Product Details

• Actors: Michael Gambon, Brian May, John Harlin III, Adele Harlin, Siena Harlin
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: October 14, 2008
• Run Time: 45 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001BEK892
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,572 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In the air above Switzerland, on the sheer rock-and-ice wall known as the Eiger, an American climber is about to embark on the most perilous and meaningful ascent he has ever undertaken: an attempt to scale the legendary mountain that took his renowned father's life. Against a backdrop of overwhelming natural beauty,The Alps is a true-life story of extraordinary courage. It's the intensely personal journey of a man who has every reason not to climb the deadly Eiger North Face (the most difficult climb in Europe), yet climb it he must. Featuring some of the most spectacular giantscreen imagery yet seen, the film celebrates the unsurpassed beauty of the Alps and the indomitable spirit of the people who live there.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected, August 22, 2009

By	C. Hamilton - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this DVD based on the majority of 5 star reviews, and was looking forward to watching it on my new HD TV and new Blue Ray player. It was the first blue ray disc that I watched on my newly purchased TV/Disc player. What a disappointment. I wish I had paid attention to the single one star review, because I agree with him completely. The first thing I noticed was the background music (Queen), which was totally inappropriate for the subject and was very distracting from the very beginning of the film. While there are a few good shots of the Alps, the problem is, there are only a few. There is very little of the actual climb, and more of the background story of the climber. Lastly, I felt mislead by the indication that the "special features" are in HD. The "making of the film" segment, which I assumed was a "special feature" is not in HD, and it is extremely grainy and blurry...not even as clear as the broadcasts on standard definition TV. The only "special features" that are in HD are a few still shots of Switzerland, a trivia quiz/facts about Switzerland, and a short promotional segment which appears to be something likely put out by the Swiss Bureau of Tourism to encourage travel to Switzerland. I definitely would not recommend buying this DVD. As a result of this experience I won't be ordering any DVDs without having seen the film first.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sophomoric, August 9, 2009

By	William in Wyoming - See all my reviews

Apparently my wife and I are the only people that were very disappointed
with this "movie". I like rock music, but the music by Queen simply did
not work for us, given the scenery. Some Alpine yodeling would have been
a lot more appropriate!

As for the video content, given the short length, we were surprised by how
much time was spent away from the Alps themselves. I wanted to see non-stop
footage of the Alps - period. Not trains, villages, family scenes, etc.

The educational value seemed to be aimed for a 10 year old. I already know
about tectonic plates, erosion, etc.

The story line was really shallow. "A man, haunted by the shadow of his
father's death on a mountain, feels he must climb this mountain (40 years
later), and risk never seeing his wife or daughter again". The death of his
father is drummed into our heads every minute. His psychoanalysis of himself
was trite, forced, thoroughly obvious, and should have been cut out.

There is extremely little shown of the actual climbing. I would really have
liked to have seen either more aerial views of the Alps, and/or more views of the
climbing. Oddly enough, the movie "Into Thin Air" was far more interesting -
and I have that only on VHS! The climb itself did look difficult, but so little
is shown that there is no appreciation of that. At one point I thought they were
perhaps halfway up. In the next cut they are at the top. Wow - that was easy.
Three days of climbing condensed into perhaps 20 minutes.

Somehow, in the rush to show us high definition images, people forgot about
the story, editing, a good musical score, and interesting educational content.
My wife, who has seen other IMAX movies, said this was by far the worst IMAX
movie she has ever watched. The only part I liked was the "human made" avalanche,
when I turned on my subwoofer and got a good feeling for the power. Too bad it was
a distraction from the main point of the movie.

If/when we watch this again, it will be with the sound off, and we'll simply
wander by once in a while to see some pretty scenery.

I find myself thinking fondly of Mutual of Ohama's Wild Kingdom and realizing
how I enjoyed that old "low def" stuff so much more.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, January 7, 2009

By	Jay A. Hoyt (San Diego) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have many Documentaries. This one is by far the best. The Blu-Ray display is exagerated, and when they look at a straight drop, you may feel ill. They travel through Europe and scale many Mountains. FUN!