THIRD MAN ON THE MOUNTAIN

You can tell from recent reviews that I am exploring a heap of Disney's forgotten gems... and I have just watched something remarkable.

I have held movies like K2 and Touching The Void as benchmarks in mountaineering films but I recently discovered the 1959 Disney film 'Third Man On The Mountain' and it rests firmly on the mantle. Set in Switzerland during the Golden Age Of Alpinism it's the story of a 18 year old boy, Rudi, who aspires to concur the region's most notorious and treacherous mountain, The Citadel. His father died sixteen years earlier attempting to climb it and no man dared step foot on it again. Considered to be cursed by locals, Rudi is forbidden to climb it, however with the encouragement of a famous mountaineer he sets out to defy all critics. This is really an incredible film... consider that it was made in 1959, the climbing scenes are some of the most spectacular ever filmed. Shot on location (mostly) these climbers defeat gravity with nothing but a coil of rope. This film defies logic and given its year of production, it puts the other aforementioned MODERN films to shame. The cinematography is spectacular and every scene on the mountain is breathtaking. This is what cinema is all about. Excitement and adventure at its best and a timeless classic that should be seen by all.

Some trivia for you too. Disneyand's "Matterhorn" was inspired by this film. =)

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