Out Now
Touching The Void
Created by the Oscar winning director Kevin MacDonald (Last King of Scotland, State of Play, One Day In September), comes this extraordinary film describing one of the most incredible true stories of survival and adventure of our time.
Based on the best selling novel by Joe Simpson, Touching The Void recounts the mountain climb Simpson and his partner Simon Yates undertook in 1985. These two young men from the North of England, both in their early twenties, set out to climb the 21000 foot, savage ice-face - the Siula Grande - in the Peruvian Andes. Simpson and Yates embark on an 'Alpine-style' climb - with no back-up team, no helicopters, no equipment other than what they carry in their packs. It's the purist technique, roped together, and utterly dependent on each other's skill. Simpson and Yates have guts, youthful arrogance and talent. And a dry English sense of humour. They clamber up icicles, dangle over 1,400m drops, and spend three hours making a mug of tea at -62C.
Making it to the top in three days, they run into blizzard weather and a treacherous ridge on their way down, where Simpson falls and shatters his leg - a veritable death sentence. A heroic battle for survival unfolds in which both men are faced with life or death decisions that test the human spirit to its limit.
The film itself is a fusion of first person interviews with Simpson and Yates (who returned to the Andes together for the first time to retell their story) spliced with extraordinary pieces of scene setting (the shots of the mountain are magnificent) and dramatic reconstruction of events. Kevin Macdonald's account of the expedition is an utterly gripping piece of documentary film. The mix of interview and ice-pick thriller is a stunning piece of creative cinema and a deep psychological suspense drama.
Breathtakingly beautiful to look at and gripping to watch, Touching the Void is also so much more than a mountaineering film. Although we experience the effort, the exhaustion, the pain and the triumph of one of the greatest stories of survival, Touching the Void raises big questions of the nature of forgiveness, the loneliness of a Godless universe and the importance of human companionship. It is a film about taking control of your life and the power of extreme challenges that involve complex practical, moral and ethical choices. Ultimately, Touching the Void is, beyond any cliché, truly a story about the triumph of the human spirit.
Coming Soon
Lemmy
Ah, to be a single-name star, those anointed ones for whom no further explanation is necessary. There is Madonna, Elvis, Kylie ... and then there is Lemmy. Known best for his gravelly voice and mutton chops as frontman for legendary heavy metal band motörhead.
In Lemmy, the much anticipated documentary, the man himself sets the record straight. From his legendary womanising, obsession with war memorabilia, drinking, drugs and fatherhood, it's all covered. The film includes insights from some of rock's finest including Dave Grohl, Slash, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Henry Rollins and Metallica ... the list goes on. Stay tuned for more details.
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