The Beckoning Silence details
| Format: | PG DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Joe Simpson |
| Director: | Louise Osmond |
| Genre: | Documentary - General |
| Studio: | 4DVD |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
The Beckoning Silence |
PG Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 30 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 05 Nov 2007 |
| Main languages: | English |
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Most helpful review
Mountain men
By Northernsky (318 reviews) from Halifax , 23 Oct 2007[Highly rated reviewer]
As someone who gets dizzy if he wears an extra thick pair of socks I am awe of people who climb mountains . In fact I am in awe of people who can climb ladders, but they as a rule aren’t at risk from frostbite , sudden changes in the weather , falling rocks , avalanches and the numerous and terrifying pitfalls that can befall mountain climbers at any given minute.
Nowhere is there more chance of this happening than on the north face of the Eiger. This mountain and more specifically the route up the north face has an irresistible pull for serious climbers and this film attempts to explain why while also giving a superb dramatic reconstruction of an attempt in 1936 that ended in tragedy. While the story itself is remarkable and ultimately very moving it’s the eloquent commentary and thoughts of mountaineer Joe Simpson that give this film it’s vital empirical heart. Joe Simpson from the film “Touching The Void” survived a near tragedy on a mountain in Peru which of course is what that film was about and so is an ideal person to give insights to what the climbers were thinking and how they would have reasoned and overcome the dilemmas presented to them.
In 1936 the north face of the Eiger had yet to be conquered, indeed the previous year two climbers had perished attempting the climb .Simpson visiting the mountain explains that the north face can be viewed from the town below and thus people with telescopes or binoculars can track the progress( or otherwise) of the climbers . This had happened in 1935 till during one of the storms that descend with rapid ferocity on the mountain face the two climbers disappeared from view . A year later a group of four talented and enthusiastic climbers led by Toni Kurz made an attempt of their own but an unfortunate accident and one decision made it must be said out of unawareness, resulted in their time on the mountain becoming a fight for survival. It’s a tale of extraordinary courage , resolution and a sheer will to live . Who better to comment than Simpson ( Who admits he hasn’t climbed for three years ,yet after spending some time on the north face for the purposes of the film admits he can feel the pull of the mountain resurfacing ) and his measured conversant tones give this film an even more piquant tone than the story itself would have provided which is saying something .
The DVD has extras to provide further insight and the film itself while being around a hundred times more involving and riveting than any Hollywood blockbuster is also stunning visually with some truly breath-taking shots of the Eiger and the surrounding mountains. This is that rare thing -a film that is both moving and educational ., a quite superb piece of film-making . If you’re prone to vertigo it will make you feel dizzy once or twice and that’s as near to replicating what these remarkable people do as I’m ever likely to get.- Was this review helpful to you?
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(8)Brilliance once again from Joe Simpson!
By a customer from Beddington , 28 Sep 2011I love watching 'Touching the Void' as well as reading it. But I felt unsatisfied because Simpson never quite went into detail about why he took the risks he did. Touching the Void just took us on a journey of him surviving against insurmountable odds. But in this instalment his retelling of the story of his childhood hero, a climber named Kurtz, he gives the viewer an insight into why he and people like him climb. I would never climb as I have never seen the point. BUT as I discovered from the film, it's not about the climbing because the act in itself is, as Simpson states pointless and without reason. But what does fascinate me is that it takes a certain kind of person to take on such risks in what appears to be in such a light manner, only to potentially lose their lives in split second. While Joe was a good climber no doubt, he is in my opinion much better as a writer as he has made mountain climbing better known to common folk and not because it's an interesting sport but because he is able to make his experiences so accessible due to the way he expresses himself. While I won't be reading this book (unlike Touching the Void that I felt compelled to read the book after seeing the movie: this is rare for me) I am glad I watched the movie as it explained so much about Joe Simpson, who I find so interesting,(more so than climbing).- Was this review helpful to you?
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beckoning silence
By maggy (9 reviews) from Kidlington , 14 Jan 2011This film about the tragic second attempt---the first was in 1937, this in 1938--- of the North face of the Eiger is simply excellent. Joe Simpson as an experienced climber himself (Touching the Void) handles the story informatively and sensitively.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Fascinating, but deadly
By ElizabethAnne (7 reviews) from Harrogate , 23 Sep 2010These sort of films have the same fascination as ghoulishly stopping to look at a traffic accident, yes, I plead guilty as well. Having narrowly escaped death in Peru - 'Touching the Void' - Joe Simpson must have been mad to go anywhere near the north face of the Eiger, even if it was to make this film. It really does bring home just how dangerous mountaineering really is and how mad the climbers are to attempt these very dangerous climbs. I remember Edmund Hillary saying when asked why he climbed Everest 'Because it's there!'
This was a beautifully shot film full of suspense, even though you knew what the end was. I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone not of a nervous disposition.- Was this review helpful to you?
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The Beckoning Silence
By Drawers (13 reviews) from West Byfleet , 23 Jun 2009What a great film. I may be an armchair mountaineer but this was exciting to watch, as good as the book was to read. Touching the Void was a good film too.- Was this review helpful to you?
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the beckoning silence
By a customer from Ossett , 26 Mar 2009...rather like Man on Wire, this promises more than it delivers, and perhaps this is imevitable. Film never manages, quite, to create the sense of overwhelming scale and exposure of big mountains and voids. On the other hand, the reconstrucions of the original climb are poignant, convincing, and genuinely moving. Actually, as with Touching the Void, I found the extras more compelling than the main feature.- Was this review helpful to you?
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