Suspending your own disbelief in front of the television … true! That is what in English is called “the suspension of disbelief”, the attitude with which, even though we know that what we are watching is “fake” or “far away” or “artificially constructed”, we end up believing in it deeply, with a sense of identification. We psychologically suspend our disbelief so as to live the content of a film to the full.
What sense does it make to suspend disbelief in front of a docufilm like “Sur le fil des 4000”... we already know that it is all reality, real life really lived... the life of one of the best-known legends of great mountaineering. A human legend. Patrick Berhault decides to link together the 82 summits over four thousand metres in 82 days.
Together with Philippe Magnin, the two set off on a journey they will not be able to finish. But the undertaking still remains of the very greatest value. At the 66th summit the project comes to a halt. No technical difficulty, no insurmountable danger, just a banal snow cornice that gives way under his feet. Patrick disappears into the clouds and the world loses one of the greats of modern mountaineering.
The footage is spectacular, at times breathtaking, much of it shot from the helicopter, much of it by a crew of expert technicians. The 22nd DVD in the “Il Grande Alpinismo” collection does not disappoint. Excellent. All in all the video doesn't even leave a bitter taste in the mouth. We meet a smiling Patrick, happy, not really worried about the dangers he was running. A positive image, in the end. The editing of the film and good direction have managed to keep this docufilm from being needlessly melodramatic and harsh.
The mountain still manages to be the great protagonist.
Another documentary on great mountaineering is La Voie Bonatti.
Who we recommend this documentary to
“Sur le fil des 4000” tells the story of the attempt by Patrick Berhault and Philippe Magnin to link, in 82 days, the 82 Alpine summits over four thousand metres, cut short at the 66th peak. It is the 22nd DVD in the “Il Grande Alpinismo” series and it is an easy watch even without any technical background: the aerial footage and the pace of the editing make it suitable both for those who practise mountaineering and for those who want to understand what a linking project of this scale means.
Anyone afraid of a dramatic story can rest easy: the tone is not gloomy: what prevails is the portrait of a serene mountaineer, and the mountain stays at the centre of the stage. If you are interested in the great figures of mountaineering, carry on with the portrait who was Walter Bonatti.