Third Man on the Mountain (1959)
Third Man on the Mountain is an American film directed by Ken Annakin and produced by Walt Disney Productions, released in 1959. It is adapted from a novel by James Ramsey Ullman, entitled "Banner In The Sky". In the middle of the 19th century in Switzerland, a famous British mountaineer, Captain John Winter, wanted to climb a difficult summit, the Citadel. He goes to a small village but no guide wants to accompany him. A young man from the village, Rudi Matt, whose father died fifteen years earlier during an attempt to climb the Citadel, is determined to accompany him, with the help of his uncle. Winter also manages to hire a guide from a neighboring village and competitor, Emil Saxo. The roped party of four men then begins the ascent of the still untouched summit.
Watch Trailer
Free Trial Channels
Cast
Similar titles
Reviews
Perfectly adorable
One of the worst movies I've ever seen
I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
I love the Disney live action movies, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Treasure Island and so many more. Now, I am a fan of both them and actor James Donald, so when I had a chance to watch it I jumped at the chance. What a great way to spend an evening, great story filmed in beautiful surroundings and wonderful performances. Why isn't this available more widely? I'm not going to recap the story as other reviewers have already done so. It is, however, full of tension in marvellously filmed climbing sequences, just watching it for those is worthwhile. As I said earlier, great performances from a largely British cast with every role perfectly cast, Janet Munro runs circles around the modern Disney starlets for a start, always excellent Michael Rennie and Laurence Naismith and a young and cute James MacArthur as the lead, but, as a big fan of James Donald it was fantastic to see him playing something other than a soldier or doctor and doing his usual solid and terrific job and to see him smiling broadly at the end was an added treat, what a badly underused actor he was. Anyway, enough of the fangirl, this is one worth seeking out and I hope that Sky Disney will show it, after seeing The Island At The Top Of The World being shown (another favourite) I live in hope.
I watch any Mt climbing movie I can get my hands on. Since I have never seen one about the Matterhorn, I am watching this one. No one called Matt, has ever died on it tho. First ascent was on July 14, 1865 by Edward Whymper, Charles Hudson, Lord Francis Douglas, Douglas Robert Hadow, guide Michel Croz, and the father and son guides Peter and Peter Taugwalder via the Hörnli Ridge, the most common route of ascent today. Just below the summit on the descent, Hadow slipped, knocking Croz off. The rope came tight and pulled Hudson and Douglas and the four climbers fell down the north face. The elder Taugwalder was belaying with the rope over a rock spike, but the impact broke the rope thereby saving the Taugwalders and Whymper from certain death. I would think Disney could have got this historic fact correct. Great movie tho! If you want historic accuracy, watch Into Thin Air. Or, the North Face.
Until I rented it on disc I'd never heard of 'Third Man On The Mountain' - and what a lovely surprise it was.What's not to like? The alpine location photography, abetted by select matte paintings which, for a 1959 film, hold their own against all such in Cameron's 'Titanic,' is simply gorgeous. The solid cast gives rock-solid performances, making 'Third Man On The Mountain' a splendid Disney coming-of-age adventure animated with believable, earnest characters. Through the story's onward and upward progress Ken Annakin's gives sure-handed and sure-footed direction: he has a story to tell, and he orchestrates his actors and camera to tell it.And, oh, I second what my Canadian cousin, "oldyale6," from up there in BC, said in his IMDb review about this film's rock-solid values (we used to call them ideals): this is most definitely a film children ought to enjoy and profit from. 'Third Man On The Mountain' is timeless worthy fare for all.
The story opens in the mid-19th century in a picturesque Swiss village under the towering Citadel. Young Rudi Matt (James MacArthur) wants desperately to be a famous climbing guide like his late father and finally gets the chance to accompany an English climber (Michael Rennie) on a trek up the never-before-scaled mountain.If you like mountain climbing, you'll love this movie which was beautifully filmed on location in Zermatt and the Matterhorn. The story is pure Disney with an idealist hero, his spunky girl friend (Janet Munroe), and lot of lovable villagers looking after them. MacArthur is sweet and boyish and contrasts well with Rennie's sophisticated gentleman. The first half of the movie was more interesting for me than the final ascent (featuring Herbert Lom as a semi-villain), which was somewhat anti-climatic, but it's a feel-good movie all the same.An interesting note: Walt Disney loved the location so much that he built the Matterhorn bobsled ride at Disneyland after filming this movie.