There seems to be quite a few movies and books popping out in last two years covering the historic, and in many cases tragic, events on the north face of Eiger.
I've mentioned The Alps: Climb of Your Life MacGillivray Freeman Films20072007-03-30In 1966, John Harlin II died while attempting Europe's most difficult climb, the North Face of the Eiger in Switzerland. 40 years later, his son John Harlin III, an expert mountaineer and the editor of the American Alpine Journal, returns to attempt the same climb.Stephen JudsonAnne Marie Hammers (Line Producer); Alexander Biner (Executive Producer); Greg MacGillivray (Producer); Mark Krenzien (Producer)Michael Gambon (Narrator (voice)); Robert Jasper; Daniela Jasper; John Harlin IIIDocumentaryhttp://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/jEkFUmsY8FY4aEVsiQuQJu2beLc.jpgplugin://plugin.video.youtube/?action=play_video&videoid=3206tt097235630329 already earlier. Now I finally got around ordering North Face Lunaris Film20082008-10-23North Face tells the story of two German climbers Toni Kurz and Andreas Hinterstoisser and their attempt to scale the deadly North Face of the Eiger.Philipp StölzlBenno Fürmann (Toni Kurz); Florian Lukas (Andreas Hinterstoisser); Johanna Wokalek (Luise Fellner); Georg Friedrich (Edi Rainer); Simon Schwarz (Willy Angerer); Ulrich Tukur (Henry Arau); Erwin Steinhauer (Emil Landauer); Branko Samarovski (Albert von Allmen); Petra Morzé (Elisabeth Landauer); Hanspeter Müller (Schlunegger); Peter Zumstein (Adolf Rubi); Martin Schick (Christian Rubi)Adventure; Drama; Action; History; Thrillerhttp://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/5msTXb92YBuRSKmo2i82Q4U4ZCF.jpgplugin://plugin.video.youtube/?action=play_video&videoid=Of9fd6smarA&hd=1tt084445716436 as it became available in Blu-ray. When searching the net to find out where to order it, I also tumbled on The Beckoning Silence Darlow Smithson Productions20072007-10-22In The Beckoning Silence, Joe Simpson, whose amazing battle for survival featured in the multi-award winning "Touching the Void", travels to the treacherous North Face of the Eiger to tell the story of one of mountaineering's most epic tragedies. As a child, it was this story and that of one of the climbers in particular, that first captured Simpson's imagination and inspired him to take up mountaineering.Louise OsmondEmma Parsons (Line Producer); John Smithson (Executive Producer); Julian Ware (Executive Producer)Andreas Abegglen (Willy Angerer); Simon Anthamatten (Andreas Hinterstoisser); Cyrille Berthod (Edi Rainier); Steven Mackintosh (Narrator); Roger Schäli (Toni Kurz); Joe SimpsonAction; Documentary; Dramahttp://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/g84iK6uQEFKfjxaNfyZvEgsn2WT.jpgplugin://plugin.video.youtube/?action=play_video&videoid=NHG3ACGm7-Qtt110163758820, based on a book by Joe Simpson (yes, the very same one who Touched the Void). Both movies deal with the same tragic event on 1936 when Adreas Hinterstoisser and Toni Kurz, who joined forces with Austrian party of Willy Angerer and Edi Rainer while on the face, were trying to put up a highly coveted first ascent. They failed and the entire party was killed at different times during their retreat attemp. Nordwand (aka The North Face) is a drama movie based on true story but with some fictional elements injected into it, while Beckoning the Silence appears to be documentary.
The same event, together with many other early attemps, the first ascent, and the ascents that followed are all described in "The White Spider" by Heinrich Harrer, himself a member of the first ascent party (and later famous for Hollywood movie "Seven Years in Tibet"), considered a classic piece of mountaineering literature.
- The Beckoning SilenceThe Beckoning Silence. In this fascinating documentary charting Joe Simpson's obsession with mountaineering, the beckoning silence is the long drop from the top of the mountain. By Louise Osmond at MovieMail on 2007.
- North Face Blu-rayNorth Face Blu-ray. Expertly lensed and terrifically acted, Philipp Stölzl's North Face is very easy to recommend. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Metrodome Video, looks and sounds great. Fortunately for film aficionados residing outside of Region-B territories, it is also Region-Free. Highly Recommended. By Dr. Svet Atanasov at Blu-ray.com on 2009-06-07.
