Free Solo (forthcoming climbing film)

Here is the trailer for a new documentary coming to a theater near you -- if you feel lucky -- this fall, about Alex Honnold climbing, esp. his recent free solo of El Captain, 3000' wall of granite:



Free Solo (2018) - IMDb

BTW, one of the climbers who talks in this short clip is Tommy Caldwell. In January 2015, Caldwell and his partner (Kevin Jorgeson) completed the first free climb of the Dawn Wall of El Captain: Tommy Caldwell - Wikipedia

Here you go: World's Hardest Climb Goal of Yosemite Wall Climber | National Geographic

Free climb doesn't mean without safety stuff -- it just means that they climbed every inch of the wall without using any external aids (e.g., like placing an anchor in a crack and using that to hang off of, or pulling yourself up the wall depending on that anchor, etc.)

And Caldwell, in gruesome accident, sawed off much of his left index finger in a tablesaw accident in 2001. And he is still in the top 0.1% of rock climbers. Truly extraordinary, even more so missing the use of one of his index fingers. Mind-boggling and mind-numbing.

Another video preview: See First Video of Most Dangerous Rope-Free Climb Ever (Alex Honnold) | National Geographic

 

We saw this tonight. Truly hair-raising in spots. But also, and in a surprise, were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments, usually relating to Alex's being "too deadpan" for the situation or being emotionally clueless. They talk about his dad possibly having Asperger's, but I actually felt that he's the one who's a little bit on the spectrum. If anything, that only served to make the movie all the more engaging. Gorgeous photography, too. Gorgeous girlfriend - without a doubt.

 

OMG, I can't wait to see this. Just watching the trailer made my hands sweat- I love it! lol

Due to vertigo, hearing issues, I will have to wait until it comes out on DVD and then I will buy it and watch it a bunch of times. Filmed by the amazing Jimmy Chin-- AWESOME!!!

 

And of course, a lot less expensive than the last "Solo" film...

 

Looks interesting (albeit a little too 'Nike commercial' from the trailer). Thanks for the heads-up - I will try to see this on some format.

 

Now on Amazon Prime Video. Well worth the ten bucks. Amazing movie of a truly amazing feat of climbing.

 

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Id like to see it in cinerama.

 

It is better on the big screen but such a wonderful movie I just bought it for home.

 

On the edge of the seat experience, an amazing climb and gorgeous looking film on big screen.

 

Hawt.

 

I bet you wouldn't. I saw it on a decent-sized regular screen, and I had several look-away/cringe-y moments as it was.
None of which, to be sure, involved scenes with his girlfriend. I am a pig.

 

This will be on the National Geographic channel Sunday night (3/3).

 

Actually, it's more of a Patagonia commercial--clothing with the logo is seen pretty much every couple of minutes or so.

Anyway, a really gripping doc that I definitely felt in the pit of my stomach a number of times, and it explores much deeper questions than just, Will he make it or not.

John K.

 

I don't see many movies but I rented this on Spectrum and watched it twice in two days.

Outstanding documentary!

It's worth it if you like the movie to look up his Ted Talk on YouTube. Also this...........

 

Absolutely loved Free Solo, saw it in theaters and rented it the other day.

Kind of related - The Dawn Wall is now streaming on Netflix. It’s the Tommy Caldwell/Kevin Jorgeson thing talked about at the bottom of the OP. If you like Free Solo I highly recommend you check it out too. In many ways, I think it’s the better film - the story is more universal/relatable.

 

Yes. Thanks for the tip on tbe netflix docu!
And I just ordered the Free Solo blu-ray.

I was in Yosemite a month before he climbed the wall. Magical place! So inspiring!

 

Nat Geo channel ran this on TV the other night.

I want to see it in the theater on the biggest screen I can find. And I wonder if there's an iMax version.

 

I saw it two days ago and I thought it sucked. It had the exact same set up tempo interviewing style as your every day run-of-the-mill reality TV show so much so I wanted to change the channel. This subject matter is vaguely interesting but it barely digs. A really light weight Film That didn’t actually look all that great on the big screen. How this film won the Oscar I have no idea. It’s obviously Hollywood voting be ecause there’s an hour and 15 minutes of pablum and five minutes of tension near the end which is in keeping with the Hollywood tradition. I had no idea these guys go on These mountains for years with ropes, practicing the moves before they free climb it. That was interesting. I was wondering how they knew where these minute impressions in the rock war and what this notebook was with all these little moves. But the whole “love story” between Alex and his girlfriend did little too stimulate the story. And so much of it was reality TV show banter that I wanted to barf

I regret spending eight bucks to see it on the big screen because the photography was so so. They had to use super long lens cameras which had a lot of artifacts from temperature variations and then they were Alex his two friends stationed on the mountain at the two places where he was most likely to fall off because they were the most dangerous spots. Those are the two money shots but in total they last about a minute. I also felt it deflated the achievement when Alex turns and grins and mugs to his buddies when he makes the death spot. For some reason as a director I would have said Alex let’s try not to laugh and in camera next time you cheat death - We’re trying to build the tension here. I should say it was OK but I was very disappointed that it wasn’t directed any better than a reality TV show - And for a National Geographic special I was seriously underwhelmed by the photography.

 

This movie was about more than climbing. Your take on it is the worst I've seen so far on the internet. I think most of us here have seen many National Geographic documentaries. I don't think this movie was supposed to be anything like what you think it was supposed to be. But your take is rather interesting I may have to watch it a third time to grasp it completely.

 

I immediately thought, "wow, Disney has gotta give that stupid Star Wars movie away?"

 

I was especially impressed at its ability to still be a white-knuckle thriller, despite knowing from the very beginning the outcome.

Spoiler: Kinda spoiler

I mean, the very first scene in the movie is of him making it, yet the later climbing scenes still had me on the edge of my seat.

 

...and that damn whale...?

 

Check out '' Valley Uprising '' to see the start of big rock climbing. ( Also on Netflix ) Big

 

Amazingly this Oscar winner is on UK TV tonight. As far as I’m aware it was still in cinemas only last week. It’s on National Geographic at 8pm.