Touching the Void (2003)

Director:

Kevin Macdonald

Writer:

Joe Simpson (book)

Release Date:

12 December 2003 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary | Adventure | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Rope | Bone | Crevasse | Peru | Climbing

Awards:

6 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Brendan Mackey	...	Joe Simpson
Nicholas Aaron	...	Simon Yates
Richard Hawking	...	Himself
Joe Simpson	...	Himself
Simon Yates	...	Himself
Ollie Ryall	...	Richard Hawking

Directed by
Kevin Macdonald

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Joe Simpson		book

Produced by
Charles Furneaux	....	executive producer
Robin Gutch	....	executive producer
Gina Marsh	....	line producer
John Smithson	....	producer
Paul Sowerbutts	....	associate producer
Sue Summers	....	co-producer
Paul Trijbits	....	executive producer
Paul Webster	....	chief executive procuder: FilmFour

Original Music by
Alex Heffes

Cinematography by
Mike Eley
Keith Partridge

Film Editing by
Justine Wright

Casting by
Susie Figgis

Production Design by
Patrick Bill

Art Direction by
Patrick Bill

Costume Design by
Patrick Bill

Makeup Department
Sarita Allison	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Emma Clarke	....	executive in charge of production: film council
Peter McAleese	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nick Laws	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Giles Asbury	....	storyboard artist

Sound Department
Tim Alban	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Brazier	....	foley editor
Felicity Cottrell	....	foley artist
Richard Davey	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Mick Duffield	....	sound recordist
Anthony Faust	....	adr foley mixer
Anthony Faust	....	foley supervisor
Joakim Sundström	....	supervising sound editor
Mark Kenna	....	consultant: Dolby film sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Martin Neill	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Matthias Albrecht	....	digital film editor
Simon Burley	....	software and technical
Peter Farrer	....	visual effects supervisor
Ben Haworth	....	digital effects artist

Stunts
David Cuthbertson	....	climbing stunt double
Rory Gregory	....	climbing stunt double

Camera and Electrical Department
John de Borman	....	additional photography
Oliver Driscoll	....	second assistant camera
Olly Driscoll	....	clapper loader
Christian Klehr	....	grip
Ralph Kulike	....	gaffer
Dan Shoring	....	additional photographer
Dan Shoring	....	first assistant camera
Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert	....	unit photographer: Alps
Chris Thornton	....	film recorder operator
Simon Wagen	....	additional climbing photographer (as Simon Hagen)

Casting Department
Indira Ashton	....	casting assistant

Editorial Department
Stephen Barker	....	post-production consultant
Simon Brook	....	on-line editor
Ben Lester	....	assistant editor
Vincent Narduzzo	....	colorist
Kevin Phelan	....	head of post-production: Lip Sync Post
Jon Thompson	....	post-production consultant

Music Department
Abi Leland	....	music supervisor
Andy Richards	....	score mixer
Bevan Smith	....	composer: electronic music

Other crew
Olly Allen	....	climbing support: Alps
Kim Ballard	....	production financing
Christine Barnes	....	climbing support: Alps
Christine Baxter-Jones	....	production team
Hattie Bowering	....	final delivery and release supervisor
Lesley Brown	....	production team
Eduardo Shuán Caldúa	....	climbing support: Peru
Melorie Chilton	....	legal services for darlow smithson productions
Hugo Milla Chinchay	....	climbing support: Peru
David Cuthbertson	....	key mountain guide
David Cuthbertson	....	safety team
Lucy Daniels	....	production team
Regine Dura	....	production team
John Falkiner	....	key mountain guide
John Falkiner	....	safety team
Michael Fleisher	....	business affairs: Channel 4 International
Néstor Morales Flores	....	trekking leader: Peru
Laura Franses	....	physical production coordinator: FilmFour
Paul Gardner	....	archive researcher
Rory Gregory	....	key mountain guide
Rory Gregory	....	safety team
Paul Grindey	....	business affairs: FilmFour
Brian Hall	....	head mountain guide
Nion Hazell	....	production coordinator
Andrew Hildebrand	....	business affairs: FilmFour
Vince Holden	....	head of production finance: film council
Marcelino Milla Huarac	....	climbing support: Peru
Vicky Jones	....	business affairs: Channel 4
Jim Kerr	....	climbing support: Alps
François Marsigny	....	climbing support: Alps
Deborah McLaughlan	....	production team
Jesús Montero	....	production team
Paul Moores	....	key mountain guide
Paul Moores	....	safety team
Pelayo Milla Morales	....	climbing support: Peru
Fiona Morham	....	head of physical production: film council
Eloy Salazar Obregón	....	climbing support: Peru
Rodolfo Reyes Oropeza	....	climbing support: Peru
Emma Parsons	....	production team
James Reekie	....	production accountant
Martin Rhodes	....	unit doctor (as Dr. Martin Rhodes)
Tim Rhodes	....	climbing support: Alps
Faye Richardson	....	production team
Ollie Ryall	....	climbing support: Alps
Joe Simpson	....	additional reconstruction
Joe Simpson	....	consultant
Sally Steele	....	film publicist
Gillian Strachan	....	production team
Ulla Streib	....	head of production: Darlow Smithson Productions
Juan Sánchez	....	climbing support: Peru
Gareth Tansey	....	title designer
Harry Taylor	....	key mountain guide
Harry Taylor	....	safety team
Jorge Clemente Vargas	....	climbing support: Peru
Howard Watkins	....	title designer
John Whittle	....	key mountain guide
John Whittle	....	safety team
Marc Wolff	....	aerial coordinator
Simon Yates	....	additional reconstruction
Michael J. Harker	....	completion bond company representative (uncredited)

Thanks
Richard Hawking	....	thanks
Adrian Warren	....	thanks
Paul Webster	....	thanks
Marc Wolff	....	thanks
Simon Yates	....	thanks
Marc Ziegler	....	thanks

Production Companies

• FilmFour (presents)
• UK Film Council (presents)
• Darlow Smithson Productions
• Channel 4 (in association with)
• PBS (in association with)
• UK Film Council's New Cinema Fund (with the support of)

Distributors

• Pathé Distribution (2003) (UK) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Asmik Ace Entertainment (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Diaphana Films (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Hopscotch Productions (2004) (Australia) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• Kinowelt Filmverleih (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Fandango (2005) (Italy) (all media)
• Four Films (2006) (Chile) (all media)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2004) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)
• Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore (2005) (Italy) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Canada) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2005) (Brazil) VHS) (DVD)
• Paramount (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (2004) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• With Cinema (Korea)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV)

Special Effects

• Red Vision

Other Companies

• Aimimage / Ice Film  cameras supplied by
• Audiolink Radio Communications  walkie talkies
• Clarity Post Production Sound  sound post-production
• Film Red  special thanks
• Kodak  motion picture film supplied by
• Limehouse Recordings  sound post-production
• Lipsync Post  HDTV to film transfer
• Lipsync Post  titles
• Mayflower Recording  adr and foley facilities
• Sands Films  studio
• St. Anne's Post  post-production

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Germany:12 | Netherlands:MG6 | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Iceland:12 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France

Company:

FilmFour

Trivia:

Some of the long distance shots of Simon and Joe climbing the mountain are played not by the lead actors, but by body doubles, who were Simon Yates and Joe Simpson themselves.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Joe reaches the bottom of the crevasse (00:59:57) and starts crawling on his stomach towards the sunlight, you can clearly see the blue helmet of another person.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 50 Greatest Documentaries (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Brown Girl in the Ring

Fairly Good But Over Publicised By Channel 4

I wish to put my cards on the table and say I am completely unable to understand why someone wants to climb up a twenty thousand foot mountain . I do confess to enjoying hill walking but only if the hills aren't very high , and only if it's a beautiful evening where I can see the golden Summer sunlight shine upon a breathtaking Scottish landscape . I have very little if any sympathy for people who decide it's a great idea to go trekking across the Scottish Highlands in the middle of January and have to use their mobile phone to call out the mountain rescue when they get lost in a blizzard . If it was up to me I'd just leave them there until Spring . This cruel attitude doesn't extend to the protagonists of TOUCHING THE VOID Joe Simpson and Simon Yates since they are very professional in their attitude but the over riding thought while watching this was - Why ? Why ? Why ?

This is the problem I had with TOUCHING THE VOID , it was rather hyped up as a docu-drama that would appeal to a mainstream audience and not just to people who are interested in mountain climbing . The trailers on Channel 4 that had been running almost non stop for two weeks were the worst culprits . Yes you can enjoy the real life man against the elements adventure but it becomes rather irritating as there's often little explanation to details . For example did Joe or Simon explain why they enjoy yomping about the Andes ? One of them mentions that having a rope tied around climbers can lead to the death of not only someone who falls but also someone who is attached to them . You've seen this happen in movies like THE EIGER SANCTION and VERTICAL LIMIT where someone falls from the rock face taking their companion to their death which always leads me to ask " Why do climbers attach ropes to themselves if that's the case ? " but this is never answered which led me to conclude that the target audience would need a basic knowledge of mountain climbing in order to enjoy TOUCHING THE VOID completely . The trailers also pointed out that this incident totally divided the mountaineering community but again there's little explanation why and we wouldn't have known this at all if a caption hadn't appeared at the end pointing this out . Very disappointingly it never goes into detail about the present day relationship between Joe and Simon . Do they still go drinking together or climb mountains as a two part team ?

Not to be too negative the docu-drama format is undoubtedly the best medium to tell this type of story , if it'd been filmed as a feature film we'd have had to put up with a couple of Hollywood hunks acting all tough and macho and spending large parts of the movie without any dialogue to explain what was going on . There is some astounding cinematography of the natural beauty of mountain landscapes ( I'm glad I have a widescreen TV ) and get ready for the most bizarre use of a Boney M pop track you will ever see

I gave TOUCHING THE VOID seven out of Ten . I might have awarded it slightly more but because Channel 4 had been shoving the trailers in our face as to how good it was I ended up being just a little disappointed by it