The Long Hope
First Free Ascent Documentary

Format	DVD	Category	Non-Fiction
Title	The Long Hope	Mins	60
Starring	Dave Mcleod, Ed Drummond, Oliver Hill	RRP
Director	Paul Diffley	Reviews	1
Edition		Ave Rating	(4.00 of 5)

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martym 7/12/2013

A beautiful film about an amazing place; marred by two things: not enough rock climbing & an unbearable high-land fiddle soundtrack that makes you think you're watching Deliverance. The First Ascentionist Ed Drummond is described by his belayer, Oliver Hill, as "A poet, not good with details". You can imagine how it went: "How would you like to come on a big adventure by the sea? It'll involved hard climbing, terrifying aiding, vomiting birds, sleeping 5 nights 650m above the ocean, and I'll eat all your food?" 40 years later, Dave Mcleod, Scotland's balding answer to Tommy Caldwell, abseils down with a wire brush and begins working on what will soon be one of his hardest projects ever - an E11 7a crux; after many hours of hard climbing (and vomiting birds) in the cold rainy Orkney Islands. The poetry both visual and spoken is haunting. The poignance of the first Ascentionist with Parkinsons Disease visiting this place that once inspired such terror, grasping a rock and calling it an old friend is simply beautiful. I only wish we had more of a glimpse of how hard it actually was? Unlike Tommy Caldwell's week long sieges, all you have here is a few moments of Dave falling on top rope working out the moves; then he climbs it. There's probably only really 10 minutes of rock climbing stretched across an hour of documentary. And while it's obviously difficult, it's not particularly impressive. His E11 was jam-packed with attempts on the UK's hardest climb. Here climbing is clearly second (or third) to the poetry and the history. And then there's the bloody music. Rather than provide a range of examples of Scotland's finest new musicians, the same ridiculous fiddler screeches over every scene making it seem like Benny Hill is going to run out and pull down Dave's pants. But watch it to see an old climber revisit his youth. Watch it to see someone climb nails hard spacing his cams 8m apart. Watch it for something different and just ignore the music.