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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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The movie is interesting because of the character studies. The camera guy does a great job capturing facial expressions at key moments.
One thing I missed during the first viewing was that Alex's response ~ "I could quit, but really I don't want to do that" - it's a response directly to Sanni, and he's staring right at her, seemingly holding back a bit of anger in front of everyone at her question, that she continues to not want him to solo.
Deifying these people as perfect humans is an absolute bore, it would have ruined the movie. I've met and interacted with Croft - eons ago. He's cool and secure with his amazing strength, talents and history in the sport - but when you start moving into his comfort zone - I think he becomes hyper competitive. Alex surpassed Croft's lifetime of climbing achievements - maybe over a decade ago?
I saw what I saw in their exchange, it all seemed very clear to me. I also at the same time can appreciate what others saw.
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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-----Promoters have been making lots of money drawing audiences to every imaginable daredevil activity for thousands of years.... this is no different. Alex is an adult and knows the risks.
Sure. And there is a sucker born every minute. I'm trying to not be one of the suckers and perhaps I'm not being so successful at it.
Why does watching the movie make you a sucker? Alex risks his life, when there's a million other things he can do to make money, and you pay to see it. Everyone wins until he comes up short one day.
There are scores of people risking limb and losing the bet every day that you never hear about. Think of the old test pilots on the first Apollo missions. Dudes with nuts the size of cantelopes... "Climb up on top of that there ICBM loosely retrofitted with a 'capsule' on top... sure! Light it up boys!"
People like him are just wired differently. Without them we'd make very little progress as a species. I think people like Alex inspire others to step a bit outside their comfort zone from time to time, no matter what their more mundane daily fields of battle might be.
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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One of my favourite Alex quotes goes something like,
"No one ever changed the world while being warm and cozy".
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nah000
climber
now/here
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first. 100% respect to honnold for his action: i [probably fortunately] ain't worthy to carry his shoes and don't know the guy personally, so while in the grand scheme of things it is effectively irrelevant, still for me, his act stands on its own intrinsically profound boldness.
second. 100% respect to vasarhelyi, chin, et al for their action of making a movie: if a good friend is going to do something mind blowing regardless of whether you are going to film it or not and you are a filmmaker, what choice do you really have?
third. so if the above is true, why write what follows? cause this can be a campfire and i'd like to shoot some shIt...
<shit>
i'm going to give this movie a pass unless honnold ends up moving onto another phase of his life.
why?
this is the first time, that i can recall, seeing a movie about a rock free soloist, even near to this duration, that marketed itself, at least to some degree, not just on the "consequence" involved...
but rather also on the "risk".
maybe i missed something significant but i don't remember the fellow rock climbers surrounding a free soloist talking about "how scared they were", in past creative representations.
now, that doesn't mean past free soloists weren't playing a bit of conscious roulette at times... and there are of course, also shorter exceptions that come to mind [one of osman's filmed single pitch free solos for starters]...
and that also doesn't mean the people that surrounded the free soloists weren't scared.
i just don't remember that being a major part of the story that was being told regarding a rock climbing free soloist.
otoh, that does seem to be part of the case here, at least based on the trailers i've seen...
and so in this case i'm going to respect and accept what i'm hearing.
and so i'll be refraining from watching this movie, for the time being.
i'm not willing to take a chance that i might contribute something granular to someone feeling like in order to make a living or to be loved, that they need to film themselves taking risks that, so far as i can tell, the filming of, contributes nothing directly to the collective.
now this is, of course, a philosophical pickle, given i haven't seen the movie.
how can i say it contributes nothing when i haven't seen it?
well, this is where near as i can tell, all we can do is play the odds and follow our hearts.
and so that's what i'm going to do.
maybe in two, five, ten or thirty years honnold will dial it back, i will go ahead and watch this movie and then i'll have to admit i was wrong and there were compelling reasons to put this on a big screen...
until then, i'm going to gamble that i'm not mistaken and so am not missing anything that might have enriched my life, now.
that's because for me and for the time being at least, the action was enough.
i suspect i don't need to see the 360degree version, with likely re-enacted and/or at least filmicly contrived conversation along with physiological tests on honnold's brain in order for me to understand how mind bogglingly bold honnold's action was.
i'm a climber that's been around a few blocks a few times, and so i'm gambling that i understand as well as i need to...
at least for now.
as i could be wrong, no harm nor foul, to all of those who feel differently.
and given v + c's track record, i'm sure it is a phenomenal movie.
so respect to all involved. [including the audience.]
</shit>
peace.
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Don Paul
Social climber
Washington DC
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If someone wants to up the game, they're going to have to solo it live on TV.
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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i'm going to give this movie a pass unless honnold ends up moving onto another phase of his life.
i'm not willing to take a chance that i might contribute something granular to someone feeling like in order to make a living or to be loved, that they need to film themselves taking risks that, so far as i can tell, the filming of, contributes nothing directly to the collective.
maybe in two, five, ten or thirty years honnold will dial it back, i will go ahead and watch this movie and then i'll have to admit i was wrong and there were compelling reasons to put this on a big screen...
I think Alex has moved on. A great thing about this accomplishment is that it's so singular. Where do you go after free soloing El Cap? Nowhere. 1. It was a huge step in free soloing. 2. There's nothing bigger (at least easily accessible that would lend itself to the exhaustive work required to successfully free solo it, and although there's arguably a few bigger walls in the world, El Cap is the most iconic and historic). 3. Alex has fulfilled his lifetime dream. There's no reason to "one up" it.
The movie does get into some interesting / somewhat disturbing details of his childhood and how that perhaps factored into his desire to do something that required "perfection". But he would have done it or at least explored if he could do it without the film. IMO this was HIS dream and 99% of it was for himself. The film was a double edged sword. It gave him a lot of help (with fixed lines, support, motivation) but he probably would have liked to do the actual climb without being filmed so he didn't have to worry about his friends possibly seeing him die.
It was really cool to see how Alex developed as a person (becoming more open and communicative), which was really the main subplot in the film and made it so powerful emotionally and more than a typical climbing film. It also looks at what responsibilities do you have to other people in your life vs. sacrifices needed to fulfill your accomplishments.
I often see movies with action and effects on the big screen where I can really be immersed in the scene. And wait for dramas and comedies to watch at home. For me this the THE most important movie to see on the big screen of all time.
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High Fructose Corn Spirit
Gym climber
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For me this was THE most important movie to see on the big screen of all time.
Seriously? More important than Avengers: Infinity War?!
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 6, 2018 - 09:55am PT
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For me this the THE most important movie to see on the big screen of all time.
For me also. Don't miss it on the big screen. I'm not even interested in seeing the dvd when it comes out. Also the musical score by Marco Beltrami was very well done and sounds good at the theatre.
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OldEric
Trad climber
Westboro, MA
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If someone wants to up the game, they're going to have to solo it live on TV.
Didn't Henry do this 40+ years ago?
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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When you stand on the shoulders of Giants you never truly surpass them. Cliche and irrelevant to my comment.
Before doing much that was new, Alex systematically repeated pretty much everything major done in Yosemite over the past 20 or so years, almost always faster or in better style, and to varying degrees he put it back in the face of the people he bettered - Croft included - among Potter Florine, Schneider and Osman in particular.
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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the musical score by Marco Beltrami was very well done
Agreed. As with the case of most good soundtracks and cinematography it should heighten the emotions/experience without calling attention to itself. There was a point somewhere in the middle where I payed attention the the score for a few moments and realize that it was another good part of the movie. Really the movie was firing on all cylinders including story, cinematography, score, pacing, humor at the right times, etc. And I think that's reflected in it's reviews and success. Any movie about such a monumental achievement would have been good, the exceptional work of everyone involved made it great.
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Mei
Trad climber
mxi2000.net
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musical score
On that note, I have to bring up another sports documentary, 24 Solo (Amazon and Netflix). That's truly a show case of how a human being can push his body beyond his physiology limit. The movie comes back to my mind from time to time when I need more perseverance. And I think the music score in that film is top notch -- the kind that makes your eyes tear up. It's too bad that the film never received much publicity. The trailer does not really do its justice, but it's better than nothing. I bought the DVD, but have lost it since (loaned out and never got it back). Well worth the purchase.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
Sorry for the side track, but hey, at least the title also has "Solo" in it.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 7, 2018 - 06:29am PT
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Certainly imo, giving him push back is essential so that he is not soloing out of control (like he admits he has).
"Not all of Honnold’s solos have gone smoothly. Early on, in 2005, he fell twice soloing in Owen’s River Gorge: once while downclimbing a 5.10 and another time climbing to the first bolt on Pippy the Zenhead (5.9). In 2008, on Half Dome, he stood 2,000 feet off the ground, stroking a carabiner, contemplating grabbing the metal to pull past an insecure slab move. He compromised, placing a single finger pad on the biner and making the move. On the Rainbow Wall (V 5.12b) in Red Rock Canyon in April 2010, Honnold climbed up and down into the dyno crux, 750 feet off the ground. He had climbed the route years before but barely remembered it. As he wrote in Alone on the Wall, referencing a recent breakup, “ … in the mood I was in, I wanted to finish what I’d set out to do.” Honnold crimped so hard on a dimple he got a blood blister, making the move. He climbed into 5.12 terrain above, which felt harder than he wanted to solo but that he now had to no choice but to climb.
In September 2011, Honnold called me from the Direct North Buttress (V 5.10b) of Middle Cathedral, looking for directions. In late 2011, Honnold created a short film with Corey Rich. Why showcases the Nikon D4, which Rich used to film Honnold soloing Equinox, a 5.12c finger crack in J-Tree. After lap three, Honnold was tiring. On his last effort, his foot skated slightly. He caught himself on a fingerlock (4:12). In 2012, he backed off John Bachar’s infamous J-Tree solo Father Figure (5.13a). In Zion in 2012, Honnold onsight-soloed Shune’s Buttress (IV 5.11+). As he scrambled to the summit through snowy, loose terrain, Honnold broke a hold, fell into a tree, and landed on a pedestal, narrowly avoiding the plummet to the valley floor. Though Honnold climbs well, he’s not flawless."
https://www.climbing.com/people/behind-the-scenes-of-alex-honnolds-freerider-free-solo/
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 7, 2018 - 09:23am PT
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Yes, its already grossed $7m, which is pretty good for a documentary, especially a climbing movie that premiered only 6 weeks ago.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
ne'er–do–well
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Bishop Twin Showtimes & Tickets
Free Solo
(PG-13, 1 hr, 40 min.)
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 8, 2018 - 04:58pm PT
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I just got around to listening to the joe rogan interview. It's crude, but actually kinda good. Alex is articulate as usual. Thanks for posting, mouse.
One thing I learned is that Alex does not understand the acceleration of gravity (32 ft per sec per sec). It takes only 2.49 seconds to fall 100 ft., not the 4 to 5 seconds Alex guesses (1:05:30). He should learn these things...
http://www.greenharbor.com/fffolder/speedtime.pdf
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SuperTopo on the Web
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Derek Hersey on the Steck-Salathé - most likely on a 5.9 section.
Let us know!