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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 24, 2009 - 04:18am PT
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There must be another thread about this already, but I'm putting it up anyway...
I stumbled across it tonight.
In 1950 it was considered the most realistic climbing movie ever made. Just a few years after the war.
The White Tower! Starring Glen Ford as the tortured American WWII vet!
The Grizzled old Swiss guide!
The alcoholic writer with the bitter wife!
The old Brit geologist!
The beautiful Swiss girl!
The Nazi!
The Fire!
The Falls!
The Fatalities!
The Belays!
The Snowblindness!
The Love!
The Drama!
There's nothing I love better than a great old movie at 1 AM!!
C'mon you losers, who's seen it?
Who hasn't??
What a classic!!!!!!!
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Russ S.
climber
Seattle, WA
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Sep 24, 2009 - 04:32am PT
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We caught it as well - classic! Learned a lot on how to really climb. They didn't need no stinkin cams!
Couldn't identify the mountain they used in the distant shots - Mont Blanc..Todi?
p.s. I've got to get me one of those tents where the inside is 3 times as spacious as the outside....
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 24, 2009 - 09:05am PT
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BWA ha Ha Ha haha!! I thought the same thing about the tent!
I also loved how that mountain of gear went into those tidy little rucksacks!
Or how about the technical stone up high where they still managed to simul climb with coils of rope in their hands...damn they were honed!!!
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 24, 2009 - 11:29am PT
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The relationship between the American and the "hidden" Nazi became more complex and difficult as the climb went on, culminating in a "showdown".
It was awesome! And that girl...yowza, no wonder Glen wanted to climb with her!!
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Sep 24, 2009 - 12:07pm PT
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Haven't seen "The White Tower."
Rented "The Trollenberg Terror," released in the US as "The Crawling Eye," a while back.
There's an under-appreciated movie that mostly takes place on a mountain. Starts out with
a climbing scene, of sorts.
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OldEric
Trad climber
Westboro, MA
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Sep 24, 2009 - 12:35pm PT
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I thought the book was one of Ullman's better ones - probably better then Banner in the Sky which influenced so many of us.
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 24, 2009 - 12:42pm PT
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The White Tower was a book? Or are you talking about a different one?
I hope someone can post up a couple pix from it. You know, how these guys around here can seem to pull an image out of anything?? Still so much to learn......grumble....
I loved how the alcoholic manages to finish his book up high on the mountain! And how the guide had to keep going up and down after people, and he looked like the least fit of them all!
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drljefe
climber
Old Pueblo, AZ
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Sep 24, 2009 - 12:45pm PT
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Cool. There is a huge VIDEO rental joint right around the corner. The White Tower is now on my list. Thanks Bruce
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 24, 2009 - 01:16pm PT
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Right on Jefe.
You won't regret it, believe me.
They even had it beautifully colored now, even though it would be great in B&W.
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nick d
Trad climber
nm
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Sep 24, 2009 - 01:26pm PT
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drljefe
climber
Old Pueblo, AZ
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Sep 24, 2009 - 02:00pm PT
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Oh, it's ON now.
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LongAgo
Trad climber
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Sep 24, 2009 - 02:44pm PT
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Maybe it was growing up in LA with mostly flat dry terrain around, maybe the emerging power of film for my youthful eyes, but the unlikely sometimes laughable but still compelling White Tower was such a visual stunner to me, it sparked my early lust for the mountains, first the Sierra where we (with Ivan Couch) tromped around in knickers and crampons, then Tahquitz, then the Alps, then Yosemite as I grew more interested in rock than snow and ice. Maybe I'm not alone in having a movie stoke my climber desire.
For those interested in just how the White Tower worked its magic (including the particular scene) and the progression of stumbling steps toward climbing without schools or gyms, here's a bit of background from my (noncommercial) website:
http://www.tomhiggins.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3&Itemid=2
Tom Higgins
LongAgo
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 24, 2009 - 03:33pm PT
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nickd,
I knew you were out there somewhere! I forgot about that old sheridan cartoon.
jahil,
Thanks for the link!
LongAgo,
Always such a pleasure to see the rare post from you.
Thanks for the link to the great site!
I have to add a note from my favorite salty old sailor climber.
Guido has sent me a tale about an epic sail and indirectly, a link to the 1938 film about the Matterhorn "The Challenge".
Thanks Joe!!
From: Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
From Polynesia to the Matterhorn
It all started in the summer of 07 on the island of Raiatea in French Polynesia, with a broken down transmission and a budding friendship. My new friend, Giles Finlayson, was preparing his beautiful sailboat “Petrel”, for a singlehanded passage west to Australia and on to the surf havens of Indonesia. Likewise, we were headed that way, with a left turn at Tonga for a run down to New Zealand and a new base. Pulling, and replacing a transmission on an older sailboat, a multitude of times can either break or enhance a friendship. Fortunately, we came out somewhat physically scarred but the best of mates.
The winter of 07 in the South Pacific was one of unrelenting and very strong NE Trade winds that went on for week after week and month after month. Strong winds and big seas can take a toll on any boat. One day out of Raiatea, headed west, Giles lost both his autopilot and his self steering gear, and began the tedious task of hand steering in difficult conditions. On our boat we had a party of four and found the conditions challenging to say the least. We had crossed these waters numerous times before but never under such difficult conditions.
Giles was hand steering for an average of 22 out of every 24 hours. He would hove to, turn the boat into the wind, catch a little sleep and then get right back into the driving game. We were two days ahead and every day at 5pm, my daughter Kali, would give him a cheer up call on either the ham radio or satellite phone.
The first leg was from Raiatea to the beautiful island of Suwarow, aka Suvarov, 6 days of wild sailing. Giles arrived several days later and the ”kids” went out to help him anchor. One tired but happy sailor. After a week of R&R, we repeated the scenario with another even more difficult passage to the island of Niuatoputapu in northern Tonga where, after 6 days, we arrived at the pass in 15 ft seas and 35 kts of wind.
Giles was a day behind and even more wasted than the last passage. Again the “kids” went out to greet him and help him anchor. He immediately went inside the boat, cranked up his fav tune full volume on the CD : “ I need a woman who will love me like my dog did”, and crashed for 24 hours. We had to wait ten days to make the next passage of only 125 miles to Vavau. Giles was able to repair both his autopilot and windvane and had a relatively “quiet” trip from Tonga to Australia via New Caledonia.
While sitting around the Mermaid bar in beautiful downtown Vavau, rehydrating and Bsing, as often happens, we got into a discussion of days gone by and early childhood years. Giles father was the well known and celebrated British actor Robert Douglas Finlayson. In the 1938 movie, “The Challenge” he played the role of Whymper in the first ascent of the Matterhorn. Luis Trenker played the role of Jean Anthoine Carrel and both actors climbed the Matterhorn and performed their own stunts. An exceptional movie for its time. Last summer, Giles provided me with a DVD of the original. Glen Denny considers it one of the all time classics.
Robert Douglas went on to a very successful career as an actor, screenwriter, producer and director in the US. Giles is off surfing in Indo and still looking for that perfect woman to crew with him.
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 24, 2009 - 07:36pm PT
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LongAgo,
You still out there? Did you see it in B&W originally? I'm sure it was still great.
Those far away shots of the team moving on the steep stone were amazing and beautiful.
People are so spoiled now with 99 million worth of explosions and junk....
That film really worked wonders with some of their mountain footage.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Sep 24, 2009 - 10:37pm PT
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hey there survival, say, how you doing???
you know, i have done many searches for to find any old time movies that delt with climbing, and i dont seem to find any... so thaks for the share...
it is very interesting, history wise, as to how and such the old movies show things like climbing, or any of the great outdoors stuff...
you know, even whether hollywood messes up or not, there is always a handful of "old times" that were around and really "knew their stuff"... once we do a search and find a movie, you just NEVER know what you may find, as to those that worked on any climbing scenes... (could find some treasures there)...
well, thanks for the interesting share...
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Idaho, also. Sorta, kinda mostly, Yeah.
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Sep 24, 2009 - 11:35pm PT
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Hey, Bruce....It's on my short list.
Thanks.
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Gobee
Trad climber
Los Angeles
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Sep 24, 2009 - 11:53pm PT
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To rest is not to conquer!
Tarbuster looks like Glen Ford!
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Idaho, also. Sorta, kinda mostly, Yeah.
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Sep 25, 2009 - 12:03am PT
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Shhhh.
Tarbuster is the guy Glenn Ford is trying to be.
Maybe. or not. I dunno.
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mark miller
Social climber
Reno
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Sep 25, 2009 - 12:19am PT
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Hey that's a must see but I think we should make a "real" climbing film about the East face of "Widow Maker" ( Filmed on Mt Morrison out of convict lake), edit it in I movie and show up at the Robert Redford Sundance film Shite and "clean up". It's a "Natural".....for a twist we need a female Geologist and a pair of Nebraska Homosexual 5.12 gym climbers, ( for the rope guns) with a tragic scene at the end...I like it, cut.....
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