Touching the Void
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Movie Reviews of Touching the Void
Movie Review: Some considerations to keep in mind!
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, this is one of those rare productions where some 'Hollywood' version of true events [** you know, the old Hollywood classic of "for the sake of the script, viewer interest and so-termed 'creative license' ...] doesn't tinker with the facts or where countless Hollywood hawked "taken from true events" winds up taking a beating and pure 'fiction' enters the script forthwith! See my K2 review and the additional problem of some folks seeing a 'movie' and suddenly transpose the movie and sometimes even its 'fictional' characters and conjured plot to literal 'fact' [!] simply because they never researched the actual events any further than the Silver Screen representation of same!
In this film production , while professional actors duly play Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, the 'real' Simpson and Yates comment on the film as the film progresses. I don't mean some viewer option 'commentary' DVD machine turn on/turn off kind of thing, I mean the actual 'visuals' of the real Joe Simpson and Simon Yates commenting throughout the film itself. One could say it's a documentary versus 'movie' per se but the direct input of Simpson and Yates, at least in this case and IMO of course, only adds to the film. And its accuracy.
Now for the biggie: It's hardly any secret that Simon Yates took some heavy flak from certain folks in the mountaineering fraternity citing what they believe to be the unwritten code or "golden rule", viz., "you don't cut the rope!" That's of course very easy to say when it's someone 'else' who is involved in such horror filled time spans but my own feeling is who is to say what one will do or not do in such dire circumstances! And keep this one in mind: I keep hearing as the alleged 'primary' reason for Yates cutting the rope [from various and sundry who are highly critical of Yates] that, "Yates says he thought Simpson was dead" and followed by "how could Yates ever know this!" but I suggest that Yates believing Simpson was dead was a 'secondary' consideration and the 'primary' consideration was the FACT that Yates was 'himself' being slowly but surely edged off the mountain. In effect, 'both' climbers could have fallen had the rope not been cut and who is to say the result then!
Further, and of cogence, Simpson 'defended' the action of Yates cutting the rope. Simpson also dedicated his book to Simon Yates. Recall too that in the real drama, Simpson landed on a small ledge "within a few feet of a deep drop-off" within the crevasse. Who is to say what the impact of that ledge landing would have been had 'both' men tumbled off the mountain? Yates could not pull Simpson up nor was Simpson capable of assisting in any upward climb on the rope, Yates was himself being edged off the vertical and into oblivion by the weight of the rope -- what does one do! Finally, and think about this one, Simpson was freezing to death on the end of that rope during the storm and, ironically, landing in the crevasse after the rope was cut actually sheltered him [such as it was but nevertheless shelter] from the brunt of the storm and significantly reduced the effect of the storm winds [while dangling on the rope] with regard to acute hypothermia and wind-chill issues.
On the other hand, we have a situation here where both men did survive and were able to fill in the gaps as to what happened versus some 'conjectured' scenario of having no input from the original climbers involved. And, hey, OK, I'll play, what would 'I' have done? I don't know! I've mercifully not been in a situation like that but what I'm grousing about are those Yates detractors who were not there yet castigate Yates by simply parroting "You don't cut the rope!" ad infinitum suggesting that no matter the circumstances, ahhh, 'they' would 'never' conceive of doing such a thing. No-no, not they! 'They' would allegedly die first, kind of thing, and allegedly never even give a passing thought to touching that rope but I'm not so sure that kind of statement can be made when the speaker of same is not the one involved in the decision! Or the intense physical and psychological stress of the moment as one is being edged off the mountain and into oblivion themselves!
It's a gripping film and has various extras including the making of the film featurette and "Return to Siula Grande" with further interviews with Joe Simpson and Simon Yates. BTW, it also shows the truism that the 'majority' of accidents in mountaineering endeavors occur on the 'descent' versus the 'ascent' -- as the most recent K2 tragedy [August 1, 2008] well demonstrates where 11 experienced climbers were killed.
Doc Tony
Movie Review: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival.
Summary: 5 Stars
"Touching the Void " is a docudrama based on Joe Simpson's bestselling book about his nearly fatal 1985 mountaineering accident on Peru's Siula Grande. Simpson was 25 years old at the time, and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, was 21. The two young adventurers had it in mind to "climb the world". In 1985, they set out to ascend the as yet unclimbed west face of Siula Grande, to its peak at 21,000 feet. They climbed "alpine style' with no more gear than they would need to make it to the peak and back in about 3 days. They reached the peak -so far, so good- but the supposedly simpler route they chose for the descent turned out to be anything but, which delayed the descent, causing them to run out of gas to fuel a fire. Disaster struck on Day 4, when Joe Simpson fell, breaking his leg. In severe pain, his tibia thrust through his knee joint with such force that it split his femur, Joe was unable to continue the descent. Simon decided to lower Joe down the mountain on a rope, as fast as possible, 300 feet at a time. This worked up to the point that Joe was lowered off of an ice cliff. Hanging about 150 feet from the bottom and with no way to climb back up the rope, Joe was powerless. Simon could not see what the problem was, nor could he hold onto the rope indefinitely without being pulled down himself. So he made a controversial decision to save his own life. And that is really where the story begins.Director Kevin MacDonald has intercut interview footage of the real Joe Simpson and Simon Yates with re-enactments of the events in which the climbers are portrayed by actors. In this way, the two men narrate their own story, while Brendan Mackey, who plays Joe, and Nicholas Aaron, who plays Simon, dramatize the events. The reenactment was filmed on location in Peru, and close-ups were filmed in the European Alps. The photography is beautiful, and the climbing scenes seem authentic. Joe's struggle to survive, injured and malnourished, in one of the harshest climates on this planet is fascinating. I was grateful that director Kevin MacDonald decided that Joe and Simon should tell their own story. Joe's survival is so extraordinary that it might not be believed if there were no one to witness the circumstances under which he persevered, and the recreated footage perfectly illustrates his struggle. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It's a great story, told effectively. As Joe Simpson's struggle was against the elements and in his own mind, a narration gets this across nicely, where a traditional narrative might fail.
The DVD: Bonus features include a "Making of" documentary, a featurette entitled "Return to Siula Grande", and "What Happens Next", which picks up where the film left off and tells us how Joe eventually got treatment for his injuries. The "making of " documentary is 23 minutes long, includes interviews with director Kevin MacDonald, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, and takes a while to get going. I'd skip it. "Return to Siula Grande" documents Joe and Simon's return to the site of their fateful climb and contains more interview footage with Joe and Simon than the "making of". We actually learn more about the making of the movie from this featurette, even though it only covers the time the crew spent in Peru. Watch "What Happens Next" if you felt the film left you hanging. Subtitles available in English and Spanish.
Movie Review: A superior documentary based on a celebrated book
Summary: 5 Stars
TOUCHING THE VOID by Joe Simpson, based on his harrowing, unbelievable ordeal while climbing Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes, is one of the classics of modern mountaineering literature. While descending the mountain, which he and his partner Simon Yates successfully climbed, Simpson went over a blind ledge, shattering his knee. Dangling in mid-air on the end of a rope, invisible to Yates who was holding on to the other end of the rope far above, unable to descend further because of the distance to the surface below, and unable to climb up the rope because of his destroyed knee, their situation was impossible. While holding the rope, Yates eventually found his seat on the slope giving way, so that he eventually would have been pulled down by Simpson's weight. In a highly controversial decision--though it it must be pointed out that Simpson has reiterated repeatedly that the correct decision was made--Yates cut the rope. Instead of dying, however, Simpson found himself inside an ice crevice. From there, through an almost superhuman effort, he somehow managed to go all the way down the side of Siula Grande completely unaided and on a shattered leg.
I enjoyed the book upon which this film is based, but I might have enjoyed the movie even more. The shots of Siula Grande, which is revealed as an astonishingly beautiful mountain, the interviews with the principal characters involved, and the remarkable recreations of the central events of the climb (by actors in the Alps), all give a visual vividness that is impossible with the book. I definitely recommend reading the book, but I would recommend that any fan of the book see this film as well. They are remarkably complementary.
The extras are very nearly as moving as the film itself. Included is a disc recording the first return to Siula Grande by Simpson and Yates. The intense emotional reactions of both of the principals to returning to the scene of such an amazing ordeal are quite disturbing to watch. Both of them seem subdued in their reactions at first, but the transformation over them as the days pass is astonishing. Simpson gradually becomes overwhelmed by being near the site of his accident, eventually becoming aggressive and moody with the others. Yates becomes increasingly withdrawn and taciturn, and afterwards refuses to participate with the production any further. This is the more remarkable because Yates was previously extremely cooperative, and, to be honest, a far more likable person than Simpson. It is an emotional drama nearly as powerful as the main feature.
One need not be an outdoors man or woman to enjoy this film. It is truly a movie about the refusal of the human spirit to quit or surrender. It also chronicles one most amazing true stories of recent decades.
Movie Review: Absolutely riveting
Summary: 5 Stars
This story about an ill-fated Andean ascent by climbers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates is the most suspenseful outdoor-adventure film I have ever watched. While the story is a reenactment, the seamless blending of interviews with the principals and action footage made it easy to become fully absorbed in the climbers' harrowing experience. Their climb to the summit was standard mountaineering fare, but after Simpson breaks his leg on the way down (the film interestingly notes that 80% of injuries occur during the descent), the remainder of the film had me cringing and wincing from the sheer horror of what Simpson had to overcome to survive. His struggle to extricate himself from an incredibly dire situation brought him as close to the brink of survival as a human being can go, and it was interesting to see how his character, with its strong suits in arrogance, determination, and logic, made this possible. It was also fascinating to hear him describe how being beaten down so thoroughly by the elements utterly destroyed his ego and opened him to some interesting (if perhaps hallucinogenic) perceptions as he approached death. But while Simpson lived through Hell on the expedition, I believe it was Yates who was ultimately the most damaged by the experience. When Simpson broke his leg, Yates bravely attempted to lower him off the mountain with ropes. At one point, however, with no visibility and no ability to hear each other, Yates didn't realize that he had lowered Simpson beyond an overhang where Simpson had no ability to cling to the cliff and take pressure off the rope. Nor was Simpson able, with his broken leg and frozen hands, to climb back up. After more than an hour of bracing himself against the weight of Simpson hanging from the rope, Yates made the agonizing decision to cut the rope. He then assumed that Simpson had died by falling into a deep crevasse, and so did not stop to explore the crevasse or go back to look for Simpson. The irony of his unknowing proximity during the agonizing ordeal that followed for Simpson no doubt haunts him. Afterwards, Yates endured much criticism for his handling of the incident, though Simpson has continued to staunchly defend him. In hearing the men describe the events in retrospect, it appeared to me that Simpson had been able to overcome the experience emotionally (despite some panicky flashbacks when he revisited the mountain years later) but that Yates continues to live with a burden of guilt and shame which, deserved or not, has caused him to throw up a defensive wall against any further emotional involvement or self-examination. To me, both men are extraordinary, and their story is not only a spellbinding survival saga but a fascinating examination of human nature.Movie Review: Intense Mountain Expedition Docu-Drama
Summary: 5 Stars
"Touching The Void" is the story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates ascent of Peru's Siula Grande in 1985. Simpson's book was so popular, director Kevin Macdonald pleaded to make it into a movie. Filmed in 2002 on location, this harrowing journey of two men is the true test of will, determination and the human spirit. The story is narrated by the two climbers as two actors reenact the climb on the mountain itself. The fact that you're listening to the two guys that this really happened to - makes it immediately real. The Peruvian peak is 21,000+ feet high with walls and snow banks close to 90 degrees at times. Until this climb by Simpson and Yates in '85, the peak had not been reached - due to the incredible danger and risk involved in getting to the top. The film is shot in beautiful anamorphic widescreen accompanied with 5.1 digital sound. The panoramic views of the mountains, snow formations and glaciers are stunning. "Touching The Void" centers around the two climbers uneventful ascent to the top, followed by tragic turns on their way down. At 19,000 feet Simpson falls, shattering his knee cap. Yates devises a plan to get them both down by using ropes - lowering Simpson 150 feet at a time and then doing the same for himself. On one of these 150 foot rope drops, Simpson goes over an edge and is left dangling in thin air, and unable to climb back up (with his broken leg and frozen hands). Yates spends several hours deciding what to do. While Yates himself is slipping off the mountain, he decides to cut the rope that holds his climbing partner. Certain that Simpson has fallen to his death, Yates finds a burrow to sleep in and continues on in the morning back down the mountain. Three days later Simpson shows up at the base camp - having crawled the entire way. There's so much more to the story, but I don't want to give it all away. The DVD extras are very worthwhile as well... a "Making of" featurette (showing the director, camera crew and actors and the difficulties they had back on the mountain); the "Return to Siula Grande" (showing Simpson and Yates returning to the mountain - the stress and anxiety they went through, as well as being stunt/body doubles for the actors on the mountain; and "What Happened Next" (told by Simpson and Yates of what happened just after Simpson crawled back to base camp - the two had to ride on donkeys back to town over the next two days, and then once in the hospital, the doctor's wouldn't help Simpson because they wanted to be paid up front). 107 minutes long and rated 'R' for a few cuss words - understandable in these circumstances. An amazing film. An amazing story (5 stars).