Touching the Void 11/21/04 WGBH

[MattC]

I too found this film to be deeply moving and inspirational. As did Grizzly, I loved the part about Joe having the tune stuck in his head. His line "I'm going to die to Boney M!" provided a rare moment of comic relief.
I also was very struck by the part where he forces himself to go deeper into the crevase. His choices are:1) Do nothing, and pretend that things will get better until he dies, or 2) Confront his awful fear and try going further into the hole. Kind of symbolic of a point in life where you can either remain static or try something risky, which may or may not work.

Matt

 

[spencer]

When I was watching it, my other half walked in and said, "That's awful, why is the cameraman just standing there? Why can't he help him?"

she's not naive, just distracted I guess.

Quite a show! I managed to get the VCR setup a few minutes into it to tape 90% of it. Now I can show it to my parents before I leave for winter trips (not of the same caliber, but the family always think they are deatch traps I walk into!)

spencer

 

[Tramper Al]

"That's awful, why is the cameraman just standing there? Why can't he help him?"

Spencer, I think this is maybe a compliment to the film makers. In our era of adventure reality TV, they've made the Void seem that much more real.

 

[BrentD22]

One word - WOW

Touching the Void was an amazing film/book/experiance for Joe Simpson.

Climbing that insanly steep dangerous mountain and being the first to summit is enough to write a book and make a movie, but then the rest of it happened.

I had no idea what the movie was about before watching it tonight and was floored by the end.

The movie had amazing views of the mountains, it told the story without dramatic special effects that bloat the truth. It was real or as real as possible for acting/film.

I'll never give up ever again. Yes maybe I'll turn around when the time is right, but I'll never give up. Would I cut the rope? Yes, then again I would probably fell off the cliff with him killing both of us.

If you have not yet watched it you must!

 

[kifarutracker]

Joe Simpson's other books

Though he claims never to have held a proper job in his life, Simpson did earn a Masters in English from Edinburgh Univ before his first big accident and his writing shows it; and has provided him with a livelihood. I have been meandering through his 4 or 5 subsequent books recently and all of them are rich with interesting factoids, anecdotes and gobs of side splitting humor.
Try them - readily available at Barnes and Noble - when you take a break from hiking.

 

[Steve-o]

Simon Yates, the guy who, "cut the rope ", has a book out as well.

The Flame Of Adventure.

Amazing how both of these guy's have profited from such a disaster.

 

[spaddock]

The extras on the DVD are simply amazing.

When Joe got back to England and was still laying in a hospital bed, Simon was already off climbing a mountain in the Alps!

-Shayne

 

[BrentD22]

I enjoyed the extra's as well.

Joe obvisouly understood what Simmon had to do, but it seemed a lot (too many) people did Monday morning quarter backing (happens on this site all the time). The other guy at base camp (can't remember his name) didn't hide the fact that he never really liked Joe very much. It was almost erie when he talked about wondering if one of them where dead and hoping if so that Joe was dead vs. Simmon. The only thing I was surprised about in all of it was that Simmon never regained his energy ate some food and drink and went back to try and find him with the other guy (even if the other guy didn't have skills). He was convinced that his friend was dead it's hard to say what you, I, or anyone would have done in that same situation. Either way Simmon was a hero for trying as hard as he did to get him down and Joe was a self-hero for getting himself out of what could be called a worst case seniero.

It made me laugh a couple of times thinking about some ruff situations I've been in thinking wow I hope I make it out of this. Those situations had danger, but nothing even close to what Joe and Simmon did and went through. Just the fact that they summited that crazy mountain was huge in my mind. Something I would never ever try!

 

[kmac]

mental fortitude

I rented the movie tonight and thought what a true test of the the human spirit. I've always thought that it's mental fortitude that gets you to your destination and Joe's fight for his life proved that to me. A great film for anyone who ever felt defeated, to never give up trying.
kmac