A scene from the Korean steamy suspense drama HIDDEN FACE. Courtesy of Well Go USA
The subtitled Korean export HIDDEN FACE is marketed as a suspense tale, but it’s a just-shy-of-soft-core drama about a romantic triangle that takes a few bizarre turns among a very attractive cast. Song Seung-heon plays the new conductor of a prestigious symphony orchestra, who landed his plum gig largely because he married the rich-bitch daughter (Cho Yeo-jeong) of a strutting soap opera star (Park Ji-young, looking alarmingly like Eddie Izzard in drag mode) who fancies herself the star of every scenario, on or off-camera… and convinces others to bend to her will. She provides the elegant apartment in which the newlyweds reside, as well as being the orchestra’s main benefactor. Mega-clout all around, wielded shamelessly by a mega-Karen.
The wife’s bestie and fellow cellist (Park Ji-hyun) have a chat in which the former pouts that she’s not getting enough attention from her stony-faced hubby and decides to disappear, leaving an unlikely suicide note behind. That opens up two spots for the bestie – a chair in the orchestra, and a horizontal one in the marital bed. With that almost Hitchcockian setup, we initially wonder how she vanished – is she dead, or just testing how much people will miss the preening Princess? Then the plot veers sharply into DePalma territory once we learn where she went and how she got there. The steamy bits come from several trysts with surprisingly generous displays of nudity for an East Asian production. Those scenes are beautifully staged and scored, both artistically and erotically.
The reveals are rather over-the-top, but the female performances and gorgeous sets are so compelling that one may not care about the logic or logistics of it all; or the fact that the male lead is a virtually blank slate, readily manipulated by the latest woman to pull his chain (or other appendage). The script is adapted from a 2011 Spanish film, THE HIDDEN FACE, which I haven’t seen. But some descriptions indicate it’s even more lurid. Time to start looking for that guilty pleasure, too.
Regular readers know how many Korean action flicks I’ve praised in the past few years. This tossed salad of psychological issues and titillation makes me think I should expand my genre repertoire.
HIDDEN FACE, in Korean with English subtitles, debuts on digital formats from Well Go USA as of Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.
The list of actors who have jumped behind the camera to sit in the director’s chair is very long. One way to shorten it considerably would be to specify which of their debut-directed flicks were both a critical and commercial hit. Yes, Orson Welles’ CITIZEN CAINE is lauded by film scholars but barely produced a ripple in that competitive “golden year” of 1941. Yes, it’s rare, but one actor really hit a “home run” in his first time “up to the plate” with a film that’s the third screen take on a beloved early sound classic, that packed the multiplex, made some top ten lists, and snagged some Oscar gold. Ah, but the actor was nominated for his performance (yes, he directed himself in that debut), but nothing for his strong cinematic storytelling. Now five years later, he’s back directing himself, for his follow-up. And though this is a biopic rather than a romantic drama, it is also set in the world of music. So, is this a case of “sophomore slump”? Well, after watching this effort, he could perhaps share the title of MAESTRO.
And just who is referred to in the film’s title? None other than Leonard (“Call me Lenny!”) Bernstein (Bradley Cooper), who, for many “baby boomers” was the “face” of classical music in America for several decades. In the opening scene, he’s well into his twilight years as he sits down at the piano for a filmed interview in 1978. Then the movie backtracks thirty-five years into dazzling black and white. Lenny leaps from the bed he shares with his lover David (Matt Bomer) in an apartment above the concert stage to take the most important phone call of his young life. Bruno Walter, the conductor of the New York Philharmonic is ill and Lenny will have to take the “baton”. And it’s that old cliche as “a star is born”. Lenny’s the darling of high society and the NYC art world. At one of the swanky parties he meets, and is immediately dazzled by a young stage actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). This begins a whirlwind romance over the next few years as Lenny establishes himself as a composer with the hit “On the Town”, leading to their marriage in 1951. The couple becomes the “toast of the town” and begins a family, despite Lenny’s wandering eye for both sexes. Felicia is aware and endures it with the proviso that he is “discreet” and won’t publicly embarrass her. Their unconventional marriage is severely tested and nearly unravels when eldest daughter Jamie (Maya Hawke) confronts her father, who flatly denies those “rumors”. Luckily his career continues its upward trajectory with acclaimed concerts and Broadway hits like “Candide” and the iconic “West Side Story”. But soon the issues of “cheating” are dwarfed by the health crisis that may finish off the Bernstein family.
Though originally seen as another handsome leading man, Cooper proves to be a gifted character actor as the artistic titan of the twentieth century. Bernstein is a complex role requiring Cooper to exude some of his screen charisma to draw in the masses during his concerts. The sequences of him conducting full orchestras, choirs, and combinations of both are truly dazzling with Cooper seemingly super-charged with the energy of the music muses. Much the same can be said of his creative epiphanies as his artistic zeal consumes everyone around him, especially his collaborators. But with those passions came the appetites for pleasure, giving us the impression that his ego was beyond earthly moral standards, with no interest in the impact of his indulgencies. Part of this leads to the great romance of his life and its near disintegration. Cooper has found the ideal screen partner for the love of Lenny’s life. Mulligan projects wisdom and strength giving Felicia a regal aura that masks her pain over her hubby’s often flagrant callousness. And as the demon of disease envelops her, Mulligan shows us her agony but also her determination to not “go gently into that goodnight”. In the supporting roles, Hawke projects the fizzy spirit of youth while dealing with some major parental confusion. And gifted comic actress Sarah Silverman flits in and out as Lenny’s glamorous, “smart set” sister Shirley, dopping “dishy” remarks.
Amazingly Cooper brings as much energy and creativity to his work behind the camera. He’s chosen to recreate the decades with a stunning switch in color, or lack of, as the 40s and 50s are splashed on the screen in shimmering strokes of black and white (big praise for cinematographer Matthew Libatique), then abruptly explodes with saturated colors for the swinging 60’s and 70’s (ah, the deep tans over Bernstein’s aging face). The vintage sets, props, and fashion keep right up the times. And they need to keep up with Cooper’s storytelling skills as a maze on stage suddenly switches to a full-on stage spectacle. Oh, and what sequences, the highlight being a breathtaking, jaw-dropping recreation of the presentation of Mahler at the Ely Cathedral which feels like one glorious supreme take. Luckily Cooper brings the same spirit to the more intimate scenes, particularly a nasty, verbal showdown over a beloved holiday. A similar technique is used to show the couple’s initial attraction as Lenny describes his new work about sailors on leave and is suddenly twirling and leaping with the “gobs”. Wisely, the movie’s superb score is all music created by Bernstein for various projects (there’s a great snippet from “West Side Story” while eschewing any theatrical recreations). Hopefully, this will inspire younger viewers to seek out his recordings, while for those of us who grew up with those “Young People’s Concerts” this will remind us of his fabulous legacy. And thanks to the talented Cooper, this MAESTRO is truly masterful.
Cate Blanchett stars as Lydia Tár in director Todd Field’s TÁR, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features
Todd Field’s drama TÁR is built on a tour-de-force performance by Cate Blanchett as fictional renowned classical music conductor and composer Lydia Tar, the head of the prestigious Berlin Symphony Orchestra and an accomplished woman who is an EGOT, winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
Lydia Tar is truly a rare bird, one of a handful of female conductors who hold the position of musical director of a major symphony orchestra, in a field that remains dominated by men and in the past has been hostile to women conductors. Achieving and holding such a position takes more than musical talent, but takes charm, intelligence, and social skills in navigating a minefield of professional situations. We first meet Lydia Tar as she is being interviewed in front of an audience by New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik (played by the real writer himself). The interview unfolds in real time, serving to give the audience the backstory on this accomplished character at the peak of her career and poised for more accomplishments as she prepares for the release of her autobiography and the performance of the last of a performance cycle of Mahler symphonies. The conductor/composer is charming, attractive, smart, and wins our admiration immediately.
Cate Blanchett’s striking performance is the major reason to see this film. Her Lydia Tar is elegant, with a restless, feline energy, and supremely confident and supremely accomplished. She has done big things in her career and has an out-sized ego to match. Wearing little makeup, Blanchett sinks so completely into this role that she seems barely recognizable. At the start, Lydia Tar seems admirable for her accomplishments but egotistical and manipulative as a person. Lydia has it all – professional success, public acclaim, wealth and a happy home life with her wife Sharon (Nina Hoss) and young daughter, and her loyal assistant Francesca (Noemie Merlant) helps Lydia keep on top of everything in her busy complicated life. On the surface, Lydia Tar looks totally in control as an accomplished woman at the top of her field but Blanchett reveals a more complicated, layered portrait of a person who isn’t quite what she seems at first, whose life is filled with dark secrets.
After Blanchett’s electrifying performance, the second reason to see TÁR is for it’s immersive dive into the world of classical music, an aspect sure to draw in fans of serious music. The film immerses us into a world that looks gracious and contemplative on the surface but is fiercely competitive and fraught with traps for the ambitious. Lydia Tar is a fictional character but some of her personal story is drawn from actual women conductors, some of whom are named-dropped in that opening interview.
Cate Blanchett plays Lydia as nervous and driven, with little quirks and some obsessive-compulsive behaviors, possibly with a little medication problem. After charming her public, we see Lydia going about her day – lunching with a powerful figure with the symphony, a dilettante composer named Eliot (Mark Strong) and smoothly sidestepping his pressure, returning home to soothe her headache-plagued wife. and dealing with a schoolyard bully bothering her shy daughter. A scene where Tar is teaching a master class at Julliard is particularly telling, with Blanchett just starting to peel back the onion layers of her character.
As perfect as Lydia;s life appears at the start of the film, both her interactions with the school bully, her actions in the master class, and some remarks in the interview reveals cracks in her own polished facade. In the interview, she expresses gratitude to her mentor Leonard Bernstein, basks in praise for the institute she founded to mentor young women conductors, and acknowledges her rarefied position as one of the few women to head up a major symphony orchestra, But then she surprises us by downplaying the idea that women conductors still need help and continue to struggle for recognition and opportunities in the still male-dominated, famously-traditional classical music field. She seems to be saying the battle for equality for women conductors has been won, although that is clearly not the case. It is an odd comment, and reveals a loose thread the film eventually will pull on as Lydia’s life starts to unravel.
Just as the famous conductor/composer is poised from even more greatness, a scandal breaks that threatens both her professional and personal life, a scandal based on Harvey Weinstein-like accusations.
Throughout his film, writer/director Todd Field repeatedly has his central character tells the musicians with whom she is working to asking themselves what the composer is saying with his/her music. It seems a hint that the audience should be asking itself what Field is saying with this film, beyond how the mighty can fall from grace. So what exactly is Field saying with this film? Ego can bring you down? Power leads to abuse? Women can be as evil as men? A condemnation of celebrity? It feels like there may be a more specific message underlying this character study but exactly what is the central puzzle for viewers, as we watch the unraveling of this character’s life, brought on by her own flaws.
While TÁR is an in-depth character study of someone tumbling from heights in spectacular fashion, it is also a film about hubris. Lydia is her own worse enemy, not only in her own shady behavior, exploiting a string of female proteges, that leads to that scandal, but in how she handles that and other mistakes that make things worse. She seems to have little insight on what she is doing and has done, and seems to lose her grip as things spiral.
It is fascinating to watch Cate Blanchett take her character through this but it is not an enjoyable experience. The film is long at 158 minutes running time and a number of puzzling scenes add to the time, including several in which Tar is running, one where she hears a woman screaming in the park but can’t locate her, several ones in which an odd neighbor caring for her elderly mother knocks on Tar’s door looking for her newspaper and several disturbing and puzzling ones. What is Todd Field’s saying here? Plus there is the uncomfortable situation of watching a woman who had accomplished something remarkably difficult, overcoming entrenched patriarchy and prejudice in a male-dominated field, but brought down by the kind of misbehavior men with power have often indulged in. It is unsettling to say the least.
TÁR gives us a stunning performance by Cate Blanchett as complicated woman whose actions destroy her life. While the drama might spark discussions and thought, it does not seem like the kind of film audiences will embrace. The classical music theme will bring out those music fans but the almost horror-film implosion of a career has little enjoyment, while those with little interest in serious music will not be drawn to it either. That leaves fans of tour-de-force performance as the major audience.
TÁR is already winning well-deserved high praise from critics for Cate Blanchett’s remarkable work but for most audiences this is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of film, depending on how much an audience member is a fan of acting.
Conductor Marin Alsop, the first woman to lead a major American symphony orchestra, in a scene from the documentary THE CONDUCTOR. Courtesy of St. Louis Jewish Film Festival.
Joyful is a good word for Bernadette Wegenstein’s delightful, inspiring biographical documentary THE CONDUCTOR, about Marin Alsop, the first woman conductor of a major American orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. It is still an exceedingly rare thing, even in the 21st century, for a woman to lead a major American orchestra, rarer even than a woman leading nations.
THE CONDUCTOR is part of the 2022 St. Louis Jewish Film Festival, which is virtual again this year, meaning all films can be streamed through the festival website through March 13. For tickets and more information, visit their website https://jccstl.com/arts-ideas/st-louis-jewish-film-festival.
The documentary, one of the featured films at the 2022 St. Louis Jewish Film Festival, spotlights the career and life of Marin Alsop. Alsop has led a life of firsts and impressive accomplishments, including winning a MacArthur genius grant. This enjoyable, informative documentary also offers insights on what conductors do and why they are necessary, and features including some archival footage of Leonard Bernstein speaking on the subject.
It was Leonard Bernstein who inspired Alsop to want to become a conductor, and later became her mentor. We get plenty of Bernstein in archival footage encouraging young Alsop.
Alsop herself is a funny, smart, charismatic woman who projects immense charm and down-to-earth wit, and an amazing commitment to music. Even if you are not particularly a classical music fan, the documentary will still delight. However, for those who are serious music fans, they are endless delights in this excellent documentary, full of glorious music along side insights on conductors, and one heck of a underdog story. THE CONDUCTOR’s beautiful music will lift hearts, as Alsop’s remarkable story inspires, a tale of a woman musician who dreamed of being a conductor and just wouldn’t take no for an answer.
As the only child of struggling Jewish professional classical musicians in New York City, it was often a lonely childhood for Marin, as her freelancing parents worked as many as four jobs a day. It was a foregone conclusion Marin would be a musician, but at about age nine, she had an life-altering experience, when she attended a children’s concert led by Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein spoke directly to the young audience about the music and, immediately, he became her hero. She knew instantly what she wanted to do in life: become a conductor.
However, when she excitedly shared her new ambition with her teacher at Julliard, she was told flatly women couldn’t be conductors. It seemed everyone opposed the idea – except her musician father. And later, her mentor, Leonard Bernstein.
Marin Alsop’s love of music, and people, is infectious and her personal charm is part of the appeal of this wonderful documentary. The music is a delight, woven throughout this wild but true story, much of which is told by Marin Alsop herself. Alsop is a spellbinding speaker, quick-witted and accessible, and director Wegenstein combines those wonderful scenes with Alsop with archival stills and footage, additional interviews, and a few scenes dramatically recreating Alsop’s childhood experiences.
Alsop is also determined and stubborn. At one point, Alsop tells us that the best way to get her to do something is to tell her she can’t.
Although music seemed always in her future, Alsop’s journey was no straight shot. I tried to turn every struggle into an opportunity, Alsop says at one point. Chafing under the strict rules and controlling teachers at Julliard, which she felt smothered individuality, Alsop suddenly veered from the Julliard track. She switched to attend Yale, considering pursuing a career outside music.
Breaking away from classical, she decided she wanted to play rock and roll violin (something unheard of at the time, she notes) but instead paired with a jazz composer and started a Swing-style jazz orchestra – even though she didn’t know anything about the genre. She assembled an all-woman band, named Swing Fever. They were all from Julliard, so they were used to playing exactly what was on the page. But to succeed, they had to learn how to swing the music. They did, and the group became a hit.
Trying to return to Julliard to study conducting, Alsop found her way blocked. So with the help of a Japanese businessman investor, she formed her own orchestra, began to conduct and gain experience. In 1989, she won a prize to be a student conductor at Tanglewood, which brought her back to her hero, Leonard Bernstein, who became her mentor.
The documentary’s section on her work with Bernstein is particularly appealing, capturing the warm and closeness between the two. The film’s inspiring upward arc of firsts really takes off as we follow Alsop’s upward trajectory. Among her accomplishments was being the Creative Conductor Chair for the St. Louis Symphony from 1994 to 1996.
In 2007, Alsop found herself in the running to lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. At the time, no woman had ever led a major American symphony orchestra like the BSO. The documentary details her challenging journey, facing bracing sexism, even from the orchestra members who had never met her. So she introduced herself, and won them over.
THE CONDUCTOR not only details Alsop’s professional triumphs but aspects of her personal life, and her commitment to opening doors for others, so they don’t have to face the obstacles she did. There is footage of Alsop teaching and her mentorship projects, including a music programs for disadvantaged city kids. Not content to be the first woman to lead a major orchestra, Alsop is determined not to be the last.
THE CONDUCTOR is exhilarating in its uplifting, underdog story, a wonderful inspiring story made even more heartwarming by the presence of the charming Marin Alsop and backed by wonderful music. It is nearly impossible to leave this film without a smile on your face. THE CONDUCTOR plays the virtual St. Louis Jewish Film Festival, along with a free virtual discussion between the director and Erik Finley, Vice President and General Manager of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
THE CONDUCTOR is available to stream as part of the 2022 St. Louis Jewish Film Festival through Mar. 13. For tickets and more information, visit their website https://jccstl.com/arts-ideas/st-louis-jewish-film-festival.
Okay cinema, you’ve been taunting us with films concerning things we can’t enjoy because of the pandemic (aside from actually seeing flicks in our favorite chain multiplex, although a smattering have reopened mostly with older movies). A couple of days ago it was renting an online getaway home, before that, it was road trips and movies set in faraway lands. Now, it’s the concert experience. This somewhat new release isn’t about a touring rock n’ roll band or a hard-partying country crooner (they’ve been doing a variation of the movies’ solution with drive-in concerts and simulcasts). We’re entering the world of classical music, with a profile of a celebrated pianist, so an indoor venue, a hall or auditorium, is preferred for the acoustics and intimacy. Oh, playing the “keyboard virtuoso’ is an actor that garnered lots of press and praise earlier this year for returning to the role that made him world-famous several decades ago. But he still wants to show us his versatility as a man who struggles to combine LIFE WITH MUSIC.
At the start of this story, we’re sitting right on the bench in a packed concert hall next to world-famous classical pianist Henry Cole (Patrick Stewart). The audience is in awe, but Henry is suffering for his art. Concluding his complex final piece, he bolts from the stage and heads out the stage door into the alley. As Henry doffs his jacket and loosens his tie, the door flings open to reveal his agent/manager Paul (Giancarlo Esposito). It’s the start of Henry’s comeback/final tour after he took time out to mourn the death of his wife, and Paul reminds him that he “owes” the audience an encore number. But this unexpected panic attack precludes that. Still, Henry has to “meet the press” who grill him over the lack of an encore. As Henry fumbles for an answer, he notices a late arrival, New Yorker music critic Helen Morrison (Katie Holmes). As the reporters drift away, she timidly inquires about a further interview, part of a profile for the magazine. He declines but later finds that her words occupy his thoughts. To his surprise, she shows up at his appearance days later at Steinway Hall. When his “performance panic’ kicks in, she joins him at the piano for an impromptu duet. Helen proves to be a calming influence, so he happily agrees to the interview. At another concert, Henry is overwhelmed and refuses to resume after the intermission. A frazzled Paul is ecstatic to see Helen who talks Henry “down”. The two then become inseparable as she joins him on the road and at his home in the forests of upper New York state. After some “downtime” Henry decides to continue with his farewell tour which will conclude with a highly publicized London concert, set to be live-streamed around the globe. But will tragedy prevent Henry from taking that final bow?
The film is carried by the “out of the box” casting of Stewart as Henry. Whether he’s leading Starfleet officers or mutants into battle, the actor effortlessly projects strength and confidence, even as he reads Shakespeare sonnets on the internet. This role demands that he show a more timid, vulnerable side, one we’ve not really seen since his acclaimed (perhaps) final turn as Xavier in LOGAN. As he views the music notes on a page of sheet music they seem to smother him, his panic is palpable as we can almost smell the “flop-sweat”. Henry’s certainly emotionally wounded but we also see him begin to heal, his grimace slowly cracks into a grin. This leads to the revealing of his gentle nature, as when Henry shares his gifts with a young fan. Stewart draws us in with his commanding presence and serene vocal style. This helps bring out a subtle, restrained performance by Holmes who’s most believable as the soothing balm to Henry’s ills. She may be the “good cop” to Esposito’s, well maybe not bad cop, but definitely a taskmaster. He deftly ” keeps lots of plates spinning” as he gently nudges Henry out of his ‘comfort zone’, believing in his talents, but trying to satisfy and placate all the forces dependent on “the talent”. He truly cares about Henry, as we see his mind scrambling to say the right words and encouragement to bring a great career to a spectacular finale.
First-time feature director Claude Lalonde keeps the story from screenwriter Louis Godbout flowing at a leisurely pace, giving us a real insider’s view of the classical music concert world. They both deal with the tale’s unconventional romance, namely the “age thing”, with restraint (after Henry expresses his concerns, Helen replies, “You got a thing against young people?”) and the complex friendship/ business partnership between Henry and Paul. Unfortunately, though, much of the Henry/Helen scenes consist of long walking montages with voiceovers of her spouting “touch-feely” platitudes. Speaking of, the characters, particularly Henry, spend long swathes of the running time strolling, watching other pedestrians, and staring at their surroundings. Some of which are lovely though, especially a side trip to Sils-Maria in the Swiss Alps. Ultimately those scenes are confusing as we realize that the story is doing “fast-forward” time- jumps with little purpose. The momentum of the plot is thrown off, much as with the many close-ups of Helen looking at Henry with bright-eyed, smiling admiration. Fans of the classic composers and of the superb Stewart will find much to enjoy, but LIFE WITH MUSIC wrecks its tempo when away from the keyboard.
2 out of 4
LIFE WITH MUSIC is available as a Digital Download on most streaming platforms and apps such as iTunes, Amazon, and Google.
Rob Jarvis and client at day break in a horizontal climb over a snowy peak, in MOUNTAIN. Photo courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment.
Director Jennifer Peedom’s documentary is a big screen film that must be seen in a theater, preferable on a really big screen, to be truly appreciated. Part nature film and part history and adventure, it focuses on man’s relationship with the Earth’s tallest peaks. It is a symphony of music and sweeping aerial views of majestic mountain scenery.
BAFTA-nominated director Jennifer Peedom collaborates with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and a series of cinematographers to capture the majesty of mountains. Narration by Willem Dafoe draws on the writings of Robert MacFarlane.
MOUNTAIN starts in a different way from most films about mountains and their majesty. Instead of opening with mountains, we see black and white images of an orchestra tuning up and actor Willem Dafoe preparing to deliver his narration as the opening credits roll. Then there is a brief quote, “Those who dance are considered mad by those who cannot hear the music,” and the mountains make their entrance. Perhaps that opening quote describes those who risk all just to climb the planet’s highest peaks.
Those peaks, and mankind’s relationship with them, are the subject of Jennifer Peedom’s visually-soaring documentary MOUNTAIN. Just as the musicians start to play, we cut to views of those mountains, in the kind of aerial shots that have to bring a gasp to any viewer.
That breathtaking aerial photography is primarily by Anson Fogel but the film also includes archival footage and shots from other films about mountains and mountaineering, as well as Go-Pro footage from climbers, skiers, and extreme sport athletes. Among the archival footage is one of very early 20th century tourists, hiking up mountains perhaps in Yosemite.
At least we might guess it is Yosemite but we don’t know because the film does not tell us. MOUNTAIN is more a meditation on mountains and their place in human imagination than a fact-filled exploration of mountaineering. Willem Dafoe reads contemplative prose by Robert MacFarlane, which is more personal thoughts on mountains and people’s attitudes towards them, rather than a detailed history. While Dafoe narrates in a soothing tone, the Australian Chamber Orchestra plays a mostly classical score that includes Vivaldi, Beethoven and Grieg, as well as compositions by Richard Tognetti.
That best sums up the experience of watching MOUNTAIN, soaring, dizzying photography of mountains, sometimes with people scaling them, while Dafoe recites thoughtful prose and the orchestra plays stirring music.
We get shots of unnamed mountains with people free climbing, others of Buddhists monks and monasteries in Himalayas. The narration discusses how mountains have gone from being regarded throughout most of human history as obstacles, dangers to be avoided, or places of “gods and monsters” In more recent centuries, mountains have become symbols of wildness and natural beauty, as source of adventure and exploration. The film focuses on how the conquest of Everest was a turning point in the popular public view of mountains, As the camera skims over jagged, snowy peaks, Dafoe discusses how mountains went from places of danger to be avoided or places of the sacred, to playgrounds to enjoy vanishing wildness or places to indulge an impulse towards risk.
The gorgeous visuals takes us to mountains across the globe, from the Andes to the Alps, the Rockies to the Himalayas. Yet no mountain ranges are directly named and the only famous peak mentioned is Everest. Likewise, the human climbers, skiers and extreme mountain sports athletes are anonymous, although they are listed in the credits. Instead, it is all about the mountains themselves, and their stern grandeur.
MOUNTAINS is the kind of film best seen on the biggest possible screen, an experience that is both exhilarating and meditative, like the mountains it celebrates. The documentary opens Friday, June 15, at the Tivoli Theater.
