Reinhold Messner
1944 (81 год)Reinhold Andreas Messner was born on September 17, 1944 in Bressanone (Brixen in German), in the autonomous province of Bolzano in Trentino-Alto Adige in Italy. He has seven brothers and one sister. He spent his youth roaming the Alps, with his father, Josef, a teacher, who took him to his first summit, the Sass Rigais, when he was five years old. In 1964, at the age of 20, he had already made five hundred ascents in the Eastern Alps.
From the 1960s, he was considered, along with his brothers Günther and Hubert, as one of the best climbers in Europe. Inspired by Hermann Buhl and by Walter Bonatti, he became one of the first and most ardent defenders of the alpine style in the Himalayas. He considers that the usual practice of mountaineering, which he describes as “siege tactics”, with its Sherpas, camps and equipment, is disrespectful of nature and the mountains. In 1966, he climbed the Grandes Jorasses by the north face and in 1968, he climbed the Eiger by its northeast face with Günther Messner, Toni Hiebeler and Fritz Maschke. These routes are reputed to be the most difficult in the Alps, along with the Matterhorn. In 1969, he reached Mont Blanc via the Pillar of Frêney and made his first extra-European expedition to Peru.
On June 29, 1970, his brother died on the descent of Nanga Parbat, two days after opening a new route and reaching the summit in difficult weather conditions. The 2010 film Nanga Parbat, directed by Joseph Vilsmaier, is based on his account of events. The following year, he went back to look for his brother's body, but it was not found until 2005. It was at this time, when he considered himself a climbing specialist, that he became professional mountaineer.
Reinhold Messner has accomplished many "firsts", including climbing Everest without oxygen in 1978 (with Peter Habeler), then solo in 1980, the 14 peaks over 8,000 meters (all without oxygen), the Seven summits, i.e. the highest points of the seven continents (North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Antarctica and Oceania). Thereafter, he will space out his ascents and will practice for twenty years in trekking the crossing of large desert areas with sometimes extreme climatic conditions.
First mountaineer to have insisted on the importance of strict preparation (endurance sports, diet) before going to face high altitudes. His interest in nature will also lead him to be elected Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2004, under the label of the Greens. He also devotes most of his time to the creation of museums dedicated to mountaineering and high mountains, in writing, with some sixty works to his credit, and in conferences.
Art of Freedom
Wojciech Słota, Marek Kłosowicz
Wojciech Kurtyka, Jerzy Kukuczka
The documentary film Art of Freedom answers the most poignant questions on the phenomenon of Polish expeditions to the Himalayas. Poles have reigned the highest mountaintops of the world for more than 20 years. They not only set down new trails, but new rules of behavior. They set themselves apart with an original style of climbing, endurance, conscientiousness about the overall well-being of the team - and solidarity.
Art of Freedom
The Alpinist
Nick Rosen, Peter Mortimer
Marc-André Leclerc, Brette Harrington
Marc-André Leclerc, an exceptional climber, has made solo his religion and ice his homeland. When filmmaker Peter Mortimer begins his film, he places his camera at the base of a British Columbia cliff and waits patiently for the star climber to come down to answer his questions. Marc André, a little uncomfortable, prefers to return to the depths of the forest where he lives in a tent with his girlfriend Brette Harrington. In the heart of winter, Peter films vertiginous solos on fragile ice. He tries to make appointments with the climber who is never there and does not seem really concerned by this camera pointed at him "For me, it would not be a solo if there was someone else" . Marc-André is thus, the "pure light" of the mountaineers of his time, which marvel Barry Blanchard, Alex Honnold or Reinhold Messner, interviewed in the film. An event film for an extraordinary character.
The Alpinist
Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey
Dave O'Leske
Fred Beckey, Conrad Anker
Fred Beckey is the legendary American "Dirtbag" mountaineer whose name is spoken in hushed tones around campfires. This rebel climber's pioneering ascents and lifestyle form an iconic legacy that continues to inspire generations.
Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey
Everest Unmasked
Leo Dickinson
Reinhold Messner, Peter Habeler
Record of the first ascent of Everest made without the use of oxygen equipment, made in May 1978 by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler. Could it be done? Would their blood vessels burst? Would they suffer brain damage leading to madness? Nobody was sure. Messner: 'I would never come here for trying Everest with oxygen. That is not a challenge for me.' A fascinating piece of history, well filmed by Leo Dickinson and Eric Jones (above the South Col Messner used a cine camera to continue the filming), featuring Messner and Habeler's thoughts. The film follows the usual sequence from Namche to Base Camp, through the Icefall, to Camps I, II and III. It also shows historical footage of the pioneering Mallory and Shipton expeditions.
Everest Unmasked
Gasherbrum - Der leuchtende Berg
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog, Reinhold Messner
Werner Herzog follows mountaineers Hans Kammerlander and Reinhold Messner during their expedition into climbing the Gasherbrum mountains, which has some of the most difficult peaks to be conquered, and they'll do it without the use of oxygen tanks. Herzog also takes some time to hear about their past experiences with other mountains, their personal tragedies and the reasons why they are so involved with such activity.
The Dark Glow of the Mountain
Fine Lines
Dina Khreino
Alex Honnold, Jimmy Chin
For nearly three years, director Dina Khreino interviewed world-class mountain climbing athletes, listening to what compels them to leave behind families, friends, and everyday comforts to risk everything for a fleeting glimpse into the unknown. What she found was a tribe, a diverse group of professional adventurers and amateur philosophers forged by the ultimate test of body, mind, and spirit. In the face of shifting winds, sheer granite cliffs, and impossible odds, they climb. Each for their own reason, but every one connected by the vertical world. In this rarefied air, these athletes are fundamentally changed, not just as climbers, but as human beings.
Fine Lines
Werner Herzog: Filmemacher
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog, Reinhold Messner
An autobiographical short film by Werner Herzog made in 1986. Herzog tells stories about his life and career. The film contains excerpts and commentary on several Herzog films, including Signs of Life, Heart of Glass, Fata Morgana, Aguirre, the Wrath of God, The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner, Fitzcarraldo, and the Les Blank documentary Burden of Dreams. Notable is footage of a conversation between Herzog and his mentor Lotte Eisner, a photographer. In another section, he talks with mountaineer Reinhold Messner, in which they discuss a potential film project in the Himalayas to star Klaus Kinski.
Portrait: Werner Herzog
High and Hallowed: Everest 1963
David Morton, Jake Norton
Melissa Arnot, Barry Bishop
High and Hallowed: Everest 1963 is the deepest story of the greatest Himalayan climb in American mountaineering history. Showcasing the daring and visionary efforts of the 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition, the film examines the sheer commitment, step-by-step struggle and lasting impact of America's first ascent of Mount Everest and the pioneering first ascent of West Ridge by Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld. Five decades later, High and Hallowed returns to Everest to find out if the essence of risk, adventure and the unknown that drew the first Americans to the summit still exists on Everest today.
High and Hallowed: Everest 1963
I-View
Claudio Rossoni
Simone Moro, Reinhold Messner
Thanks to his perseverance, the Italian Simone Moro has written pages in the history of mountaineering, especially winter mountaineering on peaks over 8,000 meters high. I-VIEW tells of his adventure as a helicopter pilot and his dream of bringing helicopter rescue to the Himalayas.
Simone Moro, I-View
