Touching the Void (2003)

Excellent

The simplest of words can sometimes convey far more than the most elaborate action scenes. This runs counter to the whole `a picture is worth a thousand words', yet is nonetheless true.
This film is a docudrama about two young British mountaineers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, who in 1985 decided to become the first men to ever scale a treacherous Andean peak in Peru called Siula Grande. They left for their task with a third climber who was to wait at their base camp- Richard Hawking.
The film documents the weeklong adventure Joe and Simon had. The first three days were rather uneventful, and the duo reached the summit. It was on the way down that trouble hit. Freak storms were the first augur of bad things to come. Then Joe broke his leg and Simon was left to innovate a technique to lower his partner down the mountainside in 150 foot increments. Then, a second accident befell the duo. In a blizzard, Simon lowered Joe over an overhang that hung over a massive crevasse. When Joe could not signal what had occurred Simon was left in the precarious position of being unable to lift his partner back, and slowly being dragged down the face himself. After a few hours with no signal from Joe Simon made a fateful decision to cut the rope to Joe, assuming he had died and was a dead weight, lest he face sure death as well.
Joe fell into the crevasse, where he dangled for hours. The next morning, a shaken Simon looked in vain, and assumed his partner had died. Simon made it back to the base camp, nearly dead from frostbite, and needed a few days to recover physically and emotionally with Richard. Joe, meanwhile, after much frustration, lowered himself into the crevasse and made his way out, then spent several days painfully eking his way down the mountain with an improvised splint, over glaciers and rock fields. The last night that Simon and Richard were at camp they heard Joe's cries and were shocked that he survived.... this is a terrific film as documentary and adventure. A viewer can understand why these adventurers do what they do, as well as recoil from it. Watching Joe Simpson narrate his tale you can see him do both at once, sometimes. It's in those fleeting moments that the viewer gets why this film was.
September 21, 2008

True Spirt

This movie is one that shows a real life story of a mountian climbing trip that leads one man to a struggle for his life. Touching the void conveys a the true feeling of strugle to the viewer. It offers a sense of how those with the those that can withstand the forging of ones soul in life will have the fortitude to make it through anything humanly possably. This Movie shows the limits of man can sometimes be just enough to survive. August 25, 2008

Extremely Inspirational

I'm reading a book right now about extreme athletes (Explorers of the Infinite by Maria Coffey) which led me to this movie. I was blown away, I haven't read Touching the Void the book yet, but this movie is well worth a viewing. Although I've never done mountaineering yet, I have gone 2 months without sleep before, and I can verify that this movie depicted that area of experience very very well, I was impressed. It's very inspirational too keep making decisions whether right or wrong, remindful make a decision and push forward. Recommended. August 9, 2008

Amazing story, good documentary

Perhaps the underlying true story already provides all the drama, but this documentary is true to the Simpson's book and shows a rare glimpse into the minds of the three key people.

Highly recommended, especially if you have read the book. May 9, 2008

F***!,F***!.....F*************!!!!!!!

This film is one harrowing tale of human's capacity for suffering. "Touching The Void" introduces us to Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, two friends who are climbers. On the trip dramatized for this film, they attempt to climb Siula Grande, a 21,000 foot peak that has never been scaled. During the climb, one mistake leads one of them to make a life or death decision. It is what happened afterward that makes this film a nail-biter.

I found that you have to look closely at the DVD box to get the full impact of the seriousness of that decision. Both men are essentially left to their own devices as to how they individually will make it back to base camp.

I found the film to be a great tale of survival except for one thing....there was altogether too much cursing. I realize that the circumstances excuse them to some degree, and I have no doubt that the language IS faithful to the event in question, but it is somewhat disturbing to hear so much of it. This is why I subtract a star. This is NOT a film for the whole family, but wait until the kids have gone to bed, and give it a watch, this film is one great thriller!

On the DVD there are three featurettes, but the interview with both Joe Simpson and Simon Yates is the most interesting. You get to hear what happened after they made it to base camp. April 19, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...