IMDb RATING
6.8/10
5.5K
YOUR RATING
The story of the deadliest day on the world's most dangerous mountain, when 11 climbers mysteriously perished on K2.The story of the deadliest day on the world's most dangerous mountain, when 11 climbers mysteriously perished on K2.The story of the deadliest day on the world's most dangerous mountain, when 11 climbers mysteriously perished on K2.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 5 nominations
Walter Bonatti
- Self
- (archive footage)
Gerard McDonnell
- Self - Climber
- (archive footage)
Hristo Mitzkov
- Marco Confortola
- (as Christo Mitzkov)
Lochlann O'Mearáin
- Ger McDonnell
- (as Lochlainn O'Mearain)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWon Best Feature film at 2013 BANFF film festival. The award was accepted on behalf of the film makers by Norwegian adventurer Cecilie Skog, who is featured in the film.
- Crazy creditsThe title of the movie does not show until about 15 minutes into the film.
Featured review
"He discovers things about his own body and mind that he had almost forgotten in the day-to-day, year-to-year routine of living." James Ramsey Ullman, High Conquest.
I don't know about you, but if I were approaching the "death zone" while mountain climbing, I'd turn back. However, you can bet the heroes of the documentary, The Summit, hiking the world's second biggest and most difficult mountain (it defeats 1 out of every 4 climbers), K2, had no such thoughts. The Summit won the Sundance World Cinema documentary award this year.
More interesting than the physical exploits is the rationale for doing such a dangerous sport in the first place. Yet, such psychoanalyzing is not a matter for The Summit, a thrilling doc long on the difficult climb and more difficult decisions while fates are decided in sometimes inscrutable and random ways. It's short on the motivation, which pretty much is accepted these days as, "because it's there."
Eleven climbers of 25 lost their lives that day in 2008 without an adequate explanation for any of the deaths. However this thesis is proved once more: Most lives in climbing are lost on the descent. The film has a fragmented, multiple-points-of-view (think of a climbing Rashomon) approach that cuts among the several players and history while featuring a couple of the more charismatic climbers, especially Ger McDonnell, whose death is the most difficult to understand even as he's touted for his alleged attempt to save 3 Korean climbers.
This discursive storytelling can be confusing while it saps the thrust of the inherently intriguing story. The many re-enactments drain the film of its immediate "what-the" doc impact. The film retains some of the awe we all feel when in the presence of such a manifestation of Nature's power:
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
I don't know about you, but if I were approaching the "death zone" while mountain climbing, I'd turn back. However, you can bet the heroes of the documentary, The Summit, hiking the world's second biggest and most difficult mountain (it defeats 1 out of every 4 climbers), K2, had no such thoughts. The Summit won the Sundance World Cinema documentary award this year.
More interesting than the physical exploits is the rationale for doing such a dangerous sport in the first place. Yet, such psychoanalyzing is not a matter for The Summit, a thrilling doc long on the difficult climb and more difficult decisions while fates are decided in sometimes inscrutable and random ways. It's short on the motivation, which pretty much is accepted these days as, "because it's there."
Eleven climbers of 25 lost their lives that day in 2008 without an adequate explanation for any of the deaths. However this thesis is proved once more: Most lives in climbing are lost on the descent. The film has a fragmented, multiple-points-of-view (think of a climbing Rashomon) approach that cuts among the several players and history while featuring a couple of the more charismatic climbers, especially Ger McDonnell, whose death is the most difficult to understand even as he's touted for his alleged attempt to save 3 Korean climbers.
This discursive storytelling can be confusing while it saps the thrust of the inherently intriguing story. The many re-enactments drain the film of its immediate "what-the" doc impact. The film retains some of the awe we all feel when in the presence of such a manifestation of Nature's power:
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
- JohnDeSando
- Oct 19, 2013
- Permalink
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Döden på K2
- Filming locations
- K2, Karakoram Mountain Range, Pakistan(Aerial Sequences)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $243,550
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $20,904
- Oct 6, 2013
- Gross worldwide
- $277,651
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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