Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Author

Touching the Void

mikl law

16-Feb-2004
1:21:19 PM

If they had both died it would have been a much better story, and we wouldn't have to hear about it.

Or if the the rope cutter was a girl all because he was dissing her footwork, now at least that would be interesting.

Lots of people die in the mountains, fair enough. It's just not that interesting or tragic though. The driver for all the self promotion is the fact that mountaineering costs a lot of money, while cragging is cheap. Maybe I should write a book about those four, tragic, sexless night I had in the 80's at Arapiles. Starring Tom Cruise.


Wonderdog

16-Feb-2004
1:58:25 PM

Tom Cruise? What about the gyrocopter pilot from Mad Max (Russell Spence???) Surely Tom is too... short to play you?

James

16-Feb-2004
2:07:26 PM

the topic itself may not be interesting (not to climbers at least), but the attractive/interesting part is the way the story is told.

Also, the punters say the climbing is realistic & the filming is stunning - realistic climbing & good filming is enough enough for me to want to see it.


nmonteith

16-Feb-2004
2:26:50 PM

If it dosn't have Nitro then i am not interested....


Donut King

16-Feb-2004
5:32:44 PM

Mikl,

Only 4 sexless nights at araps?......hmmmmm

talk about "touching the viod" ! ;-)

On an aside, tell us what happened when you came to Adelaide (many years ago!), did you really
break your legs trying to solo some line up at Norton Summit?

Cheers

Don


phil box

19-Feb-2004
8:17:29 AM

Hey mikl I`m not sure I wish to hear how many times you touched your void. ;))


vwills

20-Apr-2004
9:22:49 PM

I managed to catch Touching the Void while in Colorado last week. It was snowing too much to do the climbing I wanted so the movie filled in an evening between skiing.
If it gets out here it is a MUST SEE.
Usually if you read a book ahead of the movie, the movie will disappoint. Not so in this instance. The modern day Joe and Simon, and their camp keeper whose name I've forgotten, recollect the epic that was Siula Grande. This narration is cut by reenactments of key events, recreated with great attention to climbing detail, from knots to gear of the time. Marvel at the heavy straight shaft ice tools and the sticht plate, the Berghaus packs and gaiters and "ancient" ice screws. Ice plasters the camera, faces weather realistically and painfully and the snapped femur will have you wincing.
The cold, fatigue, thirst and mental anguish come through with some great acting by the stand-ins, but also through the narration despite the passage of time. Even with the knowledge that Joe survives his ordeal, suspense is created and maintained.
The viewer is free to assess motivation and personality and ultimately is left wondering what they would have done if they were Simon, and whether they would have survived if they were Joe.
The best climbing movie ever.


Mike

21-Apr-2004
10:11:00 AM

I've added Touching The Void to the movie reviews section, if anyone who has seen it want's to add a review.


ecowain

26-Apr-2004
2:40:21 PM

Not sure if any other cinemas will be showing TTV earlier, but the Cremorne Orpheum in Sydney is advertising an opening date of June 24th.

owain.


Camos

26-Apr-2004
3:02:23 PM

I would be interested to know if Simon Yates was able to secure sponsorship from Victorinox or Gerber following the release of the movie

kieranl

26-Apr-2004
8:38:28 PM

Donut King, the Norton Summit accident involved one Mike Law-Smith, a Canberra-based climber if I remember correctly (he's featured on Die Loaded in Carrigan's Arapiles guide), not Mikl. Mike LS did have to crawl out a la JS but no suspicious knives were seen lurking in the vicinity.

climberer

27-Apr-2004
3:18:02 PM

It's being released by Village 24th June! *insert excited emoticon*


Fi

10-May-2004
10:22:03 AM

Any Victorian Outdoor Ed teachers out there can go to the preview on june 4... Its not what you know...


Rich

10-May-2004
10:27:39 AM

ripped copies are already on the net..


Romfrantic

10-May-2004
10:48:59 AM

The "premier" in Sydney was last week at the State Theatre (an invite-only event)....I heard good things about it.

gfdonc

10-May-2004
12:34:01 PM

Well Chockstoners, I've seen it! A friend of a friend who comes from the UK had a brand-new copy on VHS shipped out to him, and I got a loan over the weekend.

It is very faithful to the book and particularly watchable even though you know how it turns out in the end. The style is very much a "documentary", and - because different actors are used for the narration vs the action scenes - you're left wondering until the credits whether it really is Joe and Simon doing most of the talking.

Climbing sequences are all very credible and well presented, don't know how much studio work was involved but you can't spot it. The lack of over-dramatisation also lends an air of authenticity. There are some funky effects work when Joe starts losing it on the last day but they add to the tension and perception of hardship.

Well worth the price of admission if you're interested in the subject matter IMHO.
- Steve


Tel

10-May-2004
1:10:23 PM

On 10/05/2004 gfdonc wrote:

>It is very faithful to the book and particularly watchable even though
>you know how it turns out in the end. The style is very much a "documentary",
>and - because different actors are used for the narration vs the action
>scenes - you're left wondering until the credits whether it really is Joe
>and Simon doing most of the talking.
>
>Climbing sequences are all very credible and well presented, don't know
>how much studio work was involved but you can't spot it. The lack of over-dramatisation
>also lends an air of authenticity. There are some funky effects work when
>Joe starts losing it on the last day but they add to the tension and perception
>of hardship.
>
>Well worth the price of admission if you're interested in the subject
>matter IMHO.
>- Steve
>
REVIEW from Climbing Mag March edition
" ...... the film crew travelled to Suila Grande, taking the two climbers with them for their first visit to the area since their ordeal in 1985. . . . Due to the extreme danger and difficult access of the Suila Grande Route, most of the action scenes were filmed in the much more accessible French Alps above Chamoniox. The crew filmed through heavy snowstorms and high winds, dealing with frozen equipment and difficult shooting conditions, giving the footage much more strength than most staged productions....."


Rich

14-May-2004
12:59:09 PM

i've seen a digital copy is now available on http://www.suprnova.org/

earwig

20-May-2004
1:51:13 PM

Touching the Void is screening at Como Cinema (or Cinema Como, whatever) on Friday 4th June 2004. The screening is for members and friends of the Victorian Outdoor Education Association (and we're all friends of the VOEA) before the general release on the 25th. Try the cinema or VOEA for details. Don't know the phone numbers.


Romfrantic

21-May-2004
1:13:48 PM

For those of you on the east side of Sydney, the Palace Academy and Verona cinemas in Paddington will feature the film from 24 June.

There are 93 messages in this topic.