Dizzying highs
The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones
Explore the uncharted peaks of Japanese cinema.
The cinematography is magnificent, because the mountain is magnificent. To shoot The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones, director Daisaku Kimura took his cast and crew up Japan's Mount Tsurugidake, to capture the 'Mountain of Death' in all its glory.
For over 200 days, they were some 3000 metres above sea level, enduring winds that can freeze the air to 40 degrees below zero. The filmmakers faced a very real danger - a sound recordist was severely injured by falling rocks during filming - but it was nothing compared to the experiences of the men whose story was being told.
The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones, based on the novel by Jiro Nitta, chronicles a 1907 expedition to climb the treacherous, unconquered Tsurugidake - two expeditions, in fact. At roughly the same time, a geological survey unit of the Japanese Army set out to create accurate cartographic maps of the mountain while members of the Japan Alpine Club embarked on a quest to climb it, with the groups eventually racing each other to reach the highest peak.
Winner of Best Cinematography and Best Director at the 2010 Japanese Academy Awards, The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones captures perfectly the bold ambition that drives men to the top of the world, risking life and limb in an unforgiving environment for the pleasure of being the first to arrive.
The film will show at ACMI on Sunday 5 December at 2:30pm as part of the 14th Japanese Film Festival, and it may be your only chance to see this visually spectacular work on the big screen.
Also showing at the festival are the surprising and tender film Dear Doctor, the stoic period drama Villon's Wife and a vibrant remake of Yoshitaro Nomura's 1961 thriller Zero Focus. Like The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones, each of these films was nominated for Best Picture at the 2010 Japanese Academy Awards. With eighteen other excellent films, including several new anime works, they form an eclectic and colourful snapshot of new Japanese cinema.
The festival starts next Thursday 2 December. Peruse the full program here.
Published Thursday, 25 November 2010
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