Touching the Void (2003)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Kevin Macdonald

Writer:

Joe Simpson (book)

Release Date:

12 December 2003 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary | Adventure | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

The closer you are to death. The more you realize you are alive.

Plot:

The true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.

Plot Keywords:

Rope | Disaster | Crevasse | Broken Leg | Delirium

Awards:

5 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Brendan Mackey	...	Joe Simpson
Nicholas Aaron	...	Simon Yates
Richard Hawking	...	Himself
Joe Simpson	...	Himself
Simon Yates	...	Himself
Ollie Ryall	...	Richard Hawking

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Germany:12 | Netherlands:MG6 | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France

Company:

Darlow Smithson Productions

Trivia:

At the end of the movie, there's a written line claiming that Simon faced "strong criticism" from the climbing community after his return to England. This claim has been repeated in several press statements and reviews, but it's not correct. What really happened is that, one month after his return in Europe, Simon went climbing in the Alps, unaware that the Daily Mail newspaper had published a wildly incorrect version of the Siula story, implying that Simon had tried to kill Joe. This was of course absurd, and the British climbing community dismissed it immediately as nonsense. However, back home Simon discovered that a small group of senior members of the Mount Everest Foundation (the body that manages founding for climbing expeditions in the Greater Ranges) had misjudged the story and now wanted Simon excluded in the future from the MEF funds - a move that could basically kill Simon's climbing career. At this point however, Joe Simpson had a correct version of the Siula story published in a respected climbing magazine, and the whole issue was cleared. However, in the DVD commentary, Joe Simpson himself clearly says that Simon came under much criticism after returning home, and that he wrote Touching the Void to defend Simon.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: After Joe pulls the rope completely down while in the crevasse, the cut rope end is frayed. Later when looking at the rope end again, it's a nice clean cut.

Quotes:

Joe Simpson: Bloody hell... I'm gonna die to Boney M.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Making of 'Touching the Void' (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Brown Girl in the Ring

Mind-blowing! The second-best movie ever!

I am writing an article on this movie for a movie-magazine. I have seen this movie hundreds of times and believes it to be the second-best movie ever made. The best one, in my opinion, being 2001: a space oddesey by stanley kubrick. That one is the most visually stunning. Touching the Void is the second-most visually stunning movie in the history of cinema. I've read all the reviews here on IMDb and there are only about 4 negative reviews out of 126. That is fully justified. This is really an awesome movie with an awesome plot as well. I also like Joe Simpson's other books such as "This Game of Ghosts". The criticism by "the unemployed critic" about "unresolved" questions is just stupid I think. Life is unresolved. What will happen to Joe? He is still alive. What will happen to him. "the unemployed critic" could have gotten the information he wanted had he done research outside of the movie. Read the book, and so on. Anything less than 10/10 is just ridiculous for this movie. It inspired me so much to move boundaries in my own life and seek out danger. Joe Simpson is extremely honest and so is Simon Yates. Richard Hawking's role is also very interesting. This is a unique and outstanding movie. The second-most visually stunning movie after Space Oddessey 2001. Watch it! Revel in it! Wallow around in it!