Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3820 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-11-05
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

DVD Description

In The Beckoning Silence, Joe Simpson--whose amazing battle for survival featured in the multi-award winning "Touching the Void"--travels to the treacherous North Face of the Eiger to tell the story of one of mountaineering’s most epic tragedies. As a child, it was this story and that of one of the climbers in particular, that first captured Simpson’s imagination and inspired him to take up mountaineering.

Toni Kurz was a brilliant young mountaineer, who along with three other climbers tried to climb the mountain in 1936, which was then the last great unconquered peak in the Alps. Their assault on the mountain started well, but then disaster struck. One by one Kurz’s colleagues were killed, leaving him alone, hanging on the end of a rope fighting for his life in the most horrific of circumstances. Over 50 years later in Peru, Kurz’s story haunted Simpson as he battled for his own survival while hanging in mid-air. His plight uncannily mirrored that of Kurz--except, against all the odds, Simpson lived whilst his hero had perished.

The Beckoning Silence tells the story of Kurz’s heroic battle for survival, but in the process it also forces Simpson to confront a fundamental question: why continue climbing when you have come so close to oblivion? In this gripping, action-packed adventure film with a difference, Simpson finally confronts his demons on the Eiger’s North Face, and rediscovers the thrill of the climb that once made him feel so alive.

Synopsis

Based on the bestselling book of the same name, The Beckoning Silence follows mountain climber Joe Simpson as he takes on one of toughest challenges of his career. Fresh from his horrific ordeal in the Peruvian Andes--as recounted in the Oscar-winning documentary "Touching The Void"--Simpson attempts to ascend the treacherous North Face of the Eiger, a mountain that has claimed the lives of more than 60 people. Faced with growing anxiety and doubt, Simpson pushes onward and upward in his unyielding quest to traverse some of the world's most inhospitable terrain. The Beckoning Silence is a powerful testament to the endurance of the human spirit in extreme conditions.

Customer Reviews

Mountain men
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.

Gripping film; enthralling and revealing
The north face of the Eiger has long been an infamous climb, and this excellent film explains why. It goes a long way towards explaining why young men take such extreme risks for a short-lived success; why they risk death over and over again. For anyone who is interested in high-risk sports, be it mountaineering, solo yachting, motorsports or such, this is compelling viewing.

The film tells the story of an ill-fated expedition to conquer the Eiger which took place back in the 1930s. Joe Simpson is the narrator and he has a personal stake in the story, because his own climbing career nearly ended in an appalling accident. Through sheer grit and determination, Simpson didn't die on a mountain. He's the perfect person to explain what the climbers must have been thinking and feeling as they struggled up the Eiger some 70 years ago.

The film reconstructs the 1936 attempt, and shows the skilled and heroic achievement of that team's best climber in crossing one particularly difficult rock face. It also explains their downfall; how one rope might have saved them, and how a rockslide doomed them. It's a heart-stopping story -- four men, desperately trying to get down the mountain -- and it ends with one man hanging on a rope with his resucers just 50 feet below him...

Against it all, we can contrast Simpson's personal experiences. He reveals what inspired him to climb, and why that challenge still tugs at him. If you've ever wondered why people still return to the mountains, when the odds are stacking up against them, then Simpson's look of longing towards the Eiger reveals much. There are probably very few mountaineers who can claim to be both 'old' and 'bold', but the desire to take on just one more great climb is obviously near-impossible to resist. Simpson's narrative is as compelling as that of the 1930's team, and it makes this more than 'just another' documentary.

On top of that, some of the filming is simply stunning. It's hard to visualise a mountain climb, and the photography of the Alpine range is majestic. You can see why it lures men and women to their deaths... and the graphics also explain how and why they run into trouble. The path up the north face is clearly mapped, so even a casual viewer can understand how appallingly difficult that climb is to master.

Thrilling, thoughtful viewing. Even if you've seen the programme on TV, it's worth watching the dvd for the extras. A good disc to buy and pass on to your friends too. You don't need to have any special knowledge of mountaineering or climbing to appreciate this film; if you're interested in the human spirit then it's a compelling film.

Piggy Doorstop -
I watched the documentary on television, not really knowing what it was all about, but having previously watched Touching the Void and read a couple of other books by Joe Simpson. I was gripped from the outset and it brought back memories of watching an earlier documentary from the 1970's about a climb of the Eiger filmed by Leo Dickinson, and my childhood dream of wanting to see the North Face myself.

The fate of the climbers was too tragic for words; and after a brilliant piece of climbing by one of them that opened up the whole face a simple error, completely unforeseen, eventually led to their untimely deaths. Simpson's use of the Beckoning Silence to describe the North Face is a most appropriate description. Having since been to see the Eiger myself I agree that looking at is awe inspiring and you quickly feel drawn to want to test your skills against its imposing bulk, even if like me you don't climb.

Simpson's own climb on the face itself (accompanied by breathtaking photography) demonstrates how difficult the climb must have been for those without the use of modern day equipment or clothing. Harrer's later account of his own success in The White Spider shows how after the Kurtz tragedy he took every precaution before his own attempt.

If anyone is thinking of taking up mountaineering as a sport I would suggest that this documentary is a must; if only to demonstrate that no matter how good a climber you think you are, danger (and possible death)is only a step away.