{"id":23475,"date":"2021-09-11T13:53:12","date_gmt":"2021-09-11T20:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=23475"},"modified":"2021-09-11T13:53:12","modified_gmt":"2021-09-11T20:53:12","slug":"the-alpinist-scales-impressive-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=23475","title":{"rendered":"THE ALPINIST Scales Impressive Heights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/24_0009_B-merged.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14439\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Universal Pictures and Roadside Attractions will be\nreleasing this documentary&nbsp;in theatres nationwide on&nbsp;Friday,\nSeptember 10th.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in 2018, a film crew photographed free-climber Alex Honnold\u2019s attempt to scale El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. The movie was called, \u201cFree Solo,\u201d and it won an Academy Award for Best Documentary. As expected, it also brought more attention to a group of passionate eccentrics who risk their lives to reach the highest peaks in the world. \u201cThe Alpinist\u201d follows another notable mountaineer named Marc-Andr\u00e9 Leclerc, telling his story and attempt to scale Torre Egger in Patagonia. While the subject matter between the two films is similar, this is an equally impressive effort that goes into even greater detail about these individuals and their unusual obsession to reach incredible heights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Alpinist-02-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23476\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the film opens, we learn that despite being 23 and relatively\nnew to the scene, Canadian Marc-Andr\u00e9 Leclerc has already made a name for\nhimself in the climbing community. Even Alex Honnald sings the young man\u2019s\npraises, noting his staggering abilities and jaw-dropping ascents that most of\nthe public aren\u2019t even aware of. The crew follows Lerclerc for 2 years, noting\nhis friendly but quiet and modest demeanor as they try to figure out what\ndrives him to continue in his pursuits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Early on, the documentary filmmakers provide some intriguing\nbackground information about the origins of alpinists and the dangers involved\n(suggesting that nearly half of lifelong climbers have ultimately met their fate\nin the wild). They also admit that despite their best efforts, they weren\u2019t\nable to glean exactly why these people feel compelled to do what they do. Leclerc\nhimself turns out to be a tricky subject because of his camera-shy personality.\nHe doesn\u2019t use social media and appears awkward and uncomfortable talking about\nhimself on camera. This modesty actually makes the subject likable, even if the\nfilmmakers struggle when he begins disappearing without them to take part in\nvarious solo ascents.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Alpinist-03-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23477\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the crew do manage to join Leclerc, they capture some extraordinary\nfootage. The stunning locales are unique and interesting too, ranging from\nWestern Canada to the southern tip of South America. As the climber attempts\nmore and more dramatic climbs, the film stuns with overhead drone shots\ncapturing the Leclerc as he attempts to find his next step up in variable and\nconstantly changing conditions. Following him on routine excursions, it becomes\nclear that he often improvises, picking a site and sometimes scaling rock, ice\nand even frozen water to reach the summits. Given the information relayed about\nhow potentially deadly each step may be, it makes the climbs even more tense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For some, the sights alone may be worth the price of\nadmission, but there\u2019s some extra food for thought as well. While the\nfilmmakers seem determined not to impose their own feelings on the perilous\nprofession, plenty of issues arise as they detail the recent rise of the sport.\nOver the past decade or so, what was once an obscure occupation has become hugely\npopular. Climbers now post photos and videos of their mountaineering accomplishments\non social media, resulting in massive numbers of followers and even corporate\nsponsorships. While not explicitly stated, the facts suggest an unintentional\npush for enthusiasts to take on even more challenging feats to impress their\nsponsors\/fanbase. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Alpinist-05-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23480\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The film doesn\u2019t go into great detail on this particular problem,\nas Leclerc focuses on avoiding the limelight, the influences of those around\nhim and instead tries to stay true to his own sense of adventure. However, the\nsubtext is present, as are some grim truths as the film reaches its conclusion.\n\u201cThe Alpinist\u201d is a bit of a late arrival in the mountaineering film genre and\ncould go into even greater detail on some of the themes that it briefly raises,\nbut it does serve as a beautifully shot and compelling tribute to a remarkable\nindividual.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Universal Pictures and Roadside Attractions will be releasing this documentary&nbsp;in theatres nationwide on&nbsp;Friday, September 10th.&nbsp; Back in 2018, a film crew photographed free-climber Alex Honnold\u2019s attempt to scale El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. The movie was called, \u201cFree Solo,\u201d and it won an Academy Award for Best Documentary. As expected, it also brought more [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":23479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[206,4515,5993,7925,7926,13098,15769,17111,19885,19886,19887,19888,23126,23570],"class_list":["post-23475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-reviews","tag-206","tag-climbing","tag-documentary","tag-free-climbing","tag-freeclimbing","tag-marc-andre-leclerc","tag-patagonia","tag-roadside-attractions","tag-the-alpinist","tag-the-alpinist-film-review","tag-the-alpinist-movie-review","tag-the-alpinist-review","tag-torre-egger","tag-universal-picture"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23475\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}