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Touching the Void
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Touching the Void (2003) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
8.1/10   10,156 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 6% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Kevin Macdonald
Writer:
Joe Simpson (book)
Contact:
View company contact information for Touching the Void on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 December 2003 (UK) more
Tagline:
The closer you are to death. The more you realize you are alive. more
Plot:
The true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
5 wins & 7 nominations more
User Comments:
Gripping from Start to Finish more

Cast

  (Credited cast)
Brendan Mackey ... Joe Simpson
Nicholas Aaron ... Simon Yates
Richard Hawking ... Himself
Joe Simpson ... Himself
Simon Yates ... Himself
Ollie Ryall ... Richard Hawking
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for language.
Runtime:
106 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Colour:
Colour
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Again at the end of the movie, another line claims that the route opened by Simon and Joe has never been repeated. This also partially incorrect. Political unrest in the area (because of Sendero Luminoso activities) prevented climbers to reach Siula for many years. However, in 1999, Carlos Buehler, one of the most talented US alpine-style climbers, repeated the route with a companion. In the last section (the one covered by Joe and Simon in their last day on the West face), Buehler decided conditions were too dangerous, and thus opened a more direct variant (humorously named "Avoiding The Touch") going straight up the summit, more technically difficult but safer. They went up the summit ridge but not to the summit proper (as Joe had originally considered), choosing to descend back the climbing route in order to avoid the treacherous North Ridge. more
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. more
Quotes:
Joe Simpson: Bloody hell... I'm gonna die to Boney M. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The 50 Greatest Documentaries (2005) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Brown Girl in the Ring more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
17 out of 21 people found the following comment useful:-
Gripping from Start to Finish, 2 August 2004
9/10
Author: Philby-3 from Sydney, Australia

There are exceptions, but mountaineering movies fall roughly into two classes; overblown, unrealistic cliffhanging (in more than one sense) dramas ('Eiger Sanction', 'K2', 'Cliffhanger', 'Vertical Limit') and rather trite descriptive documentaries often seen as padding for the 'National Geographic' channel schedules, although Jon Krakaur's 'Into Thin Air' managed to combine the worst of both worlds. Both classes have in common (usually) Gortex gear, superb mountain scenery and splendid cinematography. What distinguishes this survival story is that it has (sorry about this) high drama, an understated style and absolute authenticity. The actual principals, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, and Richard Hawkins the non-climber base camp minder, narrate their story as it is re-enacted, partly at the original site in Peru (though some filming was done in the European Alps), while actors (with very few lines to say) re-enact the saga of the Siula West Face climb. It all hangs together beautifully; and I was rapt from go to whoa. My disbelief was entirely suspended.

Even documentaries are stories rather than fact (whatever that is) and this story is superbly told, for which director Kevin Macdonald can take full credit, though perhaps one should also thank Simon Yates and Joe Simpson for telling us their stories. One critic has taken the director to task in not dwelling on the moral issues involved – the cutting the rope bit. No mountaineering drama is without one of these but here it actually happened. That critic has missed the point – the approach here is 'be your own judge'.

This film manages to appeal both to mountaineers (a small but highly critical audience) and non-mountaineers. As a (semi-retired) and undistinguished member of the former group, I found few nits to pick, though a more extended explanation of the difference between Alpine-style and Expedition climbing would help to show non-mountaineers that it wasn't a suicide attempt (though speaking for myself I wouldn't have tried it with less than four in the party). And as the film was about a climb that went wrong, the joy of climbing, which is not easy to explain to non-mountaineers was rather overshadowed by Joe's suffering as he dragged himself, leg broken, down the mountain. But never have I seen a more graphic illustration of the adage 'never give up'. Lie down to die and you will die. Joe and the Texan doctor on Everest (see 'Into Thin Air') both should have died, yet they survived. In the doctor's case it seems to have been some primeval instinct (he was not a mountaineer). In Joe's case he seems to have treated survival as a challenge and focused his thoughts accordingly ('I thought, in twenty minutes I'll be at the next rock'). I winced every time his broken leg hit something.

To sum up this is a great film, which will live long in your memory, climber or non-climber.

P.S. Simon was only 20 or so at the time, Joe a more mature 25. Both have kept climbing, though significantly not together.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Touching the Void (2003)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
How did the camera guy get up there k00ldude
Superb! ChaseWolf
hummm... Do you think Joe exaggerated the facts a bit? barrs6
Any idea why the director is a bad guy? delcater
A great compliment to the book aerophex1
my opinion... gunot213
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