The Mountain (1956)

Selfish Chris Teller pressures his older brother, a retired climber, to accompany him on a treacherous Alpine climb to loot the bodies of plane crash victims.

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Henry Troyat (novel), Ranald MacDougall (screenplay)

Stars:

Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Claire Trevor

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Spencer Tracy	...	Zachary Teller
Robert Wagner	...	Christopher 'Chris' Teller
Claire Trevor	...	Marie
William Demarest	...	Father Belacchi
Barbara Darrow	...	Simone
Richard Arlen	...	C. W. Rivial
E.G. Marshall	...	Solange
Anna Kashfi	...	Hindu Girl
Richard Garrick	...	Coloz
Harry Townes	...	Joseph
Stacy Harris	...	Nicholas Servoz
Yves Brainville	...	Andre

Storyline

When a plane crashes on a mountaintop Chris wants to plunder the wreckage. His older brother Zachary has given up mountain guide work but goes along rather than letting his brother risk it alone. The only survivor is a Hindu girl who Chris wants to kill. Zachary fights him off. While Chris steals from the dead passengers, Zachary prepares a sled to take the girl down the mountain.

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Plot Keywords:

mountain | hindu | survivor | wreckage | carrying someone | 

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Taglines:

A dramatic story that will hold you spellbound from the very beginning!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Maldição da Montanha

Filming Locations:

Mont-Blanc, Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Spencer Tracy was on the wagon when he consented to do the film with friend 'Robert Wagner' (I). On the way up to the resort they were staying at, Tracy's cable car malfunctioned and the actor was stuck in the life-threatening situation for some time. That evening the experience caused him to drink heavily and lose his temper. He threw his glass at co-star Wagner gashing his hand, an injury that can be seen in some scenes.

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Goofs

When Zachary exits the artificial climb section (the one where he uses pitons), in the shot where we see him frontally, the mountain far in the background is the same "Bald Mountain" he is supposed to be climbing.

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Quotes

Zachary Teller: You're sweating! Thinking of the dead men's money is making you sweat! I blame myself. It's my fault for you being like this. Somewhere I must have done something wrong for you to be like this.
Christopher 'Chris' Teller: You're not going to take me up there?
Zachary Teller: [Shakes his head] I haven't climbed in ten tears. That in itself would be enough if a man gets old... and besides, my hands are not as strong as they once were... and the mountain is aginst me. But all that there is, there's one thing more, the most important thing. ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

User Reviews

Humble and spiritual

This movie is often described as simple and unidimensional. But in the context of spirituality and high moral character, this movie rates high.

Spencer's character is described as dull, and his acting effort minor. But how else is a man reverent of nature and God supposed to be portrayed. The subtleties of this character are often overlooked in our glamorized, sensationalized society. Quiet reverence, devotion to God and family are the central messages of this movie. Observe how Tracy's character tolerates and endures the unruly "modern-ess" of his much younger brother, portrayed well by Wagner.

This movie may be "sappy" to some, but I found it's moral message to be most uplifting and a pleasant departure from machine guns, gangster and starlets, sex and violence. Although, in a very minor respect, those elements are visible in this movie. This is a good family movie.