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Touching the Void (2003)

R  106 min  -  Documentary | Adventure | Drama   -  12 December 2003 (UK)
8.0
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Ratings: 8.0/10 from 14,523 users   Metascore: 82/100 
Reviews: 140 user | 116 critic | 34 from Metacritic.com

The true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.

Director:

Kevin Macdonald

Writer:

Joe Simpson (book)

Stars:

Simon Yates, Joe Simpson and Brendan Mackey
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Cast

Cast overview:
Brendan Mackey ...
Joe Simpson
Nicholas Aaron ...
Simon Yates
Richard Hawking Richard Hawking ...
Himself
Joe Simpson Joe Simpson ...
Himself
Simon Yates Simon Yates ...
Himself
Ollie Ryall Ollie Ryall ...
Richard Hawking
Full cast and crew »
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Storyline

In the mid-80's two young climbers attempted to reach the summit of Siula Grande in Peru; a feat that had previously been attempted but never achieved. With an extra man looking after base camp, Simon and Joe set off to scale the mount in one long push over several days. The peak is reached, however on the descent Joe falls and breaks his leg. Despite what it means, the two continue with Simon letting Joe out on a rope for 300 meters, then descending to join him and so on. However when Joe goes out over an overhang with no way of climbing back up, Simon makes the decision to cut the rope. Joe falls into a crevasse and Simon, assuming him dead, continues back down. Joe however survives the fall and was lucky to hit a ledge in the crevasse. This is the story of how he got back down. Written by bob the moo  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Rope | Bone | Crevasse | Peru | Climbing  | See more »

Taglines:

The closer you are to death. The more you realize you are alive. See more »

Genres:

Documentary | Adventure | Drama | Sport

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Official Sites:

IFC Films [United States] | Add/edit official sites  »

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

(UK) See more »

Also Known As:

Sturz ins Leere See more »

Filming Locations:

Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France See more »

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$96,973 (USA) (25 January 2004) (5 Screens)

Gross:

$4,581,222 (USA) (6 June 2004)
See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

FilmFour, UK Film Council, Darlow Smithson Productions See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

At the end of the movie, there's a written line claiming that Simon faced "strong criticism" from the climbing community after his return to England. This claim has been repeated in several press statements and reviews, but it's not correct. What really happened is that, one month after his return in Europe, Simon went climbing in the Alps, unaware that the Daily Mail newspaper had published a wildly incorrect version of the Siula story, implying that Simon had tried to kill Joe. This was of course absurd, and the British climbing community dismissed it immediately as nonsense. However, back home Simon discovered that a small group of senior members of the Mount Everest Foundation (the body that manages founding for climbing expeditions in the Greater Ranges) had misjudged the story and now wanted Simon excluded in the future from the MEF funds - a move that could basically kill Simon's climbing career. At this point however, Joe Simpson had a correct version of the Siula story published in a respected climbing magazine, and the whole issue was cleared. However, in the DVD commentary, Joe Simpson himself clearly says that Simon came under much criticism after returning home, and that he wrote Touching the Void to defend Simon. See more »

Goofs

Anachronisms: Joe wears a model of Cebe glacier glasses that didn't enter production until 2001. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Joe Simpson: We climb cause it's fun.
See more »

Crazy Credits

During the first part of the closing credits (before the crawl), the
credits are accompanied by black-and-white pictures showing the three men's
journey back into civilization; the final picture is of Joe in the
hospital. See more »

Connections

Featured in The Making of 'Touching the Void' (2003) See more »

Soundtracks

"Brown Girl in the Ring"
Written by Frank Farian
Performed by Boney M See more »