Fall 2: Deadpoint
On a perilous climb across Thailand's Mount Kwan, two climbers become trapped thousands of feet above the ground, where vertigo-inducing heights, sheer exposure, and impossible odds turn every moment into a fight for survival.
Nanga Parbat
Record of the 1934 German expedition to Nanga Parbat, led by Willy Merkl and with the full backing of the new Nazi government. Peter Aschenbrenner and Erwin Schneider reached an estimated height of 7,895m on July 6, but were forced to return because of worsening weather. On July 7 they and 14 others were trapped by a ferocious storm at 7,480m. During the desperate retreat that followed, three famous German mountaineers, Uli Wieland, Willo Welzenbach and Merkl himself, and six Sherpas died of exhaustion, exposure and altitude sickness, and several more suffered severe frostbite.
White Track
"Bialy Slad" featured as the main characters amateur actors, who were by that time well-known Polish skiers, among them Andrzej, Herr Krzeptowski's brother. The film depicts the story of two orphans, Zoska and Wladek; Zoska is in love with Jasiek, a hunter, but this is an unrequited love because Jasiek loves Hanka, who at the same time is desired by the handsome and strong Andrzej, a mountain climber.
To the Max
A group of friends bonded by their love for extreme sports discovers BASE jumping in wingsuits — but feeling like flying carries the highest risks.
High Hazard
Britain's first complete rock climbing film, by Stanley Watson. A film about climbing in the Lakes. Norah Johnstone, a teacher at Keswick Grammar School and later Watson's wife, starred as a Victorian climber. The film includes footage of Stanley Watson himself climbing Kern Knotts blindfolded and a young girl, Vivian Verity, whose first climb at aged 9 was up Napes Needle. Stanley Watson is a keystone in the history of British climbing. He established the British Mountain Guides Organisation in 1930.
Kamet Conquered
Following in the footsteps of Captain John Noel and his immensely popular documentaries taken on the Mount Everest expeditions of the 1920s ("Climbing Mount Everest"/"The Epic of Everest"), Frank Smythe hoped to help finance his 1931 attempt on Kamet, another Himalayan peak, by bringing back film footage of a successful ascent including summit shots which were at that time the highest ever taken in the world.
Deutsche Eisenbahner im Kampf um den Nanga Parbat
Short version of 'Nanga Parbat' (1936), the record of the 1934 German expedition to Nanga Parbat, led by Willy Merkl and with the full backing of the new Nazi government. Peter Aschenbrenner and Erwin Schneider reached an estimated height of 7,895m on July 6, but were forced to return because of worsening weather. On July 7 they and 14 others were trapped by a ferocious storm at 7,480m. During the desperate retreat that followed, three famous German mountaineers, Uli Wieland, Willo Welzenbach and Merkl himself, and six Sherpas died of exhaustion, exposure and altitude sickness, and several more suffered severe frostbite.
Dead Echo
A young tourist has an accident during a holiday hike in the Tatra Mountains. The romance he begins with the highlander woman who takes care of him leads to tragedy.
Three Lives and a Rope
The idea is a simple one: three alpinists climb in the Mont Blanc Massif. This situation brings one face to face with the dangers of the mountain: avalanches, crevasses, fog, the climbing of the rocks, roping up, etc. All of this is magnified, transcended by a remarkable and strong use of the language of cinema. One of the first films about high mountains with Roger Frison-Roche and magnificent music by Maurice Jaubert
White Marathon
Documentary on one of the first editions of the Trofeo Mezzalama, the highest ski mountaineering race in Europe, at more than 4,200 meters above sea level, which takes place on the glaciers of Monte Rosa, from Breuil to Gressoney-La-Trinité, crossing the summits of Castor (4,199 meters) and Nez du Liskamm (4,100 meters). The film recounts the last hours of feverish preparation before the start, the teams preparing for the race linked in ropes, then follows the stages of the competition by following the groups of skiers from a plane. Created in 1933, the Trofeo Mezzalama was contested until 1938, before falling into oblivion during the war. A second version was organized from 1970 to 1973. A third biannual version has been organized since 1997.
Cervino 1901
On September 28th, 1903, the Urban Mountaineering Expedition, headed by Frank Ormiston-Smith, left Zermatt to attempt the conquest of the Matterhorn. On the 29th, the conquest was completed by the filming of the panorama from the actual summit of the mountain. The film consists of 20 scenes and illustrates the whole ascent from Zermatt through the Hornli Ridge. A copy of the film was found in Zermatt in 1953 and was was erroneously attributed to Frederick Burlingham and dated 1901. Since then, the film has been widely publicized as the first mountain film under the title of 'Cervin 1901', but this is incorrect. Ormiston previously had made 'Alpine series' (1901), 'The ascent of Mont Blanc' (1902), 'Climbing the Great Schreckhorn' (1902) and 'Ascent of the Jungfrau' (1903). The pictures and descriptions of the Charles Urban Trading 1903 film catalogue show without any doubt that 'Ascent of the Matterhorn' and 'Cervin 1901' are the same film.
Skye High
A travelogue film on the Isle of Skye by Stanley Watson, including some mountaineering and rock climbing. Stanley Watson is a keystone in the history of British climbing. He established the British Mountain Guides organisation in 1930. Watson made the first Britain's complete rock climbing film, High Hazard, in 1935, a film about climbing in the Lakes.
The Fight for the Matterhorn
Sounded version of the 1928 film 'Der Kampf ums Matterhorn'. The added sound track included music composed by Schmidt-Boelckeb and dubbed dialogs by different actors. This version is slightly shorter than the silent film due to the disappearance of the movie titles. The story, based on the novel by Carl Haensel recreates the struggle between Edward Whymper and Jean-Antoine Carrel for the first successful ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. In 1938 two new versions of the movie were filmed under the direction of Luis Trenker, who acted again in the role of Carrel. One version was shot in German (Der Berg ruft) and the other in English (The Challenge).
With the Camera to Nanga Parbat
Record of the 1937 German Expedition to Nanga Parbat, led by Karl Wien. This was the third German expedition to the mountain, and the team followed the same route than the 1932 and 1934 expeditions, led by Willy Merkl by the Rakhiot Face. During the ascent, progress was made, but more slowly than previous expeditions due to heavy snowfalls. Sometime between 14 and 16 June, Wien was camped with other six German climbers and nine Sherpas at Camp IV, below Rakhiot Peak, when it was overwhelmed by a massive avalanche. All sixteen men were killed in what remains as the worst single disaster ever to occur on an eight thousand meter peak. Uli Luft, Carl Troll and Dawa Thondup, who stood at the base camp, were the only survivors of the German and Sherpa teams respectively. The film shows images of the members of the rescue team, led by Paul Bauer, that arrived one month later.
Battle for the Himalaya
Epic documentary about the German expeditions to Nanga Parbat up to 1937. After a first unsuccessful attempt in 1932 and the tragic second expedition led by Willy Merkl in 1934, in 1937 Karl Wien led another expedition to the mountain following the same route as Merkl's expeditions. Progress was made, but more slowly than before due to heavy snowfall. About 14 June seven Germans and nine Sherpas, almost the entire team, were at Camp IV below Rakhiot Peak when it was overrun by an avalanche. All sixteen men died. The film was assembled in 1938 with rescued 16mm material shot during the 1937 attempt and footage from the previous expeditions.
Devil of the Matterhorn
English-language, dubbed sound and partly re-edited version of Der Kampf ums Matterhorn. During an early, unsuccessful attempt at climbing the Matterhorn, Edward Whymper finds himself rescued by an italian guide, Jean Antoine Carrel. The two men quickly build a friendship and agree to reach the peak together. However, local villagers plot to divide the alliance of Whymper and Carrel and both men join rival teams as they set out in a race to conquer the mountain. A mountaineering drama based on the novel by Carl Haensel and inspired in the dramatic true story of Edward Whymper, who led the first successful ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865.
The Peak Scaler
The two unemployed engineers Franzl and Bertl want to be the first to climb the Matterhorn from the dangerous north face. They travel by bicycle with Mizzl and Traudl but without telling them about their intentions. The women accompany them on the assumption that it is a touristical trip. All four camp in a tent at the foot of the Matterhorn and Franzl and Bertl secretly begin the dangerous ascent. The girls will have to follow the ascent together with the residents of the village and the guests of the mountain hotel using binoculars. The role of Franzl is played by Franz Schmid, the actual conqueror of the north face of the Matterhorn together with his brother Toni in 1931.
Ski Flight
Shortened version of the film 'Snow flight' distributed by Warner Bros. The film was produced by Jerome Hill as 'a document of skiing according to the principles of Hannes Schneider.' It features Otto Lang, director of the Mt Rainier and Mt Baker ski schools. As the film opens, Otto emerges from a cabin beneath Table Mountain at the Mt Baker ski area with his canine friend. He applies wax-on climbing skins to his skis. Then he steps into his bindings and climbs to a scenic ridge. The narrator describes each technique in detail as Otto demonstrates again. Several of the maneuvers are done in slow motion on a slope meticulously packed by side-stepping.
Abraham Brothers
Extract from a Pathe Review showing a team of men, including the Abraham Brothers, George and Ashley, climbing lower slopes before ascending Napes Needle, Great Gable. Climbers pose with their boots for the camera then tackle the rock face, including a view of the Wasdale valley below. George Abraham leads the Arête Route. Finally the mountaineers are seen reaching the top of the Needle. George and Ashley Abraham, the brother climbers and photographers from Keswick, recorded in pictures the evolution of early rock-climbing in the English Lake District.
The Mountain Guide of Zakopane
The peak of the sun is in the High Tatras. The mountain guide Carlo tried to climb it several times without success. When he finally gets it, he thinks that nobody else has to raise it and develops a special feeling with the mountain. When the Americans MacAllan, his daughter, and the engineer Harry West arrive at Zakopane with the project to build a cable car on the mountain, Carlo rejects it, because he considers the mountain of his property, a kind of sanctuary. Finally, he lives an experience that can make him change his mind. There is another version of the film titled Burza nad Zakopane, shot the same year in Polish.