The Island at the Top of the World

source: The Island at the Top of the World

Trailer—The Island at the Top of the World

The Island at the Top of the World

Wonderful, fun movie I've remembered always. I saw this when it came out; learned that Iceland was the closest place in concept. Finally visited last month - stunning. I stood in Leif Erikson's actual house foundations - how cool is that!

Beautiful adventure, not completely for children, shown in naive way typical for Disney movies. This could be made into much more complex movie and with today's technology it could be top blockbuster. Story, acting and directing are decent, but special effects and editing are pretty bad even for its time. But, this is just a Disney from 70's so we should turn a blind eye a bit. It is entertaining and it has Oscar nomination for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration. It's worth watching. 6/10

Largely forgotten amid the many other fantasy adventures from around this time, this one is a gem. A slow start, and the antiquated attitudes of the explorers are cringeworthy, but it gets going! Donald Sinden's aristocratic Englishman leads a search party for his missing son, they travel by airship towards the Arctic circle and discover a hidden land beyond the ice. For me - this was one of the best depictions of Norse people I've ever seen in cinema. From the get - go, no horned helmets or fake snow, these people spoke old Norse throughout the movie, correct clothes and appearance, and their villages and buildings were beautiful. Great to see normal life for Norse people, and not raiding and pillaging! The special effects get a little ropey towards the end but we can forgive that, and the aforementioned Sinden is on top eye rolling ham form. A great Sunday afternoon movie!

This is a good example of the Disney Studio's at there best. A light fantasy with good photography and acting. David Hartman does a passable job in his lone movie staring role. Interesting story with just enough action to hold the viewers attention. A good addition to any library and worth viewing annually. Great family fare with its "G" rating. I rated this an 8.

FYI...I flew the camera ship for the Polar Bear and Narwhal scenes. The camera man was Bill Bacon from Squim, Washington. According to my log book, I met Bill in Resolute Bay, NWT on about July 24, 1973. On July 26, 1973 we flew 2+00 hours to Arctic Bay, NWT for staging and fuel. I logged 6+30 hours flying on July 27th, this was en-route from Arctic Bay,NWT to Admirality Inlet for the filming and returning to Resolute Bay. The Aircraft was a Bell 206B (CF-OKU) belonging to Okanagan Helicopters Ltd. A Canadian company out of Vancouver, BC, Canada with a base in Resolute. The Narwhal scenes were filmed with a 35 MM camera, but if I remember correctly Bill shot the Polar bear as an after thought and was filmed with a 16 MM camera. Walter Lasher Everett, Washington W98208@Juno.com

As with several other reviewers, I also have fond memories of the theatrical release of this film from my youth, and this fantastic Jules Vernesque tale of a airship journey into the unknown arctic still holds up pretty well after all this time. There is some decent acting, a great score, a zeppelin,vikings in real viking longboats, real Scandinavian dialog, exploding volcanoes and vicious killer whales, what more do you want? Some things are dated, such as the Eskimo vs. Inuit thing, the portrayal of Orca as man-eaters, etc. and the special effects have seen better days..but there are some surprisingly good sets with amazing matte paintings that are as good as anything you see on modern films (note the amazing viking hall on a hill top), great aerial footage, and a pretty decent story with good pace. Break out the popcorn and enjoy it with your kids.

This was the first film that I saw in the theater as a kid, and I have never forgotten it. David Hartman instantly became my favorite actor, and I was hooked on movies forever! This is the kind of movie that fills our dreams and satisfies the wanderlusterer in all of us. The high adventure, and colorful cinematography in this movie is what makes a great film. I've purchased the movie recently and am able to relive the wonder of Arctic travel once more. Its truly a trip back to my childhood when all things were simpler and adventure waited around every turn.