Customer Reviews

Challenge,the [VHS]

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The film depicts the story of the first party to reach the summit of the Matterhorn and the subsequent tragedy that befell them. The script, which embellishes history to a degree, is, nevertheless, based in fact. The story of Edward Whymper and the assault of his conquerors on the last remaining unclimbed mountain in the Alps (1865) begs to be told to anyone with even the slightest interest in mountain climbing. The film version offered here is cut somewhat from what I remember viewing on late night movie shows on tv in the 1950's, but is still worthwhile viewing if you can overlook some of the jaded theatrics. More than likely, after viewing the film, you will want to read more about Edward Whymper's bittersweet victory.

This is a quite enjoyable, if rather melodramatic, fictionalized version of the first successful climbing of the Materhorn. The climbing sequences were directed by Luis Trenker (also costared in the film) who was Leni Riefenstal's mentor in mountain climbing, and, for all I know, film making as well. I first saw the film in the middle 50s as a matinee on commercial television. Obviously, the film was memorable enough to have stuck in my brain all these years.