They left for their task with a third climber who was to wait at their base camp richard hawking. I went to see the play of this a few years ago and was blown away with how epic it was. As an affirmation of the human spirit, touching the void is great, but it doesnt quite scale the summit. Touching the void climber says director burned him with onesided. With their faces hidden beneath stubble and the ravages of the cold, its difficult to determine whether actors brendan mackey and nicholas aaron. So went for touching the void with a focus on the void. This makingof is featured on the dvd for touching the void 2003, released in 2004. Touching the void was filmed in the alps and on siula grande itself where the crew experienced extreme conditions while filming including blizzards and winds of up to 60mph. There is no sex in the film, and the violence is limited to strictly realistic depictions of a climber breaking his leg and falling. Touching the void play, a 2018 play based on the book. Touching the void is the heartstopping account of joe simpsons terrifying adventure in the peruvian andes. Yates feels let down by the director of touching the void. Now the oscarwinning documentarymaker kevin macdonald has turned the story into a film, taking the climbers back to the mountain on which they almost lost their lives. Gutwrenching scenesthe fact that touching the void is a true story gives it more of a gut impact than even the best fictional films sylvester stallone dangling from a rope in.
Touching the void is an intense recreative documentary that retells the fateful trip that simpson and yates undertook almost 20 years ago. Nov 15, 2019 as an affirmation of the human spirit, touching the void is great, but it doesnt quite scale the summit. 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. There is some rough talk, but minor compared with typical hollywood films. Touching the void is a 2003 docudrama survival film directed by kevin macdonald and starring brendan mackey, nicholas aaron, and ollie ryall. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Jan 29, 2004 joe simpson and director kevin macdonald discuss scaling the heights in touching the void. He and his climbing partner, simon, reached the summit of the remote siula grande in june 1985.
It stars aaron poole, kenneth welsh, daniel fathers, kathleen munroe, and ellen wong. Now the oscarwinning documentarymaker kevin macdonald has. Touching the void isnt a documentary, because it employs extensive recreation footage filmed on location in the andes, and it isnt a narrative because of joe and simons talkingheads narration. 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. Touching the void to describe bafta winning touching the void as a mountaineering documentary would be to do this breathtaking drama an injustice. Touching the void trailer directed by kevin macdonald and starring brendan mackey, nicholas aaron, richard hawking, joe simpson, simon yates. Sep 04, 2015 touching the void isnt a strict documentary so much as a based on real events independent feature based on a book, authored by one of the men who lived through the events. Touching the void is a documentary film made by kevin macdonald, shown at the 2003 toronto film festival. Not only is simpsons story a memorable one worthy of. Essay on touching the void by joe simpson 634 words bartleby. Three years ago, documentary maker kevin macdonald won an oscar for one day in september, his outstanding reconstruction of the terrorist.
Jan 23, 2004 touching the void is an intense recreative documentary that retells the fateful trip that simpson and yates undertook almost 20 years ago. Because touching the void plays on universal emotion and dilemma, it is accessible to any viewer. We filmed in peru, where it actually happened, and in. Touching the void is a gripping memoir of one mans fight for survival after a climbing accident in the peruvian andes. Touching the void isnt a strict documentary so much as a based on real events independent feature based on a book, authored by one of the men who lived through the events. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Jan 23, 2004 gutwrenching scenesthe fact that touching the void is a true story gives it more of a gut impact than even the best fictional films sylvester stallone dangling from a rope in. One can only imagine how, say, a disney production likely would have turned touching the void into a sentimentalized, triumphoftheathlete sort of film. Analysis of the film touching the void 1035 words 5 pages touching the void is a documentary based on a true story about two men called joe simpson and simon yates who climbed on the west face of siula grande 6,344m in the cordillera huayhuash in the peruvianandes. Touching the void towers above the rest of that rarest of all film genres, the docudrama.
Touching the void 2003 movies, tv, celebs, and more. Oct 05, 2012 touching the void trailer directed by kevin macdonald and starring brendan mackey, nicholas aaron, richard hawking, joe simpson, simon yates. Touching the void is an outstanding example in that rarest of all film genres, the docudrama. Now the oscarwinning documentarymaker kevin macdonald has turned the story.
It is based on simpsons 1988 book of the same name. The entire film is rendered in dramamentary format with. Touching the void book, a 1988 book by joe simpson. Kevin macdonald on filming touching the void film the. Touching the void tells an effective story, filmed in creative fashion, but ultimately theres not that much to it. Touching the void 2003 is available on netflix since. Touching the void similar films to watch if you like. Touching the void is the moment when the actor playing simpson fires his bolt gun from the depths of a crevasse where hes trapped, lassos the piton hes placed with a 60metre rope then hauls himself up the rope hand over hand, swinging free while the camera focusses on his sweatfree but grimly set face. Touching the void is the most harrowing movie about mountain climbing i have seen, or can imagine. A few days later, simon staggered into base camp, exhausted and.
Touching the void, the true story of a pair of daredevil mountain climbers in the peruvian andes, may be the most harrowing, dazzling, haunting survival story ever filmed. This is something that has never been done before, both joe simpson and simon yates wanted to be the first to achieve this. 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. The void is a 2016 canadian supernatural horror film written and directed by steven kostanski and jeremy gillespie, and produced by jonathan bronfman and casey walker. Roger ebert was the film critic of the chicago suntimes from 1967 until his death in 20. Touching the void analysis essay example graduateway. It was included in some dvd releases of touching the void, and is a little behind the scenes look at the filmmakers decision to take joe and simon back to the place where this all happened to film some shots.
Kevin macdonald on filming touching the void film the guardian. Touching the void tells the story of what befell the 25yearold simpson and his climbing partner simon yates, then 21, when they set out to. On a mountain, deciding when you have to let your partner go. We were pretty terrified that we wouldnt be able to pull it off, says. Mar 10, 2004 touching the void, filmed on location in the andes, is much more than an adventure story. The events feel a bit stretched over two hours, and like most nature movies, the. Touching the void was shot entirely on location in the french, italian and swiss alps, while some of the wide shots were filmed in peru lip service one of the earlier stages of frostbite makeup. A few days later, simon staggered into base camp, exhausted and frostbitten, with news that that joe was dead. We filmed in peru, where it actually happened, and in the alps. By intercutting narration from the climbers themselves with a nailbiting reconstruction of their remarkable adventure in the peruvian andes, the film has the best of both genres. The plot follows a small group of people who become trapped in a hospital by a gathering of hooded cultists, and by grotesque creatures. Find out where touching the void is streaming, if touching the void is on netflix, and get news and updates, on decider. In the film you have very little idea the risk or the length of time i took lowering joe. One note portrayals, skin deep characters, and a glacial pace all combine to prevent the quarry from succeeding either as a slowburn thriller or a messageoriented drama.
Touching the void 2003 directed by kevin macdonald. Now id only ever seen about 20 mins of this before so thought it was about time i watched it all. Within its simple framework of a man doing everything he can to survive what most could not, it. It will show you the part of climbing that many amateurs such as i will only read aboutand now, through dramatic reenactments as described by the survivors, see in this film. This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title touching. If you walk away from touching the void amazed at the strength of the human will to survive, even without faith or solid hope for the future, the film has likely done its job.
Joe simpsons the beckoning silence gala premiere klc 9. Touching the void is a riveting film filled with mounting tension that grows as one is pulled into the dangerous world of mountain climbing. Touching the void film, a 2003 film based on the book. Finally it was all systems go and filming got underway it was then that the hard work began. Touching the void, filmed on location in the andes, is much more than an adventure story. The plot concerns joe simpson and simon yatess disastrous and nearfatal climb of siula grande in the cordillera huayhuash in the peruvian andes, in 1985. Touching the void is a drama documentary, it is a reconstruction of a real story where two men clime and try reach the summit of siula grande in peru. Surviving the void touching the void is an extraordinary and epic tale of adventure and survival. But macdonald avoids cheap pandering and astutely uses only the comments of the climbers, two rather matterof. However, if you are hell bent on making this a mountain climbing and rescue experience, he provides you with definitions and concepts specific to the mountainclimbing milieu. It features brendan mackey as simpson and nicholas aaron as yates, enacting the climb and descent of the two adventurous mountaineers on the west face of the siula grande in the peruvian andes in 1985. If you are a fan of this, i recommend return to siula grande if you ever come across it.
Touching the void systematically shows yates as he crafts a strategy to surviveone which is ultimately successful. In touching the void, filmmaker kevin macdonald one day in september tells their story, based on simpsons book, using contemporary interviews with the two men, and a reenactment of their climb. Nov 20, 2003 touching the void is a gripping memoir of one mans fight for survival after a climbing accident in the peruvian andes. In the mid80s two young climbers, joe simpson and simon yates set out to conquer the summit of siula grande in peru. Touching the void cameraman to give presentation following. Touching the void at the duke of yorks until 29 february 2020. It reconstructs the true story of the fateful climb which british mountaineers joe simpson and.
The making of touching the void tv movie 2003 imdb. I had to cheat a bit for the letter v as i had watched the five films i own beginning with v. Touching the void where to stream and watch decider. Click on the button to pledge your support through patreon, and receive special rewards. To describe bafta winning touching the void as a mountaineering documentary would be to do this breathtaking drama an injustice.
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