And here’s an addition of outdoor and climbing films that were not included in the previous post.
Touching The Void (2003) – probably the most "alpine" of all climbing films. Fictional, but based on real events. It's about relationships, survival, and the ethical and psychological dilemmas the main characters face. It's hard to imagine having to make such choices—seemingly impossible ones. But the events depicted in the film are factual, and that’s what makes it so compelling.
Seven Years in Tibet (1997) – although the main character is a climber, and the events take place in Tibet, the story is really about something else. It’s a top-tier Hollywood film, worth watching and quite engaging.
Nanga Parbat (2010) – a drama based 100% on real events, specifically the Messner brothers’ ascent of their first 8000-meter peak. It was the last climb for Günther, but for Reinhold, it marked the beginning of his career as the top Himalayan mountaineer. It closely follows the book «My Life At The Limit».
Messner (2012) – a documentary about the legendary climber. Nothing more to add, nothing to take away.
127 Hours (2010) – a dramatic drama. You couldn’t imagine anything more dramatic. It condenses 127 hours of a difficult situation in the mountains into 94 minutes. The film deeply immerses the viewer into the protagonist’s experience.
The Summit (2012) – a documentary about the tragedy during an ascent of K2. It’s a documentary interspersed with reenacted scenes.
The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest (2010) – a film about the British climbers Mallory and Irvine's attempt at the first ascent of Everest, during which it remains unknown whether they reached the summit in the 1920s. The story is closely intertwined with that of climber Conrad Anker, who discovered Mallory’s body.
Society of the Snow (2023) – a disaster film about a plane crash in the Andes and the subsequent survival of its passengers and their search for a way out. It’s not exactly an original plot, but it stands out due to its modern cinematography.
Unknown Land (2021) – about life in the wilderness, alone with one’s thoughts. A truly inspiring story.
North Face (2008) – this is a top-notch film about the first ascent of the North Face of the Eiger. Filmed with German realism, it depicts events from long ago. It’s truly powerful and captures the essence of alpine climbing. It has everything, from plot to filming quality.
It’s almost embarrassing that we missed so many quality films last time. So, update your playlist.
It will soon be enriched with even more recent releases.
We also want to mention that many mountaineering countries have produced their own documentaries and films. For example, there’s a series about Polish Himalayan mountaineering. So feel free to write to us—collecting them all together would be very interesting.
