Touching the Void (film)
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| Touching the Void | |
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 Region 2 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Kevin MacDonald |
| Produced by | John Smithson |
| Starring | Brendan Mackey Nicholas Aaron Ollie Ryall |
| Distributed by | Pathé (UK theatrical) IFC (US theatrical) MGM (US DVD) |
| Release date(s) |  5 September 2003 (premiere at TIFF) 12 December 2003 23 January 2004 (NYC) 20 February 2004 24 June 2004 |
| Running time | 106 mins |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Touching the Void is a 2003 documentary film based on the book of the same name by Joe Simpson about Simpson's and Simon Yates' disastrous and near fatal attempt to climb the 6,344 metre (20,813 foot) Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985. The film combines documentary footage of interviews conducted with Simpson, Yates and Richard Hawking with a reenactment performed by actors Brendan Mackey, Nicholas Aaron and Ollie Ryall. The film was directed by Kevin MacDonald.
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[edit] Responses
During the making of the film, the director and producers invited Simon Yates and Joe Simpson to return to Siula Grande in 2002 for the first time since the events of 1985. Simpson, despite finding the return emotionally difficult and experiencing post traumatic stress syndrome on his return, eventually said that he was happy with the film and its portrayal of the events. Yates, on the other hand, reported having no emotional response to returning to Siula Grande, and decided to have nothing to do with the film once he had returned from the mountain.[1]
After the story of what happened to Simpson and Yates reached home (England), Yates received much criticism from some mountaineers for cutting the rope during the descent. Simpson has deeply accepted that Yates did the right thing and practically saved his life, and has always defended him on that matter.
[edit] Music
The climbers reach the summit to the climax of Thomas Tallis's Spem in alium. The film also includes excerpts from Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Pärt, for example during the final credits. During one of Joe's many deliriums, he experiences a very strong reminiscence of a Boney M song, "Brown Girl in the Ring", a song he hated thoroughly, at one point he was thinking "Oh my God, I'm going to die with Boney M stuck in my head."
[edit] Notes
- ^ Touching the Void Region 1 Special Features [DVD]. MGM.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by The Warrior |
Alexanda Korda Award for Best British Film 2003 |
Succeeded by My Summer of Love |
