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Based on a true story, here is the thrilling, critically acclaimed account of Rudi Matt (James MacArthur), a young kitchen worker who is determined to conquer the Citadel -- the jagged, snowcapped peak that claimed his father's life. Encouraged by both a famed English climber (Michael Rennie) and the youth's devoted girlfriend (Janet Munro), Rudi goes through a grueling training period before he is ready to face the incredible dangers of the killer mountain. Shot on location in Zermatt, Switzerland, and featuring spectacular scenery and an outstanding cast, THIRD MAN ON THE MOUNTAIN is one of the finest adventure films of all time!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
89 of 90 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
THE STORY : Basically, young Rudi is the son of the best climbing guide in his village, who died tragically climbing the yet unconquered Matterhorn, or as they call it "the Citadel". Rudi's mother refuses to let her son climb, and he is going crazy for it if it were not for the love and understanding of Lizbeth. He strongly believes his father had discovered a secret path to the mountaintop that has so far eluded all other climbers. Rudi is always in trouble for sneaking away to climb on his own, when he is supposed to be washing dishes at the hotel. But the village is concerned over losing their reputation with the other villages, since their guides have been afraid to climb the mountain in the 16 years since the tragedy. When a famous British climber arrives with a guide from a rival village to climb the Citadel and also wants to hire local guides, Rudi and the village get their big chance at redeeming their reputation. There is a good moral lesson about thinking of others first. A very enjoyable dramatic story, it is true Disney wholesome family fare.
BEHIND THE SCENES TRIVIA: The movie was filmed entirely on location in Switzerland. Helicopters and mule trains were used to get the gear to the filming spots. Disney arranged for the actors to actually learn to climb in order to make the scenes that involved the actors more realistic. The long shots were usually filmed with doubles, and close range shots involved the real actors. In the case of the close-up shots the crew used movie magic to make the actors to appear high off the ground when they were not. James MacArthur really enjoyed the climbing and disappeared without authorization from the set in order to do some real climbing, which panicked the crew as an accident would delay filming.
Ken Annakin directed, and was regrouped with some of the cast for his next Disney Studio project, "Swiss Family Robinson". The character of the 18 year old young man named Rudi is well played by young James MacArthur, the son of Helen Hayes. She has a cameo in the film if you look closely. James also appeared in Disney's films "Kidnapped", "Swiss Family Robinson", and "The Light in the Forest". The part of Lizbeth was played by cheery Janet Munro (who also appeared in "Darby and the Little People", "Swiss Family Robinson", & "The Horsemasters"); and Michael Rennie as Captain Winter. The climbing scenes are very well done and scenic.
Walt Disney took his family on vacation to Switzerland, and fell in love with the mountain and the book the story is derived from, "Banner in the Sky" by James Ramsey Ullman. In fact the author has a brief cameo as an American tourist in one scene. The book is based on a true story, and was adapted into a screenplay by Eleanore Griffin. Walt personally made the decision to turn the book into a movie, and the film held a special place in his heart, as well as his budget since this was an expensive undertaking. The mountain left such a deep impression on him that he later recreated it in 1/100th scale at Disneyland with the Matterhorn Mountain and Bobsleds attraction. The film was released in theatres on November 10, 1959 at 107 minutes in length. The episode was re-edited for release as a two episode show on the Walt Disney's `Wonderful World of Color' television show in 1963. It was subsequently renamed after the original book, "Banner in the Sky". Each episode had its own title, the first being "To Conquer the Mountain", and the 2nd being "The Killer Mountain". It first aired on February 17, and 24, 1963. It re-aired on March 5, and 12, 1972. The theatrical edit of the film was first released on VHS in 1986 and DVD on September 7, 2004.
DVD QUALITY: Let me start off by saying that if you are looking to buy a copy to upgrade your old VHS copy of the same film, SAVE YOUR MONEY. Since they decided not to re-master the film and it has been poorly preserved, the 2004 DVD version of the film has scratches, poor sound, and bad color, and was in full screen rather than wide screen. No extras even though there are tons of footage that could have been used. I would have liked to see the trailer, footage of Walt talking about the film, and from his trip to Switzerland, the original 1955 Disney "People and Places" travelogue on Switzerland, and maybe a piece on the Matterhorn ride at Disneyland. So hold onto your VHS copy if you have one, or buy a used on here at Amazon rather than encourage Disney to keep up this butcher job on such great films.
BEHIND THE SCENES TRIVIA: The movie was filmed entirely on location in Switzerland. Helicopters and mule trains were used to get the gear to the filming spots. Disney arranged for the actors to actually learn to climb in order to make the scenes that involved the actors more realistic. The long shots were usually filmed with doubles, and close range shots involved the real actors. In the case of the close-up shots the crew used movie magic to make the actors to appear high off the ground when they were not. James MacArthur really enjoyed the climbing and disappeared without authorization from the set in order to do some real climbing, which panicked the crew as an accident would delay filming.
Ken Annakin directed, and was regrouped with some of the cast for his next Disney Studio project, "Swiss Family Robinson". The character of the 18 year old young man named Rudi is well played by young James MacArthur, the son of Helen Hayes. She has a cameo in the film if you look closely. James also appeared in Disney's films "Kidnapped", "Swiss Family Robinson", and "The Light in the Forest". The part of Lizbeth was played by cheery Janet Munro (who also appeared in "Darby and the Little People", "Swiss Family Robinson", & "The Horsemasters"); and Michael Rennie as Captain Winter. The climbing scenes are very well done and scenic.
Walt Disney took his family on vacation to Switzerland, and fell in love with the mountain and the book the story is derived from, "Banner in the Sky" by James Ramsey Ullman. In fact the author has a brief cameo as an American tourist in one scene. The book is based on a true story, and was adapted into a screenplay by Eleanore Griffin. Walt personally made the decision to turn the book into a movie, and the film held a special place in his heart, as well as his budget since this was an expensive undertaking. The mountain left such a deep impression on him that he later recreated it in 1/100th scale at Disneyland with the Matterhorn Mountain and Bobsleds attraction. The film was released in theatres on November 10, 1959 at 107 minutes in length. The episode was re-edited for release as a two episode show on the Walt Disney's `Wonderful World of Color' television show in 1963. It was subsequently renamed after the original book, "Banner in the Sky". Each episode had its own title, the first being "To Conquer the Mountain", and the 2nd being "The Killer Mountain". It first aired on February 17, and 24, 1963. It re-aired on March 5, and 12, 1972. The theatrical edit of the film was first released on VHS in 1986 and DVD on September 7, 2004.
DVD QUALITY: Let me start off by saying that if you are looking to buy a copy to upgrade your old VHS copy of the same film, SAVE YOUR MONEY. Since they decided not to re-master the film and it has been poorly preserved, the 2004 DVD version of the film has scratches, poor sound, and bad color, and was in full screen rather than wide screen. No extras even though there are tons of footage that could have been used. I would have liked to see the trailer, footage of Walt talking about the film, and from his trip to Switzerland, the original 1955 Disney "People and Places" travelogue on Switzerland, and maybe a piece on the Matterhorn ride at Disneyland. So hold onto your VHS copy if you have one, or buy a used on here at Amazon rather than encourage Disney to keep up this butcher job on such great films.
80 of 85 people found the following review helpful
By Allen Eaton
Format:DVD
I love this movie and was delighted to see it appear at last on DVD. That is until I watched it. I was going to comment on the picture quality of this new DVD, but someone in New York beat me to it. All I can do is agree with that individual.
I worked at the Disney Studios in the 1970's in 16mm film distribution (just prior to the coming of home video). I distributed 16mm prints of this title. A new 16mm print struck at that time had a much better picture quality than the element used to make this current DVD transfer. The main problem is negative dirt. It's like watching a film in a snow storm. The N.Y. reviewer also correctly observed that the color correction was uneven.
Some audiences do not notice these technical flaws. Yet those in the industry have spent decades trying to improve the quality of how to present film product. DVDs are marketed on this very point. After all, what else do studios have to offer but their inventories? If all the Hollywood studios can agree to spend millions of dollars over the years investing in the latest technology, then they must care how to present their work in the best possible light. Or not, apparently.
For over three decades, video equipment has existed that can electronically "clean up" much of the dirt and some of the scratches that show up on video from a poor original source. The best way is to strike a new interpositive from the camera original negative (the original should first be chemically "washed"). You color correct when you make the digital transfer. I have overseen this process many times during my years in the video trarnsfer business. In this way, you will create the absolute best transfer possible. Otherwise, why bother?
I must also observe that this problem exists with many new Disney DVD transfers, and from films far more recent than THIRD MAN. Unfortunately, Disney isn't the only studio going "on the cheap." I just saw a new DVD of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. I think the print/negative they used must have first been run over BY the Orient Express.
This is now almost an exact science. It also isn't that cost prohibitive when you consider the length of time a DVD will last. Don't you want your name on the BEST quality product? Poor workmanship shows. I must say that this transfer does not show the pride the Disney people put into their work when I was at the Studio (in the pre-Eisner days).
On the plus side, the soundtrack is fairly clean, although here, too, great advances have been made in "cleaning up" and fully restoring audio elements. Just having THIRD MAN ON THE MOUNTAIN available on video again isn't enough, especially when you don't care (and here I'll borrow a tag line) "to send the very best."
I worked at the Disney Studios in the 1970's in 16mm film distribution (just prior to the coming of home video). I distributed 16mm prints of this title. A new 16mm print struck at that time had a much better picture quality than the element used to make this current DVD transfer. The main problem is negative dirt. It's like watching a film in a snow storm. The N.Y. reviewer also correctly observed that the color correction was uneven.
Some audiences do not notice these technical flaws. Yet those in the industry have spent decades trying to improve the quality of how to present film product. DVDs are marketed on this very point. After all, what else do studios have to offer but their inventories? If all the Hollywood studios can agree to spend millions of dollars over the years investing in the latest technology, then they must care how to present their work in the best possible light. Or not, apparently.
For over three decades, video equipment has existed that can electronically "clean up" much of the dirt and some of the scratches that show up on video from a poor original source. The best way is to strike a new interpositive from the camera original negative (the original should first be chemically "washed"). You color correct when you make the digital transfer. I have overseen this process many times during my years in the video trarnsfer business. In this way, you will create the absolute best transfer possible. Otherwise, why bother?
I must also observe that this problem exists with many new Disney DVD transfers, and from films far more recent than THIRD MAN. Unfortunately, Disney isn't the only studio going "on the cheap." I just saw a new DVD of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. I think the print/negative they used must have first been run over BY the Orient Express.
This is now almost an exact science. It also isn't that cost prohibitive when you consider the length of time a DVD will last. Don't you want your name on the BEST quality product? Poor workmanship shows. I must say that this transfer does not show the pride the Disney people put into their work when I was at the Studio (in the pre-Eisner days).
On the plus side, the soundtrack is fairly clean, although here, too, great advances have been made in "cleaning up" and fully restoring audio elements. Just having THIRD MAN ON THE MOUNTAIN available on video again isn't enough, especially when you don't care (and here I'll borrow a tag line) "to send the very best."
33 of 36 people found the following review helpful
By gellerfan
Format:DVD
Having read the cautionary reviews of my colleagues, regarding the quality of the dvd, I decided to purchase "Third Man On The Mountain" anyway. I, too, became enthralled with the story in grade school when I read Banner In The Sky and eagerly ran to the theater to see the story brought to life on film. You all know the tale, so I won't bore the reader by repeating it. The DVD transfer is a disgrace! Grainy, poor color correction; very painful to watch. I had hoped that the other reviewers were just being too technically critical, but they were spot on! If Disney is going to bring a film to DVD, it owes the consumer AND the filmmakers the courtesy of presenting the movie in the best possible manner! Disney failed us all miserably, and - because TMOTM is not a Disney "classic" it is likely we will never again see the pristine cinematography so lovingly shot back in the 50's. One other thing - could not determine if the film was ever shot in 'scope; was it just 1.33:1 aspect ratio originally?
My advice -don't buy the DVD unless you have no concern for quality. I returned mine and instead watch my old laserdisc (which was, in fact, a better transfer).
My advice -don't buy the DVD unless you have no concern for quality. I returned mine and instead watch my old laserdisc (which was, in fact, a better transfer).
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Few Films on Mountainering makes this enjoyable
Walt Disney put this film out in 1959. Although dated it is enjoyable to watch a kitchen boy aspire to be a guide and mountain climber and become such.
Published 17 hours ago by D. Richard Dance
4.0 out of 5 stars
great movie for kids
No issues with this Disney film. It was interesting for both adults and kids alike. It did waiver from the book a bit, but not enough to bother my 10 year old who loved the book. Read more
Published 5 days ago by C. Orlando
5.0 out of 5 stars
"A guide - at any rate, a guide of Kurtal - does not leave his client...
It may not tap into the primal majesty of Arnold Fanck and Leni Riefenstahl's once-hugely popular German `berg' films of the Thirties, but Disney's 1959 live-action feature Third... Read more
Published 27 days ago by Trevor Willsmer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good adventure
A great family movie. Very good adventure with great scenery. A good Disney classic. James "Danno" Mccarthur in his early years.
Published 2 months ago by A. Giese
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful family film
Great example of the fine live-action films Disney used to make in the 1950's and early 1960's. My family really enjoyed watching this together.
Published 2 months ago by buster
4.0 out of 5 stars
I can only imagine what a clean copy would look like...
Despite all the so-so (at best) reviews of the transfer of this movie, I went ahead and bought it anyway. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kid at Heart
5.0 out of 5 stars
dvd
I have always loved this movie. to bad I cant get it in dvd for home use- but its on my computer
Published 5 months ago by barbara walker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Third Man on the Mountain
The older Disney at their best...great filming on site in Switzerland, and a great story. No questionable language, innuendo at all for parents to worry about. Loved it.
Published 6 months ago by Mark Hodges
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great hiking / mountain climbing movie - set in Switzerland
Beautifully shot on location in Switzerland - Disney at its finest. The shots of the guys mountain climbing are superb and will literally have your palms sweating. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Tiddly TT Winks
5.0 out of 5 stars
Third Man On The Mountain - 1959 Disney Movie
This movie I enjoyed as a teenager seemed to disappear into history without even a glimmer of fanfare. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Denny
