Heyerdahl's original Oscar-winning documentary shot on 16mm film during the voyage made a lasting impression when I first saw it in the early 1950s, when I couldn't have been more than 7 or 8. About five years ago, I was able to see it again and marvel not only at the courage and perseverance of Heyerdahl and his crew, but the strides man has made in transportation, electronics and communication in my lifetime. The new film, unfortunately, fails to capture the spirit of the original documentary, inserts a lot of highly speculative high drama, then stops when the raft finds the right currents to carry it to Polynesia. The differences in the films is symbolized by the men's mascot, Loretta. In the real-life film, she's a very small parrot who gets lost a storm. In the new film, she's a brightly colored Macaw who gets eaten by a pack of CGI sharks. Sometimes the truth IS better.
