Into Thin Air: Death on Everest

• Peter Horton: Scott Fischer
• Nathaniel Parker: Rob Hall
• Christopher McDonald: Jon Krakauer
• Peter J. Lucas: Anatoli Bukrejew
• Richard Jenkins: Beck Weathers

In Thin Air - Death on Everest is an American television movie from 1997 is based on the factual report in Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and deals with the tragedy on Mount Everest in 1996, in which eight climbers lost their lives..

Action

The American author Jon Krakauer joins in the spring of 1996, the expedition team of altitude mountaineer Rob Hall in order to participate in an ascent of Mount Everest and report on this. Hall wants to bring against a payment of up to U.S. $ 65,000 per person a group of more or less experienced climbers to the highest point in the world.

Even at base camp Krakow is skeptical: It cavort number, also partly obviously not very experienced climbers there. Since there could be a veritable traffic jam on the mountain because of the many expeditions, the team of Rob Hall and also produce commercial expedition leader Scott Fischer close together in order to coordinate their actions can.

In several stages, the groups on the way to the last high camp make before the summit. Hall gives the members of his expedition from the strict directive that each individual was at 14.00 clock to beat a descent, no matter where he finds himself on the mountain. Otherwise, one could get into the perilous situation of having to spend the night on Mount Everest outdoors.

The teams begin the last leg of the climb in the middle of the night. Krakauer makes it to the top, but there were already serious problems: could, for example, accompanying sherpas at a critical point, the Hillary Step, do not install the necessary fixed ropes as planned, as they were busy with taking care of the members of the expedition. On the descent met Krakauer Hall, who is still on the rise with a customer; it already is, however, 14.45 clock. Moreover, proposes to the weather and a storm is coming. Fishermen and parts of his team to rise to more.

In the envelope meteorological succeeds Krakauer and some other to stay at the last high camp. However, due to the lateness of the hour - it is now night - and the storm sit firmly several climbers on the mountain. A small group led by a mountain guide Anatoli Bukrejew succeed in the night still to save some, but Hall, Fischer and six other climbers freeze or crash.

Criticism

Cinema wrote in its online edition: "Even if the Tyrolean Alps had to stand in for the Himalayas, came the adaptation of the bestseller, In Thin Air ' to a realistic and gripping drama, let the human tragedies the audience cold at any time. "

The lexicon of international film wrote: " A simple story with superficial dialogues and paler directed that promotes only platitudes to days and their intrusive music exceeds the limit of endurance. Really interested are recommended to the literary versions of the disaster. "