Touching the Void
The movie of the popular book by Joe Simpson.

Format	DVD	Category	Non-Fiction
Title	Touching the Void	Mins
Starring	Joe Simpson, Simon Yates, Richard Hawking, Brendan Mackey, Nicholas Aaron, Ollie Ryall, Dave Cuthbertson, Rory Gregory	RRP
Director	IFC Films	Reviews	5
Edition	2004	Ave Rating	(4.50 of 5)

User	Comments
ecowain 5/28/2004	A good effort at dramatising Joe Simpson's book of the same name. The documentary style works well in the re-telling of the story, and you can see that both Simon and Joe are still deeply affected when they recount the events on Siula Grande. Filming was done on location in the European Alps, and also back at Siula Grande, and there has been an effort to recreate some of the photos from the book. There is some amazing cinematography. The shots of the mountain and the route take the breath away. Attention was paid to the equipment in the movie, and seemed appropriate for the mid-1980s. The only thing which grated on some of the gear nerds was that the petzl zoom headtorches kept clicking as they went on and off. Spot the geeks! I felt a real connection to the events portrayed, both the exhilarting ups during their successful climb, and the downs when things went wrong. Watching Joe splinting his leg, and then learning how to hop was traumatic! Highly recommended.
Anonymous 11/16/2004	This is an excellent movie and I would recomend it to anybody who like adventure. I loved this movie so much.It taught me a lot about climbing and how to survive in cold weather.So if you have any spare time watch it and be moved. I haven't heard of this author before but I now know that he is a great author. Thank you.
Susan 2/15/2005	I met Simon about 3 months after the events depicted in the movie happened. He told me the story while I was leading (and he was belaying) a horribly protected grade 19. It was such a scary story that I have never forgotten what he said. At last I saw the movie and now what he told me is even more scary! Great movie!
Romfrantic 4/5/2005	Awesome cinematography and heart-felt story-telling. A touching story with images that really convey emotion.
IdratherbeclimbingM9 7/27/2005	I read the book and have now seen the movie (which came out years after the book). I recall the book as having a greater sense of 'immediacy' to it, but the movie visually stuns you and locks in the horror on a different level. The matter-of-fact doco style of portrayal works well, but one senses in Joe and Simon a degree of reservedness in saying anything negative regarding the experience still there. I doubt it possible to adequately articulate the experience Joe went through in any meaningful way, in the sense of conveying the terror and hopelessness it involved, to mere armchair enthusiasts like myself. Simply amazing; ... both that he survived and that we get to share to the extent we do in his experience through these mediums.

Further Reading:
IFC Films - Official Touching The Void Site