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Zinneman's last great film

posted 16 years ago by mandrake62
12 replies | jump to latest

Fred Zinnemann was a great film maker of remarkably diverse set of films. This is his last and most neglected film. Unjustly neglected in my opinion. The key to the film is the scene in which an old woman is looking at the face of her betrothed who fell into the glacier 50 years earlier. You see the old woman's face looking at his still young unchanged face preserved from the day he disappeared into the glacier. Her ancient face is reflected on surface of ice and is superimposed over his young face. It is one of the most haunting images I have ever seen. The significance to the films story is the contrast of the depth of the old woman's commitment to her young betrothed in contrast to the superficial cynical relationships of the other characters. Traditional values vs no values. This is Zinnemann at his best but I don't think many people realized what the film was really about. It is not a message film but it does show something that has been lost. It has been ignored as if it were some boring alpine movie. Perhaps this is because Zinnemann was not on good terms with the corporate empty suits who became executives at the studios toward the end of his career. They did not have a clue about him or his work.

I hope someday there will be a DVD. There are some used rental tapes available to which I may resort.

[–] IceboxMovies 16 years ago

I have never seen it, but because it stars Sean Connery and was directed by the great Zinnemann, I feel that it is required of me to snatch a copy. Strange that it isn't a very popular film. I would love it if Netflix or Blockbuster Online made a DVD copy available so that I could view it.

And I love movies about glaciers and mountain climbing, as well. Although I hated Vertical Limit.

_____________________
"It's the frost, it sometimes makes the blade stick."

[–] mandrake62 16 years ago

As one who has climbed some high mountains, I can guarantee that Vertical Limit was totally ridicules. The physics and physiology as depicted are beyond any limit of credibility. As far as I can determine, the physiological enhancer was a Hollywood plot gimmick. It gave them something to fight over.

There is a series of German films made in the 20s (silents) with a mountain climbing. They were very romanticized in nature but the actual climbing scenes were well presented. Leni Riefenstahl appeared in some of these films which were made prior to here career as a director of films commissioned by Hitler. Many are available on NETFLIX as are her Nazi era films which in spite of the underlying motivation are examples of great film making. Riefenstahl was on a par with Orson Welles in her ability to visualize and get what she wanted on film.

[–] IceboxMovies 16 years ago

Right, from what I heard about Riefenstahl's pre-Nazi career she made some movie about witchcraft called The Blue Light or something. Sounds interesting.

_____________________
"It's the frost, it sometimes makes the blade stick."

[–] rockwell_lancer 15 years ago

Yes, check out Riefenstahl's mountain climbing films: The Blue Light and The White Hell of Pitz Palu. Very interesting.

[–] IceboxMovies 13 years ago

I finally saw this, and I absolutely agree with the OP: this is an unjusty-neglected masterpiece, like a lot of Zinnemann's films. What he's basically doing here is revisiting the themes of adultery and sudden death that he flirted with in From Here to Eternity--if you ask me, however, this film is so much better.

What a magnificent way to end a great filmmaking career, too. For John Huston it was The Dead, and for Zinnemann it was Five Days One Summer. If there's anything the 1980's was good for (and not a whole lot), it was giving old pros the chance to go out with an artistic bang. Sean Connery is fantastic in this, too.

"What I don't understand is how we're going to stay alive this winter."

[–] mandrake62 13 years ago

Glad you had a chance to see it. Not only is this film unjustly neglected but as you have indicated, Zinneman himself is unjustly neglected. His work was so diverse that he did not fit neatly into the Auteur theory of direction and so has been ignored.

[–] mandrake62 12 years ago

Thanks for posting this film on youtube and for your introductory comments. I watched it again after over 20 years. After looking at your year by year list of favorite films, TCM should have you on as a guest programmer.

[–] IceboxMovies 12 years ago

Ha! Yes, the next guest programmer on TCM really should get a chance to introduce this film.

"What I don't understand is how we're going to stay alive this winter."

[–] joonas1038 16 years ago

I HAVENT SEEN IT

[–] SirAlexPop 9 years ago

2015' and not available on blu ray/DVD.
Seen this in the cinema 1982 Sean Connery excels as the jealous lover.
Can't imagine it's dated badly as it's a period setting film.

[–] RobbieCalifornia 8 years ago

I haven't seen it either, and would love to. I admire Fred Zinneman's work so much. I'll be keeping an eye out on TCM.

[–] prometheus1816 (1051) 3 years ago

Sir Sean was the jealous uncle lover you mean. I loved this film because Connery dared go there and bust up that 007 facade.