Japan, 1980
156m [Japanese version]; 108m [US version]
35mm film, Eastmancolor, 1.85:1
stereo, English, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Russian
A Japanese science fiction film directed by Kenji Fukasaku.
Plot Summary
A virus wipes out huge swathes of the human race and the survivors gather in Antarctica to try to find a cure before it's too late.
Credits
Crew
Director: Kenji Fukasaku
Haruki Kadokawa presents
Tokyo Broadcasting System, Kadokawa Eiga
Producer: Haruki Kadokawa
Screenplay: Koji Takada, Gregory Knapp, Kenji Fukasaku
Based on the Novel by: Komatsu Sakyo
Director of Photography: Daisaku Kimura
Editor: Akira Suzuki
Cast
Masao Kusakari (Doctor Yoshizumi)
Bo Svenson (Major Carter)
Olivia Hussey (Marit)
Isao Natsuki [real name: Isao Natsuyagi] (Doctor Nakanishi)
Henry Silva (General Garland)
Edward J. Olmos (Captain Lopez)
Glenn Ford (President Richardson)
George Kennedy (Admiral Conway)
Stephanie Faulkner (Sarah Baker)
Robert Vaughn (Senator Barkley)
Nicholas Campbell (radio operator – Palmer Station)
Tsunehiko Watase (Tatsuno)
Shinichi Chiba (Doctor Yamauchi)
Kensaku Morita (Mazawa Shinzawa)
Toshiyuki Nagashima (Matsuo)
Chris Wiggins (Doctor Borodinov)
Cec Linder (Doctor Latour)
Eve Crawford (Doctor Irma Ollich)
George Touliatos (Colonel Rankin)
Ron Hartman (Doctor Rogers)
Chuck Connors (Captain McCloud – HMS Nereid)
Ken Camroux (Officer Jones – HMS Nereid)
Ken Pogue (Doctor Krause)
Ken Ogata (Professor Tsuchiya)
Alternative Titles
Ameaça Planetária – Portuguese title
Apocalypse – Das Ende der Welt – German DVD title
Day of Resurrection – US title
Dødelig virus – Norwegian title
The End – Argentine video, US video title
Exterminio – Spanish title
Livsfarlig virus – Danish title
Overkill – Der jüngste Tag – West German re-release title
Overkill – Durch die Hölle zur Ewigkeit – West Germany
Tödlicher Virus – Das Ende der Welt – Germany re-release title
Ultimo rifugio: Antartide – Italian title
Virus – English language title
Virus: The End – US title
Wirus – Polish title
Вирус – Russian title
復活の日 – Japanese title
References
Periodicals
Asian Cinema vol.19 no.2 (Autumn/Winter 2008) pp.215-231 – article (Doomsday, past, present and future: Kinji Fukasaku's Virus by Tony Williams)
Cinefantastique vol.11 no.3 (September 1981) p.12
Cinema Canada vol.3 no.64 (April 1980) pp.2, 4, 6, 7-9
Screen International no.204 (25 August 1979) p.9
Screen International no.233 (22-29 March 1980) p.9 – illustrated note (World desk news: Japan by Nancy Hata)
Screen International no.237 (19 April 1980) p.6
Starburst no.29 (1980) pp.20-23 – credits
Time Out no.629 (10 September 1982) p.35 – review
Variety 28 May 1980 pp.43-44
Books
Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction by Phil Hardy (ed) p.361
Horror and Science Fiction Films II by Donald C. Willis p.420
Nuclear Movies: A Filmography by Mick Broderick p.92
