The Alpinist - in cinemas now or soon

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 elsewhere 22 Sep 2021

The Alpinist
I saw it advertised for Fri 24 September - Thu 7 October at Glasgow Film Theatre but it's showing in various cinemas around the UK.

"Turning climbing from a niche pursuit to mainstream media event, The Alpinist follows Marc-Andre Leclerc who has, until now, climbed alone and away from the limelight. On remote alpine faces with no camera, no rope and no margin for error, the 23-year old makes some of the boldest solo ascents in history, and yet he draws scant attention. Intrigued, veteran filmmaker Peter Mortimer (The Dawn Wall) sets out to make a film about Marc-Andre. But the Canadian soloist is an elusive subject: nomadic and publicity shy, he doesn’t own a phone or car and is reluctant to let the film crew in on his pure vision of climbing. The Alpinist is an intimate documentary of a visionary climber who follows the path of his own passion."

Post edited at 20:46
 mountainbagger 22 Sep 2021
In reply to elsewhere:

Yes, saw it advertised on Facebook, looked terrifying! I started a thread in the Expedition/Alpine forum, some likes but no other comments, wasn't sure if anyone had seen or heard of any reviews.

 Robert Durran 22 Sep 2021
In reply to elsewhere:

Alex Honnold is in the UK promoting it. Apparently he turned up unannounced for a boulder at a Glasgow wall yesterday. My starstruck friend got a selfie with him. Going to see it at the weekend.

 ebdon 22 Sep 2021
In reply to elsewhere:

I'm (sort of knowing the story) really looking forward to seeing this. Showing at Broadway Nottingham next week.

 kwoods 22 Sep 2021
In reply to Robert Durran:

North to the Ice Factor today

 Robert Durran 22 Sep 2021
In reply to kwoods:

> North to the Ice Factor today

I was hoping he'd turn up at Ratho this evening so that I could have offered him a rope on something.

 lorentz 23 Sep 2021
In reply to mountain.martin:

This looks great! Thanks for sharing.

Just as a warning though, the Guardian Article above contains a very significant spoiler if you're coming in cold to this film.

 TobyA 23 Sep 2021
In reply to lorentz:

It's an interesting point, but I don't really think you can have spoilers for documentary can you? It's just history and Leclerc was pretty well known by 2018.

Although I note in this review https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/sep/23/the-alpinist-review-nerve-shre... they don't reveal the "spoiler" - a word that on reflection I'm quite uncomfortable with in this tragic situation. It's not like Marc's life and death were there for our entertainment.

7
 ebdon 23 Sep 2021
In reply to TobyA:

I actually wrote a longish post over some apprehension i have over going to watch this, but deleted it for that very reason over the use of 'spoiler'.  Either way I think it will make for some interesting, and possibly uncomfortable viewing. In some ways I'm surprised they even made it.

 Arms Cliff 23 Sep 2021
In reply to TobyA:

He wasn’t on my radar before I watched the trailer for this, so having a look at what he was up to these days was a bit surprising...

 DannyC 23 Sep 2021
In reply to TobyA:

I have to admit that the marketing of this film makes me a little queasy.

For the trailer and blurbs not to mention that the climber featured has sadly died while climbing seems unnecessarily crass. A retrospective on a fulfilling, wild and all-too-short life would surely be interesting enough? 

I've not seen the film, so I fully accept that perhaps I've missed the point somehow but - on the face of it - the death of a very talented young man seems like a horrible thing to save for a big reveal. 

Post edited at 14:57
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 beh 23 Sep 2021
In reply to lorentz:

Had just read that article and similarly was a bit of a spoiler for me.  The guy was vaguely on my radar but I must have missed the news.

The trailer hints at something happening so does kind of feel it's being done for entertainment which is unfortunate.

Although did anyone see Point of No Return a while ago? (also done by Sender films)  That was no less shocking for knowing how it would end.

 lorentz 23 Sep 2021
In reply to beh:

Similarly I hadn't heard anything of the climber in question prior to this thread, not being a mountaineer myself, hence my post above.

Apologies for any possible insensitivity over the choice of word. I couldn't think of another, given the events as they've unfolded that wouldn't have massively alluded to the unfortunate circumstances revealed in the film. 

 TobyA 23 Sep 2021
In reply to lorentz:

> Apologies for any possible insensitivity over the choice of word. I couldn't think of another, given the events as they've unfolded that wouldn't have massively alluded to the unfortunate circumstances revealed in the film. 

I'm not sure if it was me, but I didn't think that you were being insensitive at all. I agree to an extent with someone above that if the trailer as well as the reviews aren't clear that Marc died, than that does seem a bit weird. 

Perhaps it was because I started seeing the ads a few weeks back through what you can call the "ice climbing area" of my social media - Will Gadd shared it for example. I'm sure they were thinking that anyone likely to be interested in the film would also know Marc died a few years back, so would see the trailers and the film website knowing what had to be the end of the film. Has anyone watched the trailer and not realised that it is a posthumous portrayal of his life? I was maybe just presuming that was clear from the trailer because I knew, but perhaps it isn't at all. In which case I agree with whoever it was above who said that seems in poor taste somehow, although I suppose it adds to the drama of the film? It was made by his friends though, with the cooperation of his partner and mother, so it seems unlikely they would be trying turn the loss of their friend into "drama" as such.

 DannyC 24 Sep 2021
In reply to TobyA:

Here's the trailer:  youtube.com/watch?v=SRpVyzagXLQ&

I think increasingly we can assume that climbing films are aimed at non-climbers as much (maybe even more?) than people who climb, indoors or out. 

I only became aware of the marketing of The Alpinist after a non-climbing friend texted me a link to the trailer earlier this week asking to go to see this. He was surprised when I mentioned my slight unease about the trailer. He'd not realised that Marc had died. 

From watching the trailer again, I think that without prior knowledge it would be entirely understandable to assume that Marc-André Leclerc survived the search that is briefly mentioned - particularly given the closing shots. I feel that is should be clearer that it's a retrospective look back at his life. 

But anyway, it looks like a very high-quality movie about an extremely talented and interesting young man and I hope his friends and family get some comfort from remembering him through the film. 

 PaulJepson 24 Sep 2021
In reply to DannyC:

I knew that MAL had died but I thought it was done very well how it was not revealed until the end. I went with a friend who didn't know and it's really not given away until very late on. 

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 Hovercraft 24 Sep 2021
In reply to PaulJepson:

although a climber, I watched the film last night without knowing anything about MAL.  I found the way he was portrayed through the majority of the film in the present tense, followed by the final section put together whilst editing the film, telling the story of his death, was incredibly powerful as it brought home so many of the themes far more effectively than an explicitly posthumous tribute would probably have done.  Given the pieces to camera by those he left behind, I assume it was all done with their consent.  The whole lot I thought was done very sensitively.

I think if the trailer made clear he was no longer with us, much of that power would have been lost. Although of course it is difficult to judge whether that was the rationale, or whether it was marketing led

 Flinticus 24 Sep 2021
In reply to Robert Durran:

Do I know you? 😉 The third line of your comment could apply to me.

I turned up at TCA Newsroom not long after 5pm. Made my way to the 'cave' feature and saw a small group watching a guy on a white problem (the highest graded set). I joked about getting beta for the moves to one of those watching, a regular I know, and he was 'That's Alex Honnold!'...pause...me 'Who'd you say it was?'...

 Robert Durran 25 Sep 2021
In reply to Flinticus:

> Do I know you? 😉 The third line of your comment could apply to me.

No, I don't think so.

 Robert Durran 25 Sep 2021
In reply to ebdon:

>  Either way I think it will make for some interesting, and possibly uncomfortable viewing. In some ways I'm surprised they even made it.

I'm going to see it tomorrow with a group of friends, some climbers, who I suspect had never heard of him before, and so will not be aware that the film covers his death. I think I shall refrain from telling them beforehand. I suspect much of the film's power might be in this aspect of it, and I would not want it to be diminished for them. I don't see it as a "spoiler" which is a word which smacks of entertainment - sometimes we see films or read books to be challenged and provoked rather than merely entertained. 

 Tom Last 26 Sep 2021
In reply to elsewhere:

The opening sequence of the mixed climbing on Slesse (?) looked so insecure and horrific, just a ridiculous level of control. Made Torre Egger look like a piece of piss in comparison, which of course it is not. Definitely some of the best climbing footage I've seen. 

Post edited at 13:58
 Slackboot 26 Sep 2021
In reply to Robert Durran:

> >  Either way I think it will make for some interesting, and possibly uncomfortable viewing. In some ways I'm surprised they even made it.

> I'm going to see it tomorrow with a group of friends, some climbers, who I suspect had never heard of him before, and so will not be aware that the film covers his death. I think I shall refrain from telling them beforehand. I suspect much of the film's power might be in this aspect of it, and I would not want it to be diminished for them. I don't see it as a "spoiler" which is a word which smacks of entertainment - sometimes we see films or read books to be challenged and provoked rather than merely entertained. 

I'm going to see it tonight. I have never heard of him and it might be diminished for me now too. I wish I hadn't read your post now.😢

Just read some of the previous posts. I had no idea.

Post edited at 15:02
 Robert Durran 26 Sep 2021
In reply to Slackboot:

> I'm going to see it tonight. I have never heard of him and it might be diminished for me now too. I wish I hadn't read your post now.😢

> Just read some of the previous posts. I had no idea.

Sorry. Wouldn't have said anything if others had not already done so.

 Slackboot 26 Sep 2021
In reply to Robert Durran:

No probs. I realise that.

I saw it last week. Very good. Moving. Yes terrifying at points. And inspiring.

Something like this is probably needed, this kind of biopic. It's important to be honest and to share all aspects of climbing, including the after shocks of someone's death as a consequence.

As climbing becomes more popular I often notice more and more people who don't seem to fully grasp the severity and implications of what they are doing at times. If we cover up and hide and don't talk about injury and death then it becomes something people don't really take seriously.

It's like history books. Sometimes it's necessary to see the full truth/reality including the darker sides, rather than a sugar coated and sanitised version. It was part of who he was. He lived life in a different way to most other people, in a pretty incredible and awe inspiring way. Why throw away a legacy just because it didn't end the way society says it should. Having an insight into his life (and his death) has made mine richer for it.

 ebdon 28 Sep 2021
In reply to Robert Durran:

Well I saw this tonight and thought was an excellent film and thought provoking throughout dispute (or in addition to) the tragic end. It still makes me incredibly sad to think of a life cut short for someone 10 years my junior, but encapsulated well why such risks are, for want of a better word, so compelling. 

The footage of the Stanley Headwall blew me away though. Such calm methodical climbing in that terrain is pretty much impossible to comprehend.


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