Cerro Torre: Schrei aus Stein (1991)

A meeting of two world famous climbers, one an experienced mountaineer the other a sport climber, and a journalist (Ivan) results in a bet on which of the two is the best climber. Roger (... See full summary »

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writers:

Hans-Ulrich Klenner, Walter Saxer,

Stars:

Vittorio Mezzogiorno, Mathilda May, Stefan Glowacz

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vittorio Mezzogiorno	...	Roccia
Mathilda May	...	Katharina
Stefan Glowacz	...	Martin
Al Waxman	...	Stephen
Gunilla Karlzen	...	Carla
Chavela Vargas	...	Indianerin
Georg Marischka	...	Werbeagent
Volker Prechtel	...	Himalaja-Bezwinger
Hans Kammerlander	...	Bergsteiger
Lautaro Murúa	...	Estanciero
Brad Dourif	...	Fingerless
Donald Sutherland	...	Ivan
Amelie Fried	...	TV-Moderatorin
Werner Herzog	...	TV-Regisseur
Wolfgang Müller

Storyline

A meeting of two world famous climbers, one an experienced mountaineer the other a sport climber, and a journalist (Ivan) results in a bet on which of the two is the best climber. Roger (the mountaineering expert) states that Martin (the sport climber) wouldn't survive a day on a 'real' climbing expedition, although he is considered to be the world's best sport climber (having just won an indoor 'world championship,' an event depicted in the opening scene). They plan to climb 'Cerro Torre,' in the Patagonia region of South America, near the Argentinian/Chilean border, one of the world's most difficult mountains, especially considering the extreme weather conditions common to the area. The rivalry among the two men results eventually in the death of their common friend and the stealing of Roger's girlfriend (Katrina) by Martin. In the end the rivalry results in a 'climb against time' in which Martin and Roger each attempt different routes up the mountain in a race to the summit. But ...

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Plot Keywords:

climbing | mountaineering | mountaineer | mountain climbing | female nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Germany France Canada Italy Argentina

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 1991 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Scream of Stone

Filming Locations:

Patagonia, Argentina

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 6,340,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sera Filmproduktion, Molécule, Films A2

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Werner Herzog:  as the television director at the beginning of the film.

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Goofs

During Roger's climb of Cerro Torre, in the scene immediately following the blizzard, several crew members can be seen in the reflection of his goggles.

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Quotes

Ivan: I forgot the garlic.
Roccia: What an asshole you are. You always forget the essential.

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Connections

Featured in Filmstunde: Filmstunde 2 (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Fog Tropes"
Performed by Ingram Marshall
(from the recording "Fog Tropes / Gradual Requiem")

User Reviews

Minor Herzog but an engaging yarn

Werner Herzog's Scream of Stone is a legend in film sales: a big-budget German-French-Canadian mountaineering drama that became a byword for how not to sell a movie to foreign distributors when they asked so much money that no-one could afford it and it went virtually unreleased before turning up a decade latter on budget DVD (the UK disc retails at £5.99, and this is its first release).

It's actually not at all bad, although there's surprisingly little mountaineering in it: the main thrust of the film is the conflict between a legendary mountaineer who fails to climb an infamous Patagonian mountain and the exhibition climber who claims to have done so, with a restrained Donald Sutherland as the sports journalist caught in the middle and Mathilda May making a better job of the obligatory love interest than the script should let her. Brad Dourif turns up briefly as a fingerless climber infatuated with Mae West and seeming to channel the spirit of early Jack Nicholson (well, it is Herzog - you expected restraint?), but even he is less wild than expected.

The least successful element is the comic relief introduction of Al Waxman's tiresome TV producer towards the end (as well as an actress who HAD to be sleeping with either the director or one of the producers), but it's not fatal. It's a minor film, but an engaging watch with some good photography (albeit the film was surprisingly not shot in widescreen, presumably to emphasise height over width) and a neat ending.