A group of people come together in the Swiss Alps to climb a previously unconquered mountain, revealing their inner selves in the process.A group of people come together in the Swiss Alps to climb a previously unconquered mountain, revealing their inner selves in the process.A group of people come together in the Swiss Alps to climb a previously unconquered mountain, revealing their inner selves in the process.
Alida Valli
- Carla Alton
- (as Valli)
Cedric Hardwicke
- Dr. Nicholas Radcliffe
- (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Edit Angold
- Frau Knubel
- (uncredited)
Irmgard Dawson
- Swiss maid
- (uncredited)
Fred Essler
- Knubel
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaTed Tetzlaff, who directed this, was better known as a cinematographer. He spent more than a decade under contract to Paramount, where he became Carole Lombard's favorite director of photography. When Lombard was loaned out to Universal for the original 1936 version of My Man Godfrey, she specifically requested Tetzlaff be loaned out as well.
- GoofsWhen the climbers reach their first camp, the guide tells them that they will pitch two tents, but only take one tent up the mountain the next day. When they reach their second camp they have two tents pitched as well.
- Quotes
Martin Ordway: Oh, what do we have here?
Paul DeLambre: [holding two bottles] Brandy. One for medicinal purposes, and one for celebration - when we reach the top.
Martin Ordway: What if you don't?
Paul DeLambre: Then for consolation.
Featured review
Good Premise, but Slack Screenplay and Direction
It's a suspenseful premise—scaling a killer peak. The trouble is that the suspense doesn't really gel until the final few minutes. In the meantime, Valli and Ford get romantically acquainted in several over-long scenes that sap the pace. Technically, the movie combines real mountains (French Alps) with sound stage mountains in pretty effective fashion, certainly better than most process shots of the period. And that location photography of the French Alps produces some stunning shots of gorgeous alpine valleys, which, I suspect, is the real star of the movie.
The plot motivation has Valli paying tribute to her dead father by scaling the White Tower. Unfortunately, she takes along a mixed bag of male support that's none too persuasive, including a 61-year old Claude Rains and a 56-year old Cedric Hardwicke, along with a youthful Ford who nevertheless treats the project like a walk-in-the-park. Remember, this is supposed to be a peak never before climbed, and she's a girl with a mission. Nonetheless, some of the dangling-from-rocks scenes amount to good cinema. I just wish someone had told Ford or the director that you don't mountaineer without gloves, especially in snow.
The story itself shifts gears abruptly in the final few minutes when WWII is refought on a tense snow bank. Actually, Ford should have suspected Bridges' politics when he first saw that Afrika Korps campaign cap. Instead, he has to prove the advantages of a cooperative ethic (democracy) over Bridges' superman ethic; at the same time, I like the movie's surprisingly unconventional climax, which manages to reinforce Ford's ethic. Anyway, the film is spotty, at best, but those scenic shots do compensate for a lot.
The plot motivation has Valli paying tribute to her dead father by scaling the White Tower. Unfortunately, she takes along a mixed bag of male support that's none too persuasive, including a 61-year old Claude Rains and a 56-year old Cedric Hardwicke, along with a youthful Ford who nevertheless treats the project like a walk-in-the-park. Remember, this is supposed to be a peak never before climbed, and she's a girl with a mission. Nonetheless, some of the dangling-from-rocks scenes amount to good cinema. I just wish someone had told Ford or the director that you don't mountaineer without gloves, especially in snow.
The story itself shifts gears abruptly in the final few minutes when WWII is refought on a tense snow bank. Actually, Ford should have suspected Bridges' politics when he first saw that Afrika Korps campaign cap. Instead, he has to prove the advantages of a cooperative ethic (democracy) over Bridges' superman ethic; at the same time, I like the movie's surprisingly unconventional climax, which manages to reinforce Ford's ethic. Anyway, the film is spotty, at best, but those scenic shots do compensate for a lot.
helpful•104
- dougdoepke
- Oct 17, 2009
- How long is The White Tower?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Hölle am weißen Turm
- Filming locations
- Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France(Valley)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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