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Revision as of 15:23, 23 September 2006 by Andman8 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) 1980 film| Fukkatsu no hi | |
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File:Fukkatsu no hi.jpgIMDB  6.2/10 (272 votes) As of September 18, 2006 | |
| Directed by | Kinji Fukasaku |
| Written by | Sakyo Komatsu (novel) Kôji Takada,Gregory Knapp,Kinji Fukasaku (screenplay) |
| Produced by | Haruki Kadokawa |
| Starring | Glenn Ford Sonny Chiba Chuck Connors |
| Cinematography | Daisaku Kimura |
| Edited by | Akira Suzuki |
| Music by | Kentaro Haneda Janis Ian Teo Macero |
| Release date | 1980 (U.S. release) |
| Running time | 155 min. |
| Languages | English Japanese |
| Budget | 2 million yen |
Fukkatsu no hi (or Virus or Day of Resurrection in English) is a 1980 post apocalyptic sci-fi movie starring Sonny Chiba and Glenn Ford. The film is notable for being the most expensive Japanese film ever made at the time costing over 2 million yen.
Plot
The movie opens with a shady transfer happening between a corrupt scientist and a group of Russian soldiers. The Russians acquire MM88, a deadly virus that magnifies the potency of any other virus or bacteria it comes in contact with. The Russians crash their plane and the virus is released creating a world wide epidemic. After several months the entire population is exterminated except for 863 scientists doing research at the South Pole. The virus becomes in active at -10 degrees centigrade sparing the 855 men and eight women. However, just as the group begins to repopulate the human race it is revealed an earthquake will set off the United States nuclear arsenal. After the weapons are fired Russian counter measures will automatically deploy. Unfortunately for the survivors a nuclear weapon is aimed at the Antarctica research base. Sonny Chiba and Captain McCloud (Chuck Connors} embark on a mission to disarm the weapons before the earthquake strikes. They are however too late and all but a few men and the women perish in the blast. Over the course of years Chiba's character walks back to Antarctica. Upon reaching the Andes he has a chance encounter with the remaining survivors.
Background/Production
Haruki Kadokawa the producer of the film was the heir to Kadokawa Shoten, major publishing empire in Japan. After his father died in 1975 he decided to create a cinema branch of the company and began producing many films in the late 1970s including Inugamike no ichizoku(1976) and Ningen no shômei (1977) a murder mystery with a worldwide release. In 1978 production on Fukkatsu no Hi started. Kadokawa wanted the film to be a big breakthrough in the international market so he tried to insure its success by casting some notable foreign stars and doing major international promotion (under the international title "Virus"). He also funded the largest budget of any Japanese film ever made at the time to solidify the movie as worthy of an international release.
The Chilean Navy allowed the film crew to use their nuclear submarine "The Simpson" to film scenes aboard the two submarines in the film. A small amount of international publicity was given when a Swedish ship, the Lindblad Explorer, transporting a production unit to Antartica for location shooting, struck a submerged reef and almost sunk. Passengers were rescued by Chilean navy ships.
Reception
The film became a major failure despite its enormous budget. Although it may have had some special showings in the United States and elsewhere, it did not receive a general release. It was sold directly to pay-tv and edited down to a 108 minute version. This version of the film was cut by more than 40 minutes leaving out the much of the love story and the entire trek back to Antarctica.