Jet

(2013-05-22 05:37:43)

A true story that seems so hard to believe. An excellent must see movie.

A movie about two mountain climbing friends (Simon and Joe) who decidethey want a challenge and decide to climb a mountain in Peru. They gothrough a perilous journey. And have to make life changing decisions.It shows there strong friendship and how its made even stronger. It waswonderfully done. One of the best documentaries of all time. It is atwonderful story of survival and learning that its never to late. Thismovie is so good that i just saw it for my second time this very nightand i will probably buy it. I recommend getting the DVD version andalso watching what happened after ward it is ten minutes and it justtells a little bit about what happened after the journey.

(2013-05-21 17:13:54)

Great doc

Watched twice. This was done well and worth watching. I would recommend to any one that likes adventure and climbing

fog-9

(2013-05-16 13:41:06)

i hate mountain climbing films

so i was completely and utterly amazed by my response to this movie...i guess i haven't explored the genre but the two men who survived wereso HONEST!... it was refreshing to hear the way they spoke, of secretlywanting to leave the other man to die, but persisting because it wasthe right and humane thing to do... what courage it takes to admitthat!... and to admit that you're stubborn and arrogant... that youwere completely broken... it's rare to hear sportsmen talk this way...and they didn't seem to exude that attitude that non-climbers wouldn'tunderstand, or that they were somehow superior to us ordinary folk(despite joe's self-confessed ego)... some interviews with climbersannoy me, but these guys were amazing...the sheer emotion they conveyed with the simultaneous reenactments andthe articulate commentary was astounding... i was gritting my teeth atthe implied pain and frustration and even became somewhat emotional atthe reunion...this documentary has palpable, white-lightning power, and it willremain with you long after you've seen it... it's quite unlike anythingi've viewed before...

niclas-22

(2013-05-16 01:45:54)

A film of adventurers for adventurers!

I rowed across the Atlantic Ocean in a crossing with several problemsand where me and my teammate were close to dying several times. I havenever been able to retell my story in a way that other people willactually understand what I have been going through. That is whereTouching the Void comes in. It is a movie where the original adventuretells his story, where the film only adds to the story, a story sogreat that most people will never understand. But this film helpspeople to get closer to the story than ever before.This is not a film for the person that thinks that Far Away, RobinsonCrouse or Indiana Jones is an adventure movie. This is an adventurewhere the film is only a communications platform for the true story.Climbers will love to see this movie, and will learn a lot ofworthwhile knowledge.Sum: This is the first movie I have seen that retells an adventuresstory in a way that makes the story justice.Niclas MГѓВҐrdfelt, Oceanrower

Howard Schumann

(2013-05-11 14:48:18)

Remarkable courage and determination

Based on the best-selling book of the same name, Kevin Macdonald'sdocu-drama Touching the Void recreates the 1985 experience of Joe Simpsonand Simon Yates, two British mountaineers attempting to climb the SiulaGrande Mountains of Peru, a mountain range no one had ever succeeded inscaling before. The film tells the story of how Simpson, alone at 21,000feet -- with a broken leg, dehydrated, and a step away from death, pushedhis broken body beyond the limits of what he knew to be possible in order tosurvive. Oscar-winning director of One Day in September, Macdonald usesactors Brendan Mackay (Simpson) and Nicholas Aaron (Yates) to recreate theadventure while the real climbers provide a running commentary.After ascending the west face of the mountain in 3 1/2 days using the"purest" style of climbing (sleeping in ice caves rather than setting upbase camps along the way), the descent is treacherous as Simpson misses astep and his lower leg is driven into his kneecap. Tied together by a rope,Yates begins lowering his partner downward in the darkness, 300 feet at atime while Simpson is in excruciating pain. Progress is halted when Simpsonis lowered into a crevasse and left dangling in mid-air, unable to signalhis companion. Yates believes him to be dead and makes a crucial andcontroversial decision to cut the rope, leaving his partner alone andwithout support. Simpson has never blamed Yates for his decision and hasgone to great lengths in his book and in interviews to defend Simon whosecharacter has been continually under attack since that fateful day.The film was shot in authentic locations in the Andes and the Alps, and theresult is a sense of being there, experiencing the pitiless forces ofnature. Though the outcome is preordained, how the two friends managed tosurvive their ordeal provides more than enough heart-pounding suspense. Thefilm shows Simpson trying to knot a rope with frozen fingers and guzzlingthe first muddy water he finds to counter the effects of severe dehydration.One of the most intriguing sequences shows the climber in a semi-deliriousstate listening in his mind to the sound of Boney M's Brown Girl in theRing. While there is little in the way of spiritual epiphany (Simpson candidlydiscusses his atheism), there is an unmistakable feeling that both men havebeen strengthened by their shared ordeal. Simpson touches the void withinhim, an emptiness that compels him to keep going only because he "wanted tobe with someone when I died". Reaching base camp in the middle of the night,he calls out but no one answers, `When no one answered the call", he says,"I lost something. I lost me.' Then, when Simon and Richard rescue him, thething he remembers most is the feeling of being held. Though he did notexperience a higher power guiding him, he does sense a freedom from theworld's clutter that makes him feel more alive. Touching the Void is a taleof remarkable courage and determination that touches the place withinourselves that tells us that miracles can occur in our life if we are ableto go beyond what we thought was possible and act as if our life depends onthe result.

(2013-05-10 17:19:27)

Very good tale of human endurance

Beautiful scenery and cinematography. You know how it ends since it is peppered with commentary from the people upon which the film is based, but it holds your interest because you wonder how exactly they could possibly it. The interviews are honest and compelling.

vram22

(2013-05-03 03:16:10)

Average ...

This movie could have been a lot better by being shorter. Every aspectof the event was discussed / described in excruciating detail withnarration by those involved. Typically that is a plus, except when themovie is almost two hours and you can describe what happens in a fewsentences. I just got bored hearing about what everybody was thinkingwhen little was happening. Maybe I've seen too many 'Discovery' and'National Geographic' channel documentaries. They've got such storytelling down to a captivating science whereas here it looks like an OKattempt.The DVD extras are interesting, but be forewarned: if you found thestory inspiring, then the featurettes could cause a little letdown.There are some remarks that take away from the purity of the story.Nobody's perfect.If you saw and liked how the movie "World Trade Center" was presented,then you may really like this movie. If you've seen many survivalistdocumentaries, then this one may come across as slow and long.

(2013-05-02 18:38:52)

Beyond the Beyond

Picture HellPicture hell with your minds eye. Then picture yourself placed squarely within the depths of the devil's lair. Imagine the worst fear you have ever felt and couple this with the most painful experience you've ever been privy to.Multiply that by 1000 and you still don't have an estimation of what the men in this story went through!The ExtremesJoey Simpson and Simon Yates are the only men to ever successfully climb Mt. Siula Grande. Their feat has never been repeated. While watching this movie I realized why this is so. The terrain they chose to traverse is so hostile towards anything human that one wonders how they could even conceive to undertake the challenge.2 men, minimal supplies, no backup, no support, no GPS tracking, no modern technology. This is how they chose to tackle the mountain. They did this in what seems to me, a bold and stoic stance in front of God while shouting: Here I am, I am ready to vindicate my existence!This, in my mind, is the greatest vindication of one's existence: To go against nature with no hope of survival, to stare certain death in the face, to encounter madness and still survive to tell the story.PuristsThe first 15 minutes of the movie is all about how they make it up the mountain. They chose to use the single push Alpine style of mountain climbing. In this style one does not scout the mountain and set up various camps and supply points throughout the proposed route. In this style, you carry all your supplies in your backpack and, in one powerful push, you climb up and down the mountain. It is, to quote Joe, the purest form of mountain climbing.Saving My BrotherThe descent, during which 80% of mountain climbing accidents occur, proved more perilous than the ascent. It is during the descent that Joe slipped and got injured, a fate which, under such conditions, is indicative of certain death for both climbers. The impact of his fall was so great as to almost split his leg in half!It is here that Sam proved to be an exceptional human being. Instead of abandoning his colleague, as he was expected to, he attempts to get his partner to safety by lowering him down in 300 foot drops using a lengthy rope.The situation quickly deteriorates and one accident follows another. Not only do they run out of gas and therefore water, but they also run out of any other supplies. At that point, the worst possible accident happens and Joe falls over a cliff edge and into a chasm.The transformationGreat adversity often causes a change in a man. This psycho-emotional change is often marked by dramatic physical changes (as I've described before).Sam assumes that his colleague is dead and cuts the rope that joins them. When he does make it to the basecamp, their travel mate notes the following: You wouldn't recognize him.... He didn't look human....In the meantime, Joe undergoes a trip to the very nadir of depression and back to the zenith of superhumanity. He gives up trying to climb out of the crevasse. He gives up waiting for benevolent help. He decides to do the impossible: He descends into the bottomless crevasse. This is the self same crevasse that he described thus: ....I tried to use my torch to look into the crevasse. It went down forever.... The darkness just completely swallowed the light...When he eventually does make it out of the crevasse he finds that he has an entire glacier to traverse. The situation is exacerbate by the powder snow which completely covers the tracks left by his companion. He suffers from severe dehydration. The glacier is marked by snow patches that cover crevasses. One false step and you are guaranteed a certain and swift death.The Guardian Angel Within4 days later, crawling along on one leg, he makes it to the moraine which is covered with boulders. Every hop he makes there after results in him falling and injuring himself on the boulders. Yet, somehow, he makes it across and to the basecamp. Here's how he describes it: ...I set goals.. I decided to make it to the next boulder in 20 minutes.... It became obsessive...If I made it in less than 20 minutes I was overjoyed....If I took longer I would get mad at myself...Later, he starts going mad. He hears voices and the pain becomes excruciating. He finds comfort in the warmth of wetting himself. He loses all human dignity. Even then, he talks of the calm, unfeeling, hard voice of infinity that urges him on; ...The voice would tell me to get up.."No time to rest, no time to nurse the pain".... The voice wasn't mine...My mind would just observe and take everything in... The voice would force me to move...I Rescued MyselfEventually, he makes it to the basecamp. He shouts Sam's name continuously. When their travel mate hears it he thinks the following: ...I could hear Joe's voice call out to Sam.... But that couldn't be because Joe was dead...And if he wasn't then whatever was out there could not be human...Having gone through what he had gone through, the creature that was out there could not be Joe, It couldn't be humanSummaryChallenging death in such a manner is the ultimate vindication of one's existence. To face God and come out a victor and an equal is the ultimate proof that we are made in his image. There's no luck involved in this ordeal. There is only heart.Touching the Void is an excellent, priceless and timeless story. I urge everyone to read the book and watch the movie. It is guaranteed to leave tears in your eyes.I'm going to buy both the book and the DVD. You should too. Trust me, it's worth it.

(2013-05-01 23:04:28)

HARROWING, HORRIFYING AND HEROIC

I was not prepared for the heart-stopping, intensity of TOUCHING THE VOID (MGM). This documentary-like reconstruction of a harrowing 1985 true-climbing incident on the previously unconquered Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes by British climbers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates (who also narrate) is ideal for the armchair adventurer dad. The photography is stupendous, but the astounding story of courage and the staggering will to survive is unforgettable.

(2013-05-01 08:21:53)

Truly Inspiring

It doesn't matter if you are currently a mountaineer, or if you have hopes of becoming one someday. It doesn't matter what challenges you are going through in your life right now. This movie will inspire you to persevere in the most extreme of circumstances. I make my high school students watch it every year, and I've made my own kids watch it as well. There are no obstacles which can not be overcome.

simonrosenbaum

(2013-04-29 03:55:16)

a real cliff-hanger!

I admit I don't see many documentaries at the cinema as usually they workjust as well on the small screen but this one really benefits from beingseen on the big screen. The story of two British mountaineers who tried toclimb one of the biggest mountains in Peru with almost disastrous results.This is re-inacted so well that at what point I thought what we were seeingwas the actual climb itself forgetting that it took place in 1985. Some ofthe scenes of the mountain are breathtaking and seeing it from all anglesgives you a real feeling of being there. As for the story itself, it'sscary, sometimes funny, and ultimately inspirational. A must see experiencefor all would be adventurers (and those of us who prefer safer pursuits likegoing to the cinema!) (8/10)

davewoodward

(2013-04-28 15:22:43)

Fantastic supplement to the book

Having read the book a couple of years ago, not seeing this movie was noteven an option.The movie does a great job of expanding the images in the book, but, forme,the book was so well written that some of the darkness and despair thatJoedescribed was perhaps lost.In particular the last part of his journey through the moraines seemedmoreharsh, and more desolate as described in the book.For me the particular treat was seeing Joe and Simon talking about theincident in their own words. The price of the movie was worth it for thisalone.All in all a great documentary. Definitely recommended for those that haveread the book, but not a replacement for doing so.

(2013-04-21 07:21:24)

He Should Be Alive

My wife and I have loved watching the Animal Planet series "I Shouldn't be Alive," and this film clearly influenced the tales in that series. As harrowing as many of those TV shows are, they are bound within a short frame of time; not long enough in most cases for the viewer/witness to slip deeply into the dreadful circumstance. "Touching the Void" succeeds in this. I was familiar with the story; already knew about Simon having to cut the rope -- and he did -- HAVE TO cut the rope. Anyone who criticizes it has very probably never been faced with that horrible predicament. What an extraordinary feat of survival. Thanks for sharing it with us.

mgallati

(2013-04-20 20:35:01)

an impressive true story

I have never seen such an interesting film! I saw it in the morning andcould not forget the movie until the night, because it was soimpressive. The pictures of these two dehydrated, exhausted andsuffering men will stay in my mind. I really felt for the mountaineersduring the movie. The comments of the action added by the survivorsgive the film more depth, because you realize, that it is not aninvented story.For people who like climbing, mountaineering, themountains or impressive, true stories in general, its a brilliant film.That is why I would recommend this film to everyone even if you are nota climber. To sum up, an excellent, well-made and compelling film.

(2013-04-17 17:02:11)

Excellent true story.

This review is from: Touching the Void (DVD) Excellent true story. How some people hold up under duress is just amazing!!!! I highly recommend this one any time, for guys and gals alike!

(2013-04-16 19:43:58)

Awesome cinematography and story

Great story about the spirit of these two climbers and how they were able to overcome the problems they had in getting down off the mountain. Many of the shots make me wonder what kind of work that the film crews had to do in order to make the viewer feel like they were there gazing into the majestic and impressive mountains.

Tiffany Crawford

(2013-04-15 04:18:02)

"Touching The Void" and Me

Now that I have seen "Touching The Void" I have a new perspective on mylife-time goal of mountain climbing...hahaha...just kidding, butanyways this movie is definitely a thriller. I can't believe thephysical and mental state these guys put themselves through. WHO DOESTHAT? the fact that he was only a hair away from dieing is a prettyscary thing. I have a personal connection, but not a life or deaththing like this was. one time I ran out of gas on 104 east, and it waslike 10:30 at night, now me being 17, I am not legally supposed todrive after nine, and my choices were to either get out of my car andwalk to the nearest gas station and back, or to call my mom and haveher meet me there....well after about an hour of contemplating, Idecided to call my mom. she was mad but happy at the same time for thedecision I had made.It was winter and I would've had to walk about 3miles each way to the gas station, no fun!! This movie also connectedto some other books we have read in class, such as: "A Lesson BeforeDying," because in this book, the issue was teaching Jefferson to be aman before he died, and no one was going to give up until this wasaccomplished. In "Touching The Void" this guy fell through snow and wasinside of the mountain with no way out, but he has his mind made upthat he wasn't going to die that way and he got out. Then continued onwith his journey alone, without his friend. He didn't give up and madeit through. Like Grant in "A Lesson Before Dying", he did not give upuntil Jefferson knew that he was a man. (or at least they thought so.)

(2013-04-14 10:02:16)

One of the best survival films EVER

I absolutely love this and the drive that it takes to survive. I might have watched this 5 times and keep enjoying the strong journey of survival.

lgrace

(2013-04-12 21:51:07)

Saw this last night

I don't usually go in for this kind of thing, and there was somethingelse on I wanted to watch. But I was riveted to my TV for the WHOLEmovie. I TRIED to turn the channel to my other show, but couldn't!By cutting the rope, Simon saves both their lives. If he had not, theyboth would have died. Of course, that is simply how it came out...Simonwouldn't know he'd save BOTH of them by (to him) dooming Joe.As a Canadian student, I studied a poem by Earle Birney called "David".Most schools teach this poem at one grade or another. Usually highschool, as it's pretty strong stuff for elementary school.The short story of the poem is that while the speaker and his friendDavid are mountain climbing, David has an accident. He falls down acliff onto a narrow ledge and breaks his neck. He is totally paralyzed.The story teller must then decide what to do. He knows that the days itwill take him to climb out and then days more to climb back withhelp...David will certainly die a horrible, slow death. David begs hisfriend to push him over the edge...to end it quickly. I was bothhorrified and fascinated by the situation and the dilemma. I seem torecall it was up to the reader to decide what the speaker had finallydone. Did he kill David, or was he going for help?I was equally enthralled by this movie documentary. On the edge of mychair through the whole thing. Even though I knew he would be rescued(obviously) the suspense damn near killed me. I've rarely been so taken up by a film.

Cosmoeticadotcom

(2013-04-12 13:44:35)

Excellent

The simplest of words can sometimes convey far more than the mostelaborate action scenes. This runs counter to the whole 'a picture isworth a thousand words', yet is nonetheless true.This film is a docudrama about two young British mountaineers, JoeSimpson and Simon Yates, who in 1985 decided to become the first men toever scale a treacherous Andean peak in Peru called Siula Grande. Theyleft for their task with a third climber who was to wait at their basecamp- Richard Hawking.The film documents the weeklong adventure Joe and Simon had. The firstthree days were rather uneventful, and the duo reached the summit. Itwas on the way down that trouble hit. Freak storms were the first augurof bad things to come. Then Joe broke his leg and Simon was left toinnovate a technique to lower his partner down the mountainside in 150foot 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 theprecarious position of being unable to lift his partner back, andslowly being dragged down the face himself. After a few hours with nosignal 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 aswell.Joe fell into the crevasse, where he dangled for hours. The nextmorning, a shaken Simon looked in vain, and assumed his partner haddied. Simon made it back to the base camp, nearly dead from frostbite,and needed a few days to recover physically and emotionally withRichard. Joe, meanwhile, after much frustration, lowered himself intothe crevasse and made his way out, then spent several days painfullyeking his way down the mountain with an improvised splint, overglaciers and rock fields. The last night that Simon and Richard were atcamp they heard Joe's cries and were shocked that he survived…. this isa terrific film as documentary and adventure. A viewer can understandwhy 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 thisfilm was.