Touch The Top Of The World (2008/Sony DVD)
Picture:
C Sound: B- Extras: C- Film: B-
Not too
long ago, we had the opportunity to see an exceptional documentary about a
group of blind people who climbed a mountain next to Mt. Everest. You can reads more about the terrific Blindsight at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8147/Blindsight+(2008/Image+DVD)
The
reason it is relevant to this DVD release is that the blind man who spearheaded
that groundbreaking project is Erik Weihenmayer, who struggled with his own
life, pain and blindness just to survive.
He has a very supportive family and his story is told in Peter Winther’s
unusually good biopic Touch The Top Of
The World (2008) following Weihenmayer’s story from childhood to his
triumphant journey to the top of Mount Everest itself. Peter Facinelli comes through with a
breakthrough performance as the adult Weihenmayer and Peter Silverman adapted
from Weihenmayer’s own book.
What I
really liked about this is the heart and soul it has, something we do not see
in telefilms or biopics much anymore, telling the stories in all kinds of ways
and with all kinds of nuances. The more
we learn about Weihenmayer, the more we like him, relate to him and when he
goes for the climb, truly root for him in what is becoming an increasingly rare
narrative event since the audience for such stories have been sold out and fed
formula of the same for a long time. Fortunately,
Touch The Top Of The World is the
real thing and with a supporting cast that includes Bruce Campbell and music
including The Dave Matthews Band, it is worth going out of your way for.
The anamorphically
enhanced 1.78 X 1 image looks a little weaker than expected, but is nicely shot
just the same and I wish Sony would issue it in Blu-ray. The period pieces are more convincing than
expected and editing is a plus. The Dolby
Digital 5.1 mix is one of the best for a telefilm or other TV release we have
come across in a while with quality recording throughout. The combination is decent. Previews are the only extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
