Nice pictures, shame about the words
- Mountain review by Alphaville
This is an hour-long picture-book documentary about mountains and the people who venture on them. We’re spared the standard TV close-ups of flora and fauna in favour of sweeping landscapes and daredevils doing their thing (e.g. rock climbing and base-jumping), which produces some exciting aerial images.
There are some filler sections (praying Himalayan Buddhists, a monochrome history of Everest etc.), but the main problem is the soundtrack. The film begins with an orchestra tuning up. It’s a collaborative exercise with the filmmaker, you see (the film premiered with a live orchestra). We are consequently subjected to an hour of clichéd classical music to accompany the pictures. Even worse is the horrendously portentous narration. Random sample: ‘Many who travel to mountain tops are half in love with themselves, half in love with oblivion.’ Pur-lease.
Nevertheless there are many arresting images, so turn down the sound, put your own music on, fast forward the dull bits and wallow in the mountains for a while.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
A mish-mash that merely wastes an hour of your life
- Mountain review by RCO
Lots of nice snow and rock scenery but a bit of a mish-mash. Put together from various sources of mountain footage including much modern "extreme sports" helicopter stuff of fools doing absurd things. Places never identified. Random footage of buddhist monks never explained or integrated. Music doesn't really add anything. Voice-over typically portentous.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Superficial shiny happy documentary
- Mountain review by TE
Two stars for the various sequences of beautiful mountain ranges shot from helicopters, but that's about all the film has to offer.
The content of the voiceover could have been lifted from Pseuds' Corner in Private Eye, and the whole film has an ad agency sheen, an effect that is enhanced by the rich young white males who make up the visible human cast.
This is a Facebook meme level approach to mountains.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Stunning Photography
- Mountain review by JD
This is an amazing documentary movie . Amazing photography of mountaineers doing scary things, with the awesome beauty of the landscape behind them.
It is a combination of music and images and is brilliant. Willum Defoe narrates, but mainly the director let’s the combination of the photography and music work its magic.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
Disappointing
- Mountain review by GregB
An oddly assembled collection of admittedly stunning footage. Almost as if it couldn't decide what it was about - a hymn to the unique beauty of mountains, an titillating adrenalin-rush for extreme sports obsessives, a nature/ wildlife programme, a historical essay on the development of mountaineering, and probably more. In the 'making of' extra, the producer admitted she had selected the best of 2000 hours of footage from all over the world - and quite possibly succeeded - but it doesn't make a good, coherent film.
And, sorry, but I found the music positively irritating at times.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
Winter Spectacular
- Mountain review by JG
Spectacular collection of mountain scenery and clips of the jaw numbing sports tackled by the fearless. Willum Defoe narrates with a gravelly purr to the beat of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Only a wee gripe, and don’t get me wrong, this is an amazing film but the title is a tad misleading. More about winter in the mountains than the rest of the seasons.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.