The awful miscasting of SPENCER TRACY absolutely ruins what might have been a very gripping film. He's cast as an experienced mountain climber whose younger brother, ROBERT WAGNER, wants to make the mountain climb to a plane crash where there are riches to plunder.
The whole film is really a character study of the two men, a study in opposites. Tracy is a simple man of sterling character while Wagner excels in his bad guy role. But to accept them as brothers, with the huge age gap between them, doesn't lend credibility to the story and its many mountain scenes.
The climbing itself is realistically done, but after awhile it becomes more of an endurance test for the viewer as the climbers experience several near fatal mishaps. All of it is filmed in mostly outdoor settings which are beautifully photographed. The stunning scenery is a delight to behold with only occasional studio shots subbing for the real mountain rocks.
Summing up: Could have been much better with more accurate casting. Tracy was only 56 at the time, but looks more like Wagner's grandfather and lacks credibility as a mountain climber capable of rescuing single-handedly an Indian girl from the plane wreck.
Where was Kirk Douglas?
The whole film is really a character study of the two men, a study in opposites. Tracy is a simple man of sterling character while Wagner excels in his bad guy role. But to accept them as brothers, with the huge age gap between them, doesn't lend credibility to the story and its many mountain scenes.
The climbing itself is realistically done, but after awhile it becomes more of an endurance test for the viewer as the climbers experience several near fatal mishaps. All of it is filmed in mostly outdoor settings which are beautifully photographed. The stunning scenery is a delight to behold with only occasional studio shots subbing for the real mountain rocks.
Summing up: Could have been much better with more accurate casting. Tracy was only 56 at the time, but looks more like Wagner's grandfather and lacks credibility as a mountain climber capable of rescuing single-handedly an Indian girl from the plane wreck.
Where was Kirk Douglas?