrom creates waves over nine meters high

and its powerful roar can be heard over ten miles away."

[radio static]

[Torstein]

[Static]

[Morse code beeping]

[Static]

[squawking]

[Knut shivering, groaning]

[Squawks]

- [muttering] - [laughing]

- Aah! " [laughing]

[deep bellowing]

[camera whirring]

[chuckling]

Yah!

- [shouting] - [raft creaking]

[creaking]

[grunting]

[sighing]

[Squawks]

[Lorita croaking]

- [Bengt] - [Erik]

[Erik]

[Bengt]

[logs thumping, creaking]

[exhaling]

[raft creaking]

[rattling]

[sparking]

[exhales]

[typing]

[chuckling]

[muffled screaming]

[gasping, coughing]

[coughs]

[panting]

[Static]

[beeping]

[beeping]

[Knut] Yeah.

To: Royal Norwegian Embassy, Washington, D.C.

From: Thor Heyerdahl, Kon-Tiki, May 17th, 1947.

Fifty-eight seconds south, zero-niner seconds west.

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...

[camera whirring]

[whirring stops]

[whirring resumes]

[panting]

[Erik]

' [Knut] ' [Thor]

[laughing]

- [squawking] - [Erik singing in foreign language]

[Erik whistling tune]

[Erik humming]

[screeches]

[screeches]

[shouting]

[grunting]

Whoo!

[Torstein laughs]

[grunting]

[Herman]

[grunting]

Aah!

[grunting]

[Thor]

[splashing]

[laughs weakly]

[gasping]

[grunting, shouts]

[panting]

[gasping]

[grunting]

[all panting]

[Thor grunting]

[Erik]

[chuckles]

[laughter]

[all shouting, laughing]

Whoo-hoo!

[laughing]

[Thor] On course and shipshape, we have now passed the critical point.

- [beeping] - And spirits are high.

Every nautical mile is a nautical mile

closer to the proof I have sought.

Early man did not see the oceans as a barrier,

but rather as a means of communication.

This is science that cannot be done behind a desk

or by a committee.

That a 1, 500-year-old civilization,

possessed the maritime and the navigational skills

to successfully maneuver a balsa wood raft

over 5, 000 miles.

We are using the same stars as they did.

Hey!

[laughter]

Woo-hoo-hoo!

[chuckling]

- Approaching Raroia reef. - [beeping]

If no word within 36 hours,

contact Norwegian Embassy in Washington.

Two hundred and fifty yards to go.

Ow!

[Thor]

[Thor]

[creaking]

[Herman]

[creaking]

[shouting]

[creaking]

[loud scraping]

[shouting]

[boy's voice echoing]

[gasping]

[coughing]

[coughs]

[panting]

[Thor gasping]

[laughing]

[all laughing, shouting]

[LI-V]

- [film whirring] - [no audio]

[slow piano music]