The “Huber Buam” (Huber Boys) are two German mountain climbers who (out of boredom or better marketability – that is not quite clear from the picture) set out to break speed climbin records. They try to achieve this at the supposedly famous “Nose” somewhere in California, but between efforts and after accidents, the documentary needed to deviatre from that story a bit and also follows them to Patagonia, which makes more interesting pictures, but leaves it increasingly unlcear what the film actually is about. At the end of the day, maybe it is about the relationship between brothers working in the same line of business – needing to cooperate in order to reap the best benefits, but never being able to escape jealousy and this long history together.
I think Danquart’s Tour de France film “Hoellentour” (Hell on Wheels) is vastly superior to this one both in cinematic terms and the personnel under scrutiny, but I dare not judge whether this is because I feel much more attached to the cyclists and can come up with only some form of zoological interest for speed climbing.
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2 Comments
Somewhere in California is called… Yosemite National Park. It is so famous worldwide that one of its mountains is the logo for the North Face sport equipment company… Just an example. As for boredom and marketability, speed climbing rarely gains sponsorships and endorsements like other types of mountaineering (ski races, first ascents, expeditions on Everest)… and certainly less than cycling in the Tour de France.Relating better to mainstream sports, such as cycling or football, than to climbing is perfectly fine. Ski, mountaineering and climbing are fringe and not for mass consumption. The personnel under scrutiny in this movie is among the best climbers-alpinists alive. They have climbed the Himalayas, the Andes, the Alps, and other places of amazing beauty and wilderness. They have wan many prizes in their own athletic discipline, and have been professional athletes for over 15 years.Sabine, a climber and skier
And they are brilliant, these two guys, no doubt about it! The fact that they managed to become well-known in Germany despite the sports not being too popular says a lot. I was just wondering what the reason may be for climbers to move from “regular” sports climbing (whatever “regular” means) to speed climbing. From the outside, the climbing seems to be losing a lot of its beauty, both for spectators and climbers. But you will know better, maybe it has its own charme and thrill. As for the film: I had the impression Danquart never found a good way of telling their record quest – and when the attempt failed, I found the film collapsed and tried to paddle to the safe shore by adding material that did not really contribute to the story he set out to tell. But – hey! – this scenery!