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Author
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Topic: Free Solo (2018)
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Mark Ogden
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 943
From: Little Falls, N.J.
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 10-23-2018 01:48 PM
At Cinemopolis, Ithaca, New York
*****
One of the greatest athletic achievements in history occurred mostly unnoticed by the public. On June 3, 2017, rock climber Alex Honnold made a free climb of the granite face of El Capitan without ropes, harnesses or safety equipment of any kind, he just used his hands and feet. After just a few minutes of climbing he was within the width of one toe or finger from falling to what would have been a gruesome end. As another climber puts it, when you free climb “you either win the gold medal, or you die.”
This film recounts Honnold’s preparation and mindset prior to the climb, but it also deals with the preparation of the film crew, composed of other climbers who were decidedly unenthusiastic about the possibility of recording Honnold’s death. There is an uncomfortable scene late in the picture where the crew is standing around discussing what to do if he should fall, you can sense the discomfort they all shared, they can barely speak. Honnold, for his part, comes off as an overly philosophical naif, a kind of man-boy who has no fear but who also cannot pick-up on or respect the fear others have for him, including the pretty girlfriend who shares his van. His overall cluelessness and inability to function as an adult is strangely funny, he is his own comic relief.
It’s no spoiler that Honnold pulled it off, but the last part of the film, showing the brilliantly photographed climb, is one of the most thrilling things you will see in a cinema, real edge-of-the-seat stuff. Highly recommended.
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