The Alps (2007)

Director:

Stephen Judson

Writers (WGA):

Stephen Venables (written by) and
Stephen Judson (written by)

Release Date:

11 June 2008 (France)

Genre:

Documentary | Adventure

Plot:

John Harlin III attempts to climb the North Face of the Eiger, the site of his father's death 40 years earlier.

Plot Keywords:

Switzerland | Death | Climbing | Avalanche | Reenactment

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Michael Gambon	...	Narrator
Adele Hammond	...	Herself
John Harlin III	...	Himself
Adele Harlin	...	Herself
Siena Harlin	...	Herself
Daniela Jasper	...	Herself
Robert Jasper	...	Himself
Bruno Messerli	...	Himself
Christine Pielmeier	...	Herself
Adele Siena	...	Herself

Directed by
Stephen Judson

Writing credits (WGA)
Stephen Venables		(written by) and
Stephen Judson		(written by)

Produced by
Anne Marie Hammers	....	line producer
Mark Krenzien	....	producer
Greg MacGillivray	....	producer

Original Music by
Steve Wood

Cinematography by
Brad Ohlund

Film Editing by
Stephen Judson

Production Management
Kathy Almon	....	production manager

Sound Department
Andrew DeCristofaro	....	supervising sound editor
Ryan Maguire	....	foley mixer
Morten Folmer Nielsen	....	adr director
Morten Folmer Nielsen	....	adr editor
Morten Folmer Nielsen	....	adr recordist
David Abrahamsen	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Alan G. Markowitz	....	visual effects producer
Josh Mossotti	....	visual effects artist
Craig Edward Rogers Jr.	....	digital compositor
Craig Edward Rogers Jr.	....	film recording

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Brown	....	camera operator
Michael Brown	....	director of mountain photography
Ron Goodman	....	aerial cinematographer
Jochen Schmoll	....	second assistant camera
Robert Walker	....	first assistant camera

Editorial Department
Tim Amick	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Brian May	....	musician: guitar
Daniel May	....	orchestration

Other crew
Chip Bartlett	....	distribution

Production Companies

• MacGillivray Freeman Films

Distributors

• MacGillivray Freeman Films (2007) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Omniversum, Den Haag (200?) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (DVD)

Special Effects

• DKP 70mm (visual effects)
• Sassoon Film Design (visual effects)
• Visceral Image Productions (tectonics animation)
• Visceral Image Productions (visual effects)

Other Companies

• DKP 70mm  digital film recording
• DKP 70mm  digital film scanning
• David Keighley Productions 70MM  post-production consultant
• Sassoon Film Design  main title design
• Todd-AO Studios  post-production sound services
• Visceral Image Productions  end title design

Also Known As:

Runtime:

45 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.44 : 1

Sound Mix:

Sonics-DDP

Certification:

Germany:o.Al. | South Korea:All | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

Eiger Mountain, Kanton Bern, Switzerland

Company:

MacGillivray Freeman Films

Soundtrack:

Ride the Wild Wind

Men & Nature : A Beautiful Personal Journey

From the producers of Everest, comes this movie about a man that confronts his demons and climbs the North face of the Eiger -- the most difficult climb in Europe -- where his father died 40 years ago when he was just a boy. Now he has a wife and a daughter of his own and his hope is to impress this love and reverence for nature to her that his father had inspired in him before his fatal climb.

The wife is very supportive and understanding. Some emotions are purposefully understated like the fact that she is probably proud of him, but emotionally, the premise and the construct of the documentary works very well. It also helps that all the people involved are extremely likable and inspiring. The scientific aspects of it are interesting enough, but not the focus of the film. The true aim of the film is to put the viewer in the daughter's shoes and live the perilous personal journey with John as if he was a family member. Moreover, the underlying goal is also what John wants for his daughter: to make us conscious of the beauty of nature and the connection that man has with it.

Seen in IMAX, this is where things take whole new proportions. Not only is this story much better than Everest, but the footage is also more remarkable. First, the mountain and climb are beautifully shot, but moreover,the surrounding Swiss towns and scenery are as breathtaking. I was not surprised that the Swiss tourism agency put some money in this. There is no way anyone does not want to go there after viewing this...

And what can be said about director, Stephen Judson? So "Everest (1998)" and "The Discoverers (1993)" were where he tried his hand with MacGillivray, but this being his second solo project, after the amazing "Amazing Caves (2001)", it can surely be said that he has a knack for storytelling, adventure and utilizing the magnificent IMAX experience. I am impatiently awaiting for his next work.